A star reporter who covered Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign has been placed on leave after admitting a relationship with a former reporting subject.
New York Magazine said in a statement Thursday, first reported by Status, that its Washington correspondent, Olivia Nuzzi, had failed to disclose a “personal relationship” with an unnamed campaign subject while she was reporting on the 2024 election.
This was a violation of the outlet’s standards on journalists declaring personal interests that could be seen to influence their coverage, it said.
“Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign,” the statement said. The magazine said that it reviewed her work, however, and found “no inaccuracies nor evidence of bias.”
“She is currently on leave from the magazine, and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party review. We regret this violation of our readers’ trust,” it added.
While neither Nuzzi or New York Magazine named the reporting subject, Status as well as CNN and the New York Times have reported that it was Kennedy.
Nuzzi said in a statement to The New York Times on Thursday, without elaborating on the exact nature of their relationship, that “some communication between myself and a former reporting subject turned personal” earlier this year.
She said that despite having covered the subject previously she did not report on him directly during this time.
“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,” she said.
NBC News reached out to Nuzzi overnight for comment.
Stefanie Spear, spokesperson for Kennedy, said in a short statement to NBC News that “Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.”
Nuzzi wrote a lengthy article about Kennedy in Nov. 2023, headlined: “The Mind-Bending Politics of RFK Jr.’s Spoiler Campaign.” Its subheading read: “He’s a conservative. He’s a liberal. And he could turn the presidential race upside down.”
A recent article by Nuzzi, an interview with Trump, was published on Sept. 9. The online version has been updated with a “note to readers” which links to New York Magazine’s statement.
Kennedy, who gained prominence as an environmental lawyer and then as a leading anti-vaccine advocate, dropped out of the race last month and announced he would support Trump.
Katherine Koretski contributed.
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