Reuters exec defends editor in chief Schlesinger, story handling

Kaja Whitehouse of the New York Post reports that Devin Wenig, the CEO of Reuters markets division, defended editor in chief David Schlesinger and the handling of a story about hedge fund manager Steve Cohen that was killed in a conference call with journalists last week.

Whitehouse writes, “The comments come on the heels of a minor uprising at the news agency, after reporters discovered that editors killed a story looking into Cohen’s trades after the hedge funder called Wenig to complain.

“A Reuters reporter was apparently investigating allegations Cohen’s ex-wife, Patricia, raised in a filed lawsuit — that he admitted to trading on confidential information in the 1980s. After Cohen’s, Wenig called Reuters Editor-in-Chief David Schlesinger and the story was subsequently killed.

“On Wednesday, Wenig assured staffers he would ‘never jeopardize’ the company’s 150-year history or the so-called Trust Principles, under which Reuters acts ‘at all times with integrity, independence and freedom from bias,’ according to the company’s web site.

“Wenig also defended Schlesinger, saying he has 30 years of unblemished record under his belt. The CEO explained that he receives similar complaints at least once a week and always refers them to Schlesinger or the appropriate editor.”

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