New York magazine said it has put one of its reporters on leave after she “engaged in a personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign,” who CNN has alleged to have been Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
A spokesperson for the publication issued a statement on Thursday, September 19, stating that Olivia Nuzzi, the publication’s Washington correspondent, recently “acknowledged to the magazine’s editors” that she had engaged in the relationship “while she was reporting on the campaign.” This was a violation of the magazine’s standards regarding conflicts of interest and disclosures, according to the statement.
“Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign,” the spokeswoman was quoted as saying.
Nuzzi, 31, shared in a statement to PEOPLE that “the nature of some communication” between herself and “a former reporting subject turned personal,” though she added that she “did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source” during that time.
She said that while the connection was never physical, it should have been reported in order to avoid giving the impression that there was a problem. My deepest regret is that I did not do so promptly, and I sincerely apologize to anyone whom I have let down, particularly my coworkers with whom I work in New York.
At no point did either the magazine or Nuzzi reveal the identity of the person with whom she was romantically involved. However, a source with knowledge on the incident told CNN that Nuzzi was linked to Kennedy, 70, who dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in August before endorsing former President Donald Trump.
People attempted to get in touch with Kennedy, but he did not react to a phone or a text message that asked for a remark. In addition, PEOPLE has attempted to get a reaction from Cheryl Hines, who is married to Anthony Kennedy.
In a statement to the Washington Post, a spokeswoman for the politician said that Kennedy had only ever seen the New York reporter once for the purpose of writing an article. The Washington Post mentioned that the piece was written by Kennedy in November 2023 and was titled “The Mind-Bending Politics of RFK Jr.’s Spoiler Campaign.”
According to the Washington Post, the spokesman said that “Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which resulted in one of the most successful pieces of journalism.”
Since then, Nuzzi has reportedly written a number of articles about the presidential contest and the campaign trail in 2024, as reported by CNN. Additionally, she has made mention to Kennedy in recent coverage, such as an essay published in June that argued that Kennedy ought to have been let to debate Trump and President Joe Biden, as well as another opinion piece published in March that criticized the media for their coverage of Kennedy, as reported by the Washington Post for example.
In addition, the reporter has appeared in a cameo capacity as herself in an episode of Billions that aired in 2022. Additionally, she is the presenter of the original series Working Capital with Olivia Nuzzi that is produced by Bloomberg.
According to New York magazine, Nuzzi has been put “on leave,” despite the fact that “an internal review of her published work” discovered “no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias.” Additionally, the magazine went on to state that it “is conducting a more thorough third-party review.”
The publication extended its apology to its readers by stating, “We regret this violation of the trust that our readers have placed in us.”
