UPDATE 3/27/2026:
In a press release titled “Fact-Checking Claims About Our American Medical Association Coverage” the New York Times Communications Department denied that the American Medical Association had requested a correction to a February story that made claims about the group’s position on gender-affirming care for youth.
“The Times has received no requests to correct, clarify or update our articles from the A.M.A,” the Times’ comms department statement states. The release also includes the information that the newsletter that described the request for a correction was written by the Chair of the AMA’s Board. It also includes the full AMA statement relied on for the earlier story for the first time, and attributes it to the AMA’s Chief Communications Officer Joshua Zembik.
According to the comms department, that statement by Zembik was:
“Our colleagues at ASPS concluded that the evidence supporting gender-related surgery in minors is insufficient and of low certainty. The American Medical Association respects the expertise and dedication of surgeons who care for patients every day. The AMA supports evidence-based treatment, including gender-affirming care. Currently, the evidence for gender-affirming surgical intervention in minors is insufficient for us to make a definitive statement. In the absence of clear evidence, the AMA agrees with ASPS that surgical interventions in minors should be generally deferred to adulthood.”
According to the Times communications department, “no update or correction … is necessary.”
Original story 3/26/2026:
The Board Newsletter for the American Medical Association this month sheds new light on questions about a New York Times story that characterized the professional organization as one of two medical groups to have “backed limitations on gender-related surgical treatments for minors.”
“While some media coverage characterized this as agreement with the ASPS statement, that phrasing did not come from the AMA,” the group wrote in a newsletter dated March 26. “Unfortunately, how reporters frame their stories is beyond our control.” Assigned was first alerted to the existence of the newsletter on Bluesky, by user @lyolyon.bsky.social.
The newsletters goes further in the next paragraph, mentioning the New York Times by name and stating they have sent a letter to the editor requesting a public correction.
Assigned Media previously covered an apparent discrepancy in news coverage of the AMA’s statements after a shift in position by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, whose position has changed to be more line with the position of the Trump administration, who oppose youth gender surgeries. The New York Times and many right wing outlets characterized the AMA as shifting position and agreeing with the ASPS statement. However NPR, Stat, and other publications quoted similar language from the AMA, but did not characterize their statement as a departure from the AMA’s previous position, or as being in agreement with the ASPS.
Assigned contacted the New York Times ahead of publication, but the paper did not immediately respond with a comment for this story. We will update our story with their response if one is sent subsequent to publication.
Evan Urquhart is the founder of Assigned Media.
