WASHINGTON, D.C. -According to reports a cousin of Anthony Shadid is blaming the New York Times for the death of the two time distinguished Pulitzer Prize winning journalist.  “The phone call the night before he left Turkey for Syria, there was screaming and slamming on the phone in discussions with editors,” Ed Shadid, said at the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee’s convention in Washington, D.C.

“It was at this time that he called his wife and gave his last haunting directive that if anything happens to me I want the world to know the New York Times killed me,” he added. A spokesperson for the ADC confirmed the remarks were made, and attendees at the event Tweeted the surprising comments. The ADC’s internship program is named after Anthony Shadid, who once worked as an intern there. 

According to Politico Anthony Shadid is said to have complained about logistical issues regarding his transfer into Syria. Ed Shadid also told the audience that his cousin was battling health issues before going to Syria to cover the country’s uprisings that first emerged in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring. On February 16, Anthony Shadid died from an asthma attack.  Anthony Shadid, the Middle East-based correspondent for the New York Times, was honored at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee’s 2012 convention at the evening gala Saturday, June 23rd, 2012. Shadid’s close family, including his wife and daughter, was on-hand to receive a painting created by Helen Zughaib in Shadid’s honor.