Max Tani of Semafor reports how Business Insider removed a mug shot of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, after his foundation requested a change.
Tani reports, “The team discussed appealing to BI founder Henry Blodget by implying a shared connection over pressure from federal authorities. (Blodget was accused of promoting companies in public while disparaging them privately, and was prohibited from working in the financial services industry in a 2003 settlement with the SEC.)
“Instead, in an email to Blodget, a representative for Epstein’s philanthropic foundation said the foundation was hoping to remove the mugshot because doing so would help its research efforts. ‘Removing old negative press is extremely difficult and undermines the foundation’s work which funds critical science and medical research,’ they said, noting that they were based out of Harvard University. ‘We would be so grateful if Business Insider could remove or swap the mug shot image from their website.’
“The Business Insider founder flagged the email for then-managing editor Jessica Liebman, who told Epstein’s team that she was removing the mugshot and swapping it out for another image. When Epstein’s team was unsatisfied that the image was still popping up when people searched his name on Google, Liebman, now Business Insider’s chief people officer, said she had a conversation with BI’s tech team to ensure it was removed.”
Read more here. A Business Insider spokeswoman told Tani that the media outlet used the mugshot multiple times.
