Media criticism and analysis can often come across as navel-gazing by and for a profession which takes themselves too seriously. But this Olivia Nuzzi-Ryan Lizza situation has blown that up – if anything, I would appreciate journalists and journalism ethicists to take this much more seriously, because as Marisa Kabas wrote in The Handbasket, this fiasco has exposed the “moral rot in elite journalism” which is “killing the whole field.” It’s not just that Olivia Nuzzi wrote a horrible book ON HER PHONE about her unethical behavior. It’s not just that Nuzzi’s ex-fiance, who remained with her after her two affairs with right-wing presidential candidates, has timed his frankly disturbing allegations to disrupt her book promotion. It’s that the whole sordid mess is entirely a reflection of how journalists have abdicated their responsibility as the fourth estate, compromising and selling out their ethics for access, fame and money.

One of the worst and grossest parts of all of this is that Nuzzi is still technically working for Vanity Fair/Conde Nast. Several months back, she was hired as Vanity Fair’s West Coast editor. VF now says that they’re looking into Lizza’s Substack pieces about Nuzzi’s conduct, but it’s all become a huge mess for VF’s new editorial director Mark Guiducci, who was the one who hired Nuzzi. From Status’s big exclusive:

VF’s slow response: The slow drip of news surrounding the 32-year-old [Nuzzi]—who Vanity Fair named its West Coast editor in September, before publishing an excerpt of her upcoming book “American Canto” has seemingly paralyzed the Condé Nast publication. While Nuzzi obviously came with some very public baggage, the response by Vanity Fair has been hobbled by the lack of clarity over what revelations might be coming next, raising questions about her future.

Guiducci’s response: Internally at the magazine, newly minted editorial director Mark Guiducci has addressed the situation to staffers twice, once during a champagne toast to celebrate the launch of the annual Hollywood issue—Guiducci’s first official edition of the magazine since taking over in June. Then, on Thursday, he called a team meeting, as previously reported by Breaker, explaining how he had come to meet Nuzzi and downplaying the allegations facing the former star political reporter, stating that they were difficult to investigate because they occurred while she was employed elsewhere. In an attempt to calm any tensions, Guiducci provided his personal phone number to staffers to reach out with additional questions.

Nuzzi hasn’t been pulling her weight as an editor: But it might be difficult for Nuzzi to turn this saga around when some inside Vanity Fair already feel that she hasn’t exactly pulled her own weight as anticipated. While Nuzzi made extensive efforts to edit her own excerpt featured in the most recent issue and brought in some new writers, some internally noted her unwillingness to attend day-to-day meetings. Two people told Status that one of her other editing assignments for the high-profile issue was not completed.

How will VF handle this? The bigger question is how long the company will be willing to withstand the negative news cycle and public gibes associated with its credibility, especially with Lizza continuing to release tantalizing tidbits to feed the social media circus. Those second-guessing the magazine’s editorial judgment, meanwhile, may have more fodder when they get their hands on a copy of the print edition of the Hollywood issue, which includes an abstract nude portrait of Nuzzi by sketch artist Isabelle Brourman, Status has learned from multiple people familiar. Brourman previously worked with Nuzzi multiple times at New York Magazine, including when Nuzzi visited Mar-a-Lago after the assassination attempt on Trump last year.

Nuzzi’s lawyer issued a statement: As for Nuzzi, her attorney, Ari Wilkenfeld, provided a very lawyerly response when he told The New York Times that the affair detailed in “American Canto” was the “only instance in her long career as a journalist in which she had an improper relationship with someone she was covering,” which seemingly provides some wiggle room about timing. One person familiar with the forthcoming book said she writes at length about her penchant for lying.

Will Nuzzi still be employed by VF next year? It’s possible Vanity Fair could simply try to wait the matter out. One person familiar with Nuzzi noted that her current contract may only run through the end of this year, meaning the magazine could let it quietly expire over the holidays. Based on the level of interest in the story so far, that sounds more like wishful thinking than a viable plan.

[From Status]

Her affair with Robert Kennedy Jr. was the “only instance in her long career as a journalist in which she had an improper relationship with someone she was covering…”? That’s not true, because she also (allegedly) f–ked Mark Sanford when she and Ryan Lizza were covering him AND using him as a source. I also think people are willfully missing the part where she says she was in love with Kennedy, and Lizza says she was doing catch-and-kill work on his behalf, ALL while she was covering the election across the board. If you’re f–king one of the candidates (not to mention using your lover as a source/subject), it affects how you cover the other candidates.

Photos courtesy of Lizza’s IG, Nuzzi’s IG, HBO and New York Mag’s video.