Why did a Pulitzer-prize winning NYT journalist choose a non-journalist with a military intelligence background -- and her nephew in law -- to do the on-the-gro

Why did a Pulitzer-prize winning NYT journalist choose a non-journalist with a military intelligence background -- and her nephew in law -- to do the on-the-ground reporting for an extremely consequential story? Based on the (lack of) fallout, these orders almost certainly came from the top.