Ex-Bloomberg editor Richardson says company tried to muzzle him

Ben Richardson, the editor at large at Bloomberg News who resigned earlier this month due to the company’s spiking of investigative stories in China, says the company has tried to keep him from talking about the issue.

Richardson spoke in an interview with Ellen Killoran of the International Business Times. Here is an excerpt:

IBT: You are the more vocal among the three recent departures (Forsythe, Bennett) who were involved in investigative journalism on China. You’ve mentioned that you are tied to a nondisclosure agreement and have refused to answer some questions specifically. Are you concerned about legal action from Bloomberg for speaking to reporters at all, or do you feel you are protecting yourself by avoiding discussion of some particulars?

BR: They’ve gone to great lengths to make me aware of my legal obligations to keep quiet. When you take a new job, you’re not really in a position to refuse the legal declarations that human resources departments put in front of you. Refuse and you lose the job. And in any case, who takes a new job imagining they’re going to end up where we’ve all found ourselves? It was only when I got into conflict with the company that I reviewed my legal obligations that I’d signed in 2001, including a very hefty “core guide.”

In any event I’m very keen to move on from discussing the details of what happened, and prefer to focus on the bigger issues that the incident raises…

IBT: What’s next for you?

BR: Researching the viability and sustainability of an Asia-based and Asia-focused public-interest journalism group. If you think the global media is under-resourced and under pressure, take a look at the local industry. Investigative journalism should be a fundamental component of a society’s fabric. We can’t rely on intermittent interest from news desks in America or Europe to deliver the consistent scrutiny needed to make governments in the region more accountable to their people.

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