NEW: Seven women say the columnist Nick Cohen groped them or made unwanted sexual advances while he was at The Observer.
A Financial Times reporter had the story, but her editor killed it. nytimes.com
A Financial Times reporter had the story, but her editor killed it. nytimes.com
The story wasn’t killed because of reporting problems. The FT had interviewed five women, two on the record. We found another two.
They all had similar stories to tell, ones that were corroborated by documentary evidence or interviews with witnesses and others.
They all had similar stories to tell, ones that were corroborated by documentary evidence or interviews with witnesses and others.
One said Cohen groped her in the newsroom in 2001. Five described similar incidents at pubs 2008-2015. One said he pressed his erection against her when they met to discuss her career. A seventh said he offered to send explicit photos in 2018, when she worked for him unpaid.
Two of the women had reported their experiences to the Guardian News & Media. Lucy Siegle was the first in 2018, but managers didn’t take action until she went public with her complaint several years later.
Cohen was suspended pending an investigation, and resigned in January.
Cohen was suspended pending an investigation, and resigned in January.
Secretly, GNM paid him a financial settlement for quitting and agreed to confidentiality, according to three colleagues and an editor he discussed it with.
Cohen confirmed the confidentiality deal to me, but would not discuss the financial terms
Cohen confirmed the confidentiality deal to me, but would not discuss the financial terms
Meanwhile, the FT’s new investigations team had already begun their reporting on Cohen, as part of a broader look at sexual misconduct across British media.
But by February, the FT’s editor had killed the story, according to a dozen insiders.
But by February, the FT’s editor had killed the story, according to a dozen insiders.
Some FT journalists said their editor didn’t believe it was an “FT story" because Cohen wasn't a big enough name outside the media. Others saw it as part of a wider reluctance to expose bad behaviour within its own industry.
For the women who shared their stories with the FT, the death of the story hit hard.
“It just amplified this sense that #MeToo is nothing but a convenient hashtag for the British media. The silence on its own industry is just really conspicuous,” said one of them, Lucy Siegle.
“It just amplified this sense that #MeToo is nothing but a convenient hashtag for the British media. The silence on its own industry is just really conspicuous,” said one of them, Lucy Siegle.
The Guardian said it takes harassment “extremely seriously”. The FT declined to comment on “internal discussions.”
Nick Cohen did not respond to any specific allegations, but said he is a recovering alcoholic and “looks back on my addicted life with deep shame.”
Nick Cohen did not respond to any specific allegations, but said he is a recovering alcoholic and “looks back on my addicted life with deep shame.”
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