New York Magazine's star Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi is on leave after admitting she failed to disclose a "personal relationship" with an unnamed campaign subject, who several sources have identified as former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
"Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign," the magazine said in a statement, adding that after a review of her work, it found "no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias," reports NBC News on Friday.
The magazine said Nuzzi is on leave while a "more thorough third-party review" is underway and that it regrets "this violation of our readers' trust."
Nuzzi said in a statement to The New York Times on Thursday that "some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal" earlier this year. She did not elaborate on the exact nature of the relationship or specifically name Kennedy.
Stefanie Spear, a Kennedy spokesperson, said in a statement to NBC News that he had "only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece." She did not elaborate further.
The New York Times reported that an unnamed source believed to be familiar with the matter said the relationship was with Kennedy, who dropped his race for president in August and has endorsed former President Donald Trump.
CNN also confirmed through a person with direct knowledge of the matter that the relationship was with Kennedy.
The network's source described the relationship as being emotional and "digital," not physical.
Nuzzi said in her statement that her relationship with her source, without naming him, was "never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I've disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York."
She also said that while the relationship was going on she "did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source."
In November 2023, Nuzzi wrote an article for New York Magazine about Kennedy, with the headline "The Mind-Bending Politics of RFK Jr.'s Spoiler Campaign." She also wrote an interview with Trump that was published on Sept. 9. Its online version has been updated with a link to the magazine's statement.
Meanwhile, in March, Nuzzi told The New York Times contributing opinion writer Frank Bruni that the 2024 election was a "three-man race" and that the "establishment press has been reluctant to cover Kennedy like a serious contender because they fear they will face criticism for 'platforming an anti-vaxxer.'"
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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