New York magazine has placed its highly regarded Washington correspondent, Olivia Nuzzi, on leave after she disclosed a personal relationship with a former reporting subject, a breach of the publication’s ethical guidelines.
The newsletter Status, , and The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, have identified Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the individual involved with Nuzzi. New York magazine and Nuzzi have not confirmed Kennedy’s involvement, and Kennedy has stated that he has only met her once.
This revelation is significant for both the magazine and Nuzzi, whose article about Donald Trump, “Peering into Donald Trump’s Ear, and Soul,” was featured on its most recent cover.
In a message to its readers published late Thursday, New York stated that had it been aware of the relationship, Nuzzi would not have been permitted to cover the presidential campaign.
New York has indicated that an internal review of Nuzzi’s work has not uncovered any inaccuracies or evidence of bias, but that Nuzzi is on leave while a more comprehensive third-party review is conducted.
“We regret this violation of our readers’ trust,” the magazine said, and a spokeswoman declined further comment. A spokesperson for Kennedy, who is married to the actress Cheryl Hines, did not immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press.
Nuzzi stated in a statement to Status that in early 2024, the nature of some communication between herself and a former reporting subject shifted to a personal level.
“During that time, I did not directly report on the subject nor use them as a source,” she said. “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.”
It remains unclear how and when Nuzzi’s superiors at the magazine became aware of the relationship.
Nuzzi authored a piece that was published last November, “The Mind-Bending Politics of RFK Jr.’s Spoiler Campaign,” where she detailed a harrowing car ride and brief hike with Kennedy and his dogs while interviewing him.
Kennedy’s name surfaced in a podcast discussion in The New York Times where Nuzzi, Frank Bruni and Joe Klein analyzed the state of the campaign at the time. “We’re forgetting or purposefully ignoring something rather important about this election: It’s not a two-man race. It’s a three-man race,” Nuzzi said, noting that at the time Kennedy was “polling competitively.”
Status quoted a representative for Kennedy as saying, “Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in her life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.”