Hey, they were faster this time
Back around 1920, the NYT ridiculed rocket pioneer Robert Goddard for suggesting that rockets could fly in space. The wizards at the NYT claimed rocket flight in space was impossible because "there was nothing to push against." They actually admitted their error - in July 1969 as Apollo 11 was on its way to the moon. It took them almost 50 years to admit they were wrong in that case. This more recent case only took about 30 years.