Actually, the article says that though he was carrying a press pass listing the New York Times, he was not currently working for the NYT. He's worked for them in the past, but was not on assignment for them when this happened.

Sounds like he was freelance. He and his brother were both killed if I'm reading the caption on the picture accurately (though they don't mention his brother specifically in the story). The Daily Mail is schlock. The headline is deceptive. What a shocker these days, right?