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Ms. Nuzzi told her editors about the relationship that had turned personal, the outlet said. A representative for Mr. Kennedy said the pair had met only once.
Sept. 20, 2024, 12:25 a.m. ET
A star New York Magazine political reporter has been placed on leave after disclosing a personal relationship with the former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In a statement posted online on Thursday night, New York Magazine said that its Washington correspondent, Olivia Nuzzi, had recently acknowledged to the magazine’s editors that she had engaged in a relationship “with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign.” The outlet said the relationship was “a violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures.”
A person familiar with the matter confirmed that the relationship was with Mr. Kennedy, a former Democrat who ended his independent run for president in August and has since endorsed former President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump’s campaign has named Mr. Kennedy to his transition team should he win the election in November.
New York Magazine said it had reviewed Ms. Nuzzi’s work 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,” the publication said.
Ms. Nuzzi, in a statement to The New York Times on Thursday, said that “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 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.”
A representative for Mr. Kennedy said, “Mr. Kennedy only met Olivia Nuzzi once in his life for an interview she requested, which yielded a hit piece.” The representative did not comment further.
The news was reported earlier by the media newsletter Status.
Ms. Nuzzi has worked for New York Magazine since 2017, gaining a reputation for sharply written and deeply reported political features. She had a cameo appearance in an episode of the television show “Billions” and recently released a documentary series called “Working Capital” with Bloomberg.
In November 2023, she wrote a profile of Mr. Kennedy and his campaign’s potential to “turn the presidential race upside down.” In an interview in March with The New York Times contributing opinion writer Frank Bruni, Ms. Nuzzi said 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’.”
Ms. Nuzzi has continued to report on the 2024 presidential race. Her most recent feature was an interview with Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago in early September. The article was updated on Thursday night with a note to readers containing New York’s statement about Ms. Nuzzi.
