NEW YORK, NY - Despite withering criticism of The New York Times' recent decision to hire famed Communist leader and murderer of millions Joseph Stalin to the newspaper's editorial board, The Times has defended Stalin and the move to allow him a platform to voice his far-left policies.

Upon the announcement of Stalin's hire, thousands of readers pointed out that Stalin was responsible for the deaths of up to 25 million people. But on Thursday, The Times released a statement saying that editors were aware of Stalin's sordid past before hiring him, and that it would not be bowing to "right-wing outrage" over "just a few million deaths."

"His nationality as a Russian and his identity as a Communist have made him the target of much online harassment," The Times wrote. "For a period of time, he responded to criticism by lashing out, fighting fire with fire by executing dissenters and implementing policies that sent countless people to their deaths. He now sees this only fueled the rage against him and was not entirely appropriate."

The Times also wrote that Stalin has promised not to continue to kill people while he is employed by the paper. "He is an important part of the voice of our organization," they wrote.