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New York Magazine reporter on leave
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New York Magazine reporter on leave

A star reporter who covered Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign has been suspended after admitting to an affair with a former reporter.

New York Magazine reported Thursday in a statement, first reported by Status, that its Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi failed to disclose a “personal relationship” with an unnamed campaign manager while covering the 2024 election.

The magazine said this was a violation of its standards for journalists disclosing personal interests that could influence their reporting.

Reporter Olivia Nuzzi arrives for the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., April 29, 2023.
Olivia Nuzzi in 2023.Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images file

“Had the magazine been aware of this relationship, she would not have continued to cover the presidential campaign,” the statement said. However, the magazine said it had reviewed her work and found “no inaccuracies or evidence of bias.”

“She is currently on leave from the magazine and the magazine is conducting a more thorough third-party investigation. We regret this breach of our readers’ trust,” it added.

Although neither Nuzzi nor New York Magazine named the reporter, Status, CNN and the New York Times have reported it was Kennedy.

Nuzzi said in a statement to The New York Times on Thursday, without elaborating on the precise nature of their relationship, that “early this year, communications between me and a former journalist became personal.”

She said that while she had covered the subject before, she had not reported on him directly during that time.

“The relationship was never physical, but should have been made public to avoid the appearance of conflict. I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those I have disappointed, especially my colleagues in New York,” she said.

NBC News reached out to Nuzzi last night for comment.

Stefanie Spear, a spokesperson for Kennedy, said in a brief statement to NBC News that “Mr. Kennedy met Olivia Nuzzi only once in his life for an interview she requested, which resulted in a critical article.”

Nuzzi wrote a long article about Kennedy in November 2023, headlined, “The Mind-Bending Politics of RFK Jr.’s Spoiler Campaign.” The subhead read, “He’s a conservative. He’s a liberal. And he could turn the presidential race on its head.”

A recent article by Nuzzi, an interview with Trump, was published on September 9. The online version has been updated with a “note to readers” linking to New York Magazine’s statement.

Kennedy, who rose to prominence as an environmental advocate and later as a leading anti-vaccination activist, dropped out of the race last month and announced he would endorse Trump.