Alexander used his [[first name|first]] and [[middle name]] alone for safety and privacy reasons, although he had previously published ''Slate Star Codex'' content academically under his real name.<ref name="nytssc" /> In June 2020, he deletedhid all entries on ''Slate Star Codex'',{{efn|Although technically inaccurate terminologically, this action was colloquially referred to as "[[File deletion|deleting]]" his blog.}} stating that a ''[[New York Times]]'' technology reporter intended to publish an article about the blog using his full name. Alexander said that the reporter told him that it was newspaper policy to use real names,<ref name="hoonhout">{{cite news |last1=Hoonhout |first1=Tobias |date=23 June 2020 |title=What an NYT Reporter's Doxing Threat Says about the Paper's 'Standards' |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/news/what-a-nyt-reporters-doxxing-threat-says-about-the-papers-standards/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623232307/https://www.nationalreview.com/news/what-a-nyt-reporters-doxxing-threat-says-about-the-papers-standards/ |archive-date=23 June 2020 |access-date=23 June 2020 |work=[[National Review]]}}</ref> and he referred to it as [[doxing]].<ref name="NewYorker" /> ''The New York Times'' responded: "We do not comment on what we may or may not publish in the future. But when we report on newsworthy or influential figures, our goal is always to give readers all the accurate and relevant information we can."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Athey |first1=Amber |date=23 June 2020 |title=The death of the private citizen |url=https://spectator.us/new-york-times-private-slate-star-codex-blog/ |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623214217/https://spectator.us/new-york-times-private-slate-star-codex-blog/ |archive-date=23 June 2020 |access-date=23 June 2020 |work=[[Spectator USA]]}}</ref> ''[[The Verge]]'' cited a source saying that at the time when Alexander deleted the blog, "not a word" of a story about ''SSC'' had been written.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schiffer |first=Zoe |date=16 July 2020 |title=How Clubhouse brought the culture war to Silicon Valley's venture capital community |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/16/21325678/venture-capitalists-vc-media-silicon-valley-clubhouse-tech-journalists |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716145045/https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/16/21325678/venture-capitalists-vc-media-silicon-valley-clubhouse-tech-journalists |archive-date=16 July 2020 |access-date=16 July 2020 |website=[[The Verge]] |language=en}}</ref> The [[Poynter Institute]]'s David Cohn interpreted this event as part of an ongoing clash between the tech and media industries, reflecting a shift from primarily economic conflicts to fundamental disagreements over values, ethics, and cultural norms.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cohn |first1=David |title=When journalism and Silicon Valley collide |url=https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2020/when-journalism-and-silicon-valley-collide/ |publisher=[[Poynter Institute]] |date=1 September 2020 |access-date=8 September 2020 |archive-date=1 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901213818/https://www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2020/when-journalism-and-silicon-valley-collide/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Prior to the article's publication, several commentators argued that the ''Times'' should not publish Alexander's name without good reason. Writing in ''[[National Review]]'', Tobias Hoonhout said that the newspaper had applied its anonymity policy inconsistently.<ref name="hoonhout" /> The ''[[New Statesman]]''<nowiki/>'s Jasper Jackson wrote that it was "difficult to see how Scott Alexander's full name is so integral to the ''NYT''{{'s}} story that it justifies the damage it might do to him", but cautioned that such criticism was based solely on Alexander's own statements and that "before we make that call, it might be a good idea to have more than his word to go on."<ref name=":2" /> As reported by ''[[The Daily Beast]]'', the criticism by Alexander and his supporters that the paper was doxing him caused internal debate among ''Times''{{'}} staff.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Tani |first=Maxwell |date=24 June 2020 |title=The Latest Squabble Inside The New York Times |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-slate-star-codex-doxxing-is-the-latest-squabble-inside-new-york-times |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626022626/https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-slate-star-codex-doxxing-is-the-latest-squabble-inside-new-york-times |archive-date=26 June 2020 |access-date=26 June 2020 |work=[[The Daily Beast]] |language=en}}</ref>
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''The New York Times'' published an article about the blog in February 2021, three weeks after Alexander had publicly revealed his name.<ref name="nytssc">{{Cite news |last=Metz |first=Cade |date=13 February 2021 |title=Silicon Valley's Safe Space |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/13/technology/slate-star-codex-rationalists.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213101345/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/13/technology/slate-star-codex-rationalists.html |archive-date=13 February 2021 |access-date=13 February 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
