The Washington Post ‘The head of the Tokyo office left the newspaper just a month after it was revealed that he continued to cover stories about sexual harassment despite being accused of misconduct a few years ago, an ordeal that raised concerns in the newsroom about hypocrisy. of management.
In a note a Publication Staff shared Thursday with The Daily Beast, the newspaper’s management announced that Simon Denyer would leave for a “career change” and would be replaced by fellow Tokyo-based reporter Michelle Ye Hee Lee.
In a lawsuit against the newspaper, filed earlier this year, political journalist Felicia Sonmez noted this The Washington PostFormer CEO Marty Baron banned him from covering up stories of sexual conduct after revealing his own assault; there was no such ban for a male colleague who allegedly sent “an unwanted photo of the crotch covered in underwear to a young woman.” before continuing to cover similar stories.
Sonmez did not reveal the male reporter’s name and did not answer questions about the reporter’s identity. But The Daily Beast reported that the lawsuit referred to previously unreported allegations against Denyer, who had previously been the head of the newspaper’s office in China. (The mail he did not want to comment at that time. A Buoy Schiller Flexner LLP lawyer, the well-known firm that previously represented Harvey Weinstein, sent The Daily Beast a six-page legal letter on behalf of the head of the Tokyo office, but offered no information or clarification on the record.)
The allegations came from a 2018 WeChat thread between foreign correspondents in China, which discussed allegations of misconduct filed by Laura Tucker, then a law student, against Los Angeles TimesThe then head of the Beijing office, Jonathan Kaiman. Several male members of the chat attacked Tucker, and a journalist lamented her disappointment, claiming that the men in the WeChat thread had previously tried to block women from their football matches. After Denyer responded with what he characterized as a snark, the journalist dropped a bomb so that everyone could read: “Your snarkiness contrasts with the reflective piece of the #metoo China movement you made,” she wrote, according to screenshots from chat screen. . “But no wonder, since you sent me a photo of you without unwanted pants.”
The female journalist’s claims got back on track Publication leadership, which opened an investigation at the time. Ultimately, management ruled no wrongful professional misconduct on the part of Denyer, rather than issuing a warning. And since the incident, it has continued to cover MeToo-related incidents in China and Japan.
A spokesman for the Publication he did not immediately return any request for comment on his departure from the newspaper. Denyer and his lawyer also did not immediately respond to a query.
During his eleven years with the newspaper, Denyer served as head of office in India, China, and then Japan. During his tenure, the PublicationHe noted the internal note that he was part of a Pulitzer-winning team that explained the extreme impact of climate change in several places.
–Lachlan Cartwright has provided reports.