The New York Times‘ editorial page editor, James Bennet, is recusing himself from coverage of the 2020 presidential election because his brother is running for the office.
In a statement posted on Twitter by the New York Times‘ publicist, the newspaper said, “Editorial Page Editor James Bennet has recused himself from any work generated by the opinion desk related to the 2020 presidential election. He will not discuss, assign or edit any editorial, Op-Eds, columns or other Opinion pieces focused on candidates or major issues in the campaign.”
The Times continued: “This move followed the announcement of his brother, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, that he intends to run for president. As long as Sen. Bennet’s campaign is active, responsibility for all political coverage will be handled by the deputy editorial page editors, Kathleen Kingsbury and James Dao. Even prior to the announcement, James has not been involved in any editorial decisions related to the senator.”
The New York Times pointed iMediaEthics to its statement on Twitter.