New York Times under scrutiny over Graham Platner coverage as accusers speaks out against paper
The New York Times is facing scrutiny over the growing scandal plaguing Democratic Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner, as some have questioned what its reporters knew, and one of his past accusers insists the paper didn’t work to corroborate her story.
Politico published a bombshell report Monday on one of Platner's exes alleging he sexually assaulted her during their relationship. Jenny Racicot claimed that in 2021, a drunk Platner entered her home uninvited and had sex with her despite her repeatedly telling him to stop. Platner has firmly denied the allegations, which Racicot has said constituted rape.
Racicot was one of the women interviewed in the Times' report last month about Platner's "unsettling" behavior. According to the Times, Racicot described "positive memories" she had with Platner but said he "does not respect women" based on comments he made that had surfaced. The report also appeared to allude to Racicot's sexual assault allegation.
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"Ms. Racicot also said that in 2021 he arrived at her house drunk, after she had asked him not to come over. She declined to elaborate, but said she cut off contact soon after that episode and found his behavior 'reckless' and 'unsettling,'" the Times wrote.
That paragraph was buried roughly 70 paragraphs into the exposé, and much of the story focused on the conservative politics of another Platner ex-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, who had her own allegations of domestic abuse.
However, Racicot told Politico that she did tell The New York Times about her assault claim off the record, not that she declined to elaborate. She said she told the Times she didn't want to go public because she didn't wish to be known as a rape victim.
"My part of the story was just a read-over," Racicot told Politico about the Times report. "And the story was Lyndsey, and the accusations of her being politically motivated."
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According to longstanding journalistic practices, anything that's said off the record by a source, and the request is agreed to by a reporter, should not be reported. Yet conservatives on social media are still accusing the Gray Lady of trying to run defense for Platner.
"The Times had this. They chose to bury it 30 paragraphs deep under a novel about Lyndsey‘s professional background," writer Bethany Mandel responded.
"Total journalistic malpractice," Mandel continued. "Of course another outlet was going to finish the job that the Times chose to catch and kill."
Fifield, who is active in conservative circles, was accused by some left-wing media members of being an unreliable accuser because of her political views.
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Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Public Affairs Director Joe Simonson wrote, "It’s not just that the MSM is merely disgracefully partisan — often shirking basic editorial standards for partisan gain — it’s that their colleagues behave like mafia members. They keep their mouths shut when things such as this happen. Can’t ever attack one of their own."
The Times was accused of burying the lede, downplaying the allegations of "absolutely disgusting" behavior, and journalist John Daniel Davison even added, "The NYT tried to protect Platner. Which is really the least surprising aspect of this entire thing."
Daily Wire top editor Brent Scher called it a "major embarrassment" for the Times.
"Racicot already talked to them, and was so disappointed that she went to @politico and @CNN. Because the NYT made Lyndsey and her politics the story instead of Platner, and let his comms team shape the whole thing," Scher wrote.
Notably, Fifield previously claimed that, in an effort to get her to go on the record, the Times put her in contact with other women who Platner allegedly abused and who the Times said would be in the story. But when the story was published, Fifield wrote, these women were nowhere to be found.
"After the story went up I began to ask them… wait, where are the stories from the other women? Where are their accusations of sexual assault? Why am I the focus? Why are there 11 paragraphs dedicated to detailing my work history (more than has been published about Graham’s by far)?" she wrote on X last month.
Fifield continued to unload on the New York Times on Tuesday morning after the Politico report forced many Democrats to abandon the embattled Senate candidate, who has not dropped out of the race to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
"I actually understand why Democrat leaders didn't take our stories seriously when the Times reported them in June but are taking them seriously now. It was by design. The line most shared from the piece was the claim that the Times ‘could not corroborate’ my story despite talking to two of my friends. I gave them the contact information for five friends. They called the two who I clarified would not know about the abuse but would be able to affirm our relationship timeline, events, etc. They simply did not call the other three," Fifield wrote, noting that she provided information for several other people who could confirm her story.
"As the weeks dragged on I stopped trying to give them evidence because the amount I had already given them seemed to overwhelm them and I thought it meant they clearly had more than enough to verify my every claim," she continued. "But tell me again how they ‘could not corroborate.’"
One of Fifield's friends came forward, noting that the newspaper's reporters never contacted her.
"I was one of those friends. The Times never contacted me," Emily Zanotti wrote on X. "Other reporters now have. I'm not hard to get ahold [sic] of, by the way."
The New York Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
"We published accounts provided by several women who were in romantic relationships with Graham Platner. Our story accurately presents each of these accounts as told to our reporters and according to our standards. We stand by our reporting of the accounts from Ms. Fifield and the other women, who provided a revealing look at the behavior of a major candidate for the U.S. Senate," a Times spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital's Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.
