Why is the article author constantly (only?) referring to them as Mr. _____ and Ms. ______ ? Is that common for this publisher, and when/how do they determine when to use first names vs. last names?
Yes, courtesy titles are common in New York Times due to their style manual:
> Requires that the surnames of subjects be prefixed with a courtesy title (such as Dr., Mr., Ms., or Mrs.). (However, since about 2015, courtesy titles have not been used in sports pages, pop culture, and fine arts)
> Requires that the surnames of subjects be prefixed with a courtesy title (such as Dr., Mr., Ms., or Mrs.). (However, since about 2015, courtesy titles have not been used in sports pages, pop culture, and fine arts)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Manual_of_S...