Political Star Reporter Olivia Nuzzi
Placed on Leave by Affiliated Media Outlet
New York Magazine in the United States has placed a political reporter on leave after it was revealed that the reporter had a "personal relationship" with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ran as an independent candidate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election this November.
On the 20th (local time), New York Magazine acknowledged the report by the U.S. media outlet Status, which stated that Olivia Nuzzi, a star political reporter at New York Magazine, was on leave due to an inappropriate relationship with Kennedy Jr. The magazine stated, "Recently, Nuzzi had a personal relationship with a source related to the presidential election, which violated our magazine's standards. If the magazine had been aware of this relationship earlier, we would not have allowed him to continue covering the election." They added, "An internal review of his articles found no evidence of inaccuracies or bias," and emphasized, "A more thorough review is underway through a third party." The inappropriate relationship between a reporter and a source was judged to violate journalistic ethics due to concerns about conflicts of interest. New York Magazine did not disclose that the source involved with Nuzzi was Kennedy Jr.
Olivia Nuzzi, a star political reporter for New York Magazine, was revealed to have had an inappropriate relationship with Kennedy Junior. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]
However, David Haskell, editor of New York Magazine, wrote in a memo to staff that "the relationship began in December last year, after a profile article was written in November, and ended in August." The Associated Press added, "The profile article Nuzzi wrote that month was solely about Kennedy Jr."
Nuzzi also issued a statement saying, "During the time I maintained a personal relationship, I did not report directly on the subject nor use him as a source," and explained, "Although it was not a physical relationship, I should have disclosed it and deeply regret not doing so immediately." However, Kennedy Jr.'s side stated only that "Kennedy met Nuzzi once for an interview he requested."
Meanwhile, Kennedy Jr. is the nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963. He is known as an environmental lawyer who graduated from Harvard University and led anti-vaccine movements during the COVID-19 pandemic. He declared his candidacy as an independent in last year's presidential election but suspended his campaign on the 23rd of last month and announced his support for former President Donald Trump. His family, who support Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, criticized Kennedy Jr.'s actions as "a betrayal of the values upheld by his father and our family."
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