NYT Reporter Glenn Thrush Taken Off WH Beat After Misconduct Allegations

Reporters including Glenn Thrush, chief White House political correspondent for the The New York Times stand in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House after being excluded from the meeting on Febru... Reporters including Glenn Thrush, chief White House political correspondent for the The New York Times stand in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House after being excluded from the meeting on February 24, 2017 in Washington, DC. CNN, the New York Times and other news organizations were blocked Friday from a White House press briefing. Credit: Olivier Douliery / Pool via CNP Photo by: Olivier Douliery/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images MORE LESS
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The New York Times on Wednesday announced that Glenn Thrush, who four women accused in November of sexual misconduct, will return to work at the company but will no longer serve as part of its team covering the White House.

“While we believe that Glenn has acted offensively, we have decided that he does not deserve to be fired,” Dean Baquet, the paper’s executive editor, said in a statement.

The New York Times reported that Baquet informed Thrush of the decision during a meeting on Wednesday.

The New York Times opened an investigation into the misconduct allegations against Thrush after Vox published a report in November by its editorial director Laura McGann, who was a reporter at TPM a decade ago. McGann accused Thrush of unexpectedly kissing her years earlier when they both worked at Politico. Three other women accused Thrush of misconduct.

Thrush did not deny the allegations against him, and said in November that he had “responded to a succession of personal and health crises by drinking heavily” and had “resumed counseling.”

Baquet on Wednesday said the New York Times has suspended Thrush “for two months and removed him from the White House beat.”

“He will receive training designed to improve his workplace conduct,” Baquet said. “In addition, Glenn is undergoing counseling and substance abuse rehabilitation on his own. We will reinstate him as a reporter on a new beat upon his return.”

Baquet said the New York Times’ investigation into Thrush’s behavior “included dozens of interviews with people both inside and outside the newsroom.”

“We understand that our colleagues and the public at large are grappling with what constitutes sexually offensive behavior in the workplace and what consequences are appropriate,” he said. “Each case has to be evaluated based on individual circumstances. We believe this is an appropriate response to Glenn’s situation.”

Notable Replies

  1. But why drop him from the WH beat? Let’s keep all the predators (a-holes) in the same place to better keep an eye on them.

  2. “He will receive training designed to improve his workplace conduct,” Baquet said. “In addition, Glenn is undergoing counseling and substance abuse rehabilitation on his own. We will reinstate him as a reporter on a new beat upon his return.”

    I think this is a very fair decision. I’m guessing a lot of men have made the mistake, especially while drinking, of trying to kiss someone they thought was interested in them who really, really wasn’t. There needs to be consequences and accountability, but it should fit the nature of the accusation. Not everyone needs to lose their job and be permanently ostracized.

  3. OK, now we know what ‘zero tolerance’ means at the NYT.

  4. " Glenn Thrush, who four women accused in November of sexual misconduct, will return to work at the company but will no longer serve as part of its team covering the White House."

    WHOM, not who.

    Is there a copy editor in the house?

  5. So how did the story end up? I got side-tracked by the spitting on the ground at the words “Dean Baquet.”

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