More than 100 Politico staffers signed a letter sent to publisher Robert Allbritton decrying the decision to allow conservative firebrand Ben Shapiro a platform on the website and slamming Editor-in-Chief Matt Kaminski’s handling of the matter.
The letter claims that the publication’s decision to offer the platform to Shapiro demoralized a large portion of the newsroom while also taking aim at Kaminski’s reported lack of compassion for the staff’s concerns.
The letter claims that Kaminski has still not appropriately apologized for allowing Shapiro’s one-day edition of Politico Playbook to be published or his subsequent dismissal of his newsroom’s dismay. Kaminski expressed regret over characterizing the article as “mischief making,” but has stood by his decision to publish Shapiro to “mix things up” in a bid to keep Politico “vital and vibrant” to readers.
The letter claims Shapiro has a history of bigotry and asks Allbritton to explain how Shapiro’s views could be seen as “vital and vibrant.”
“It’s an internal matter and will be handled as such,” a Politico spokesperson told the Daily Beast.
The letter also demanded that Politico clarify and improve editorial standards, increase the company’s diversity, and issue an internal apology for the decision to publish Shapiro.
While the effort garnered over 100 signatures, one Politico source told the Daily Beast that not every staffer at the publication was on board with the effort. The source said that the disgust did not represent the overall mood of the more than 300 editorial staffers at the publication, many of whom had not been asked to sign or were unaware of the letter’s existence.
Politico did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
