In another Medium post, McNeil alleged that the NYT refused to publish a 4,000-word story that he wrote about the lab leak theory because the staff was “sharply divided” on the issue. The paper has come under fire for a headline calling the lab leak theory a “fringe theory” that “lacks evidence” and slamming Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton when he mentioned the theory on Fox News. The lab leak hypothesis has now become more mainstream as evidence has come to light that determined the theory is plausible.