New York Mag Hires Top Law Firm in Olivia Nuzzi-RFK Jr. Review

• New York magazine has hired a top law firm to investigate the Olivia Nuzzi-Robert F. Kennedy Jr. matter.
• The probe, by Davis Wright Tremaine, concerns her relationship with RFK Jr. while reporting on the campaign.
• The scandal is testing the transparency of NY magazine and the leadership of its top editor amid the presidential election.

New York magazine may take some time to decide the fate of its star political reporter, Olivia Nuzzi, over her disclosed relationship with one-time presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But the publication Vox Media signaled that it does not interfere in the investigation of the matter.

New York editor-in-chief David Haskell told staff at a business meeting Tuesday that he has hired the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine to lead the third-party investigation. The firm is known in media circles as a heavy hitter. Media companies have hired him in the past to secure media access to the trials of Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein and Sam Bankman-Fried. The firm has also defended Big Tech companies like Meta and Amazon, as well as creators who sued to stop TikTok’s ban.

Two people who attended the New York meeting said Haskell only briefly mentioned the Nuzzi-RFK Jr. situation and did not answer questions about it. The meeting was a regularly scheduled monthly meeting that had been rescheduled since last week.

The scandal had a series of twists and turns. This week, in court documents viewed by BI, Nuzzi accused her ex-fiancé, Politico reporter Ryan Lizza, of making threats of physical violence against her after they broke up and of threatening to destroy her career by going public personal information about her. The court granted Nuzzi a temporary protection order. Lizza denied the claims in a statement to BI (Politico shares an owner with BI). CNN previously reported on the court documents.

The Nuzzi-RFK Jr. story has thrown a national spotlight on New York magazine and its parent company, Vox Media. It’s an uncomfortable time for Haskell, which faces the possibility of losing its top political reporter in the middle of the presidential election. Nuzzi was placed on leave in late September after her editors learned she had an affair with Kennedy while reporting on the presidential race; news of the relationship was first reported by journalist Oliver Darcy in its newsletter, Condition.

In a note to readers, New York called it a “violation of the journal’s standards on conflicts of interest and disclosures,” but also said an internal review of her published work found no inaccuracies or evidence of bias. Employees were instructed by Vox Media general counsel Brian Leung not to discuss anything with Nuzzi or send any correspondence about the matter.

New York magazine insiders previously told BI that some in the newsroom expressed sympathy for their colleague and friend, while still condemning the reported actions. There have also been questions about whether her career can survive and why she wasn’t fired on the spot, given that her editors said she violated the magazine’s standards and are calling for more transparency about NY magazine’s handling of the matter . The hiring of Davis Wright Tremaine could be a signal that Vox is building a strong case to fire Nuzzi. On the other hand, if Vox decides to let it stand, it may have the cover to do so now that it has hired a high-profile law firm for the review.