New York Magazine Reporter Olivia Nuzzi Placed on Leave Following Relationship Disclosure
A prominent political reporter for New York Magazine, Olivia Nuzzi, has been placed on leave after revealing a personal relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former presidential candidate. On Thursday night, the magazine issued a statement indicating that Nuzzi, who serves as their Washington correspondent, had informed the editorial team about her involvement in a relationship with “a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign.” This disclosure was deemed a violation of the magazine’s standards regarding conflicts of interest and transparency.
Sources familiar with the situation have confirmed that the relationship in question was with Mr. Kennedy, who previously ran as a Democrat and concluded his independent presidential campaign in August. Since then, he has endorsed former President Donald J. Trump, who has appointed Mr. Kennedy to his transition team in the event he wins the upcoming election in November.
New York Magazine stated that after reviewing Nuzzi’s previous work, they found “no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias.” The publication added, “She is currently on leave from the magazine, and we are conducting a more thorough third-party review.”
In her statement to The New York Times on Thursday, Nuzzi expressed, “Some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal earlier this year. During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source.” She went on to clarify, “The relationship 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.”
A representative for Mr. Kennedy responded, stating, “Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.” The representative did not provide further comments on the matter.
This news was initially reported by the media newsletter Status.
Since joining New York Magazine in 2017, Nuzzi has built a reputation for her incisive and well-researched political features. She has made a cameo appearance on the television series “Billions” and recently launched a documentary series titled “Working Capital” in collaboration with Bloomberg.
In November 2023, she authored a profile on Mr. Kennedy, exploring the potential impact of his campaign on the presidential race. During an interview with Frank Bruni, a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, Nuzzi characterized the 2024 election as “a three-man race,” noting 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’.”
Despite the controversy, Nuzzi has continued her coverage of the 2024 presidential race. Her most recent feature included an interview with Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago in early September. On Thursday night, the article was updated with a note to readers that included New York Magazine’s statement regarding Nuzzi’s situation.
