BEIJING—After New York Times editorial board member Mara Gay said she was disturbed by the horrific sight of the American flag, the Times has announced its offices will be relocated to Beijing so the paper's journalists and editors won't have to see the triggering sight of the U.S. flag any longer.
The new offices have the Chinese flag flying out front, so Times reporters will no longer have to see the flag of a problematic, oppressive nation.
"The Times cares deeply about the mental health and wellbeing of our employees," said an HR rep. "We were getting constant complaints from our journalists that having our offices located in the U.S. was causing distress for many of our reporters. Being situated in New York City, we were constantly having to see American flags on buildings, bumper stickers, flagpoles, Chevy truck ads -- you name it. We won't have as much of an issue here in Beijing."
"This should help everyone breathe a little easier."
Journalists say they are adjusting well to the new location and have much more peace of mind knowing they aren't in a country that oppresses its citizens like the U.S.A. As an added benefit, they're right down the street from President Xi Jinping, making it a lot easier to run stories by him.