Stuff like this is why the media's outrage over Tucker Carlson's and Sean Hannity's chumminess with Trump was so obviously phony. They are opinion guys. Nobody ever pretended they were independent commentators. However, the Times is supposed to be the gold standard of objective journalism, and they're asking liberal politicians for permission before they let a conservative even have a voice.
Note - I know the Times isn't the gold standard of anything but partisan assclownery, but they claim to be the gold standard of objective journalism.