A Bloomberg News editor in its Washington, D.C. office has quit over the news agency's policy of not covering its owner, Michael Bloomberg, who may become a presidential candidate.
Kathy Kiely, who stepped down on Sunday as Washington news director for Bloomberg Politics, said Wednesday she couldn't continue her job of editing political stories if Bloomberg News continues to refrain from reporting and writing about the former New York City mayor as he mulls a possible bid for the presidency. Kiely previously worked as an editor at USA TODAY.
"I don’t think it's a question of if he runs," Kiely said. "But by putting his name out there, he's already a player. It’s already a big story, so I think it’s important to cover it aggressively."
On Jan. 23, The New York Times reported that Bloomberg has told advisers to come up with plans for a potential independent campaign in this year’s presidential race.
Bloomberg News has published stories in recent days about the Times report, crediting the Times and other news outlets. But Bloomberg News has had a longstanding policy of not pursuing originally reported stories about its parent company, Bloomberg L.P., or its billionaire owner, who founded the financial data and news provider in 1981 after a career on Wall Street. Bloomberg's name also doesn't appear on Bloomberg News' billionaire index even though his wealth is estimated to be as much as $50 billion.
"Bloomberg LP is a closely held entity with no obligation to divulge proprietary data," according to Bloomberg Way, its editorial guidebook. "Bloomberg News doesn’t originate stories about the company. Bloomberg should be included, upon approval of a standards editor, in cases where omitting the company from a broader story would be misleading or make the story incomplete...When others report about Bloomberg, we should summarize what their stories say, and the company should be given an opportunity to comment."
"We've covered the speculation every day since the Times story was published," Ty Trippet, Bloomberg News spokesman said in a statement. "Our Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait is in charge of decisions about coverage."
