United States: Steve Schmidt Attempts To Bully Maggie Haberman; CFWIJ Condemns Behavior
Location: United States, New York
Date: March 28, 2022
Former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt took to his twitter account on Wednesday, March 24 to share private correspondence between himself and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman. While his general message remained confusing and unclear, the messages he revealed were extremely unprofessional. It appeared that he kept coaxing the journalist into a conversation despite her clear expression of discomfort and refusal to engage.
In a long and meandering Twitter thread, where Schmidt claimed he was unaware of the predatory actions of Lincoln Project co-founder and his previous employer, John Weaver, he made public several emails between himself and Maggie in an attempt to showcase the “rot that afflicts the American political press”.
Today will be my final series of tweets on Access JOURNALISM and the deep rot that afflicts so much of the American political press. There is no democracy or freedom without a free press. I will give you a glimpse of the rot by releasing a series of emails between @maggieNYT
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) March 23, 2022
In the emails he published on his social media account, it became apparent that Maggie attempted to end the discussion several times but Schmidt refused to relent, comparing her to former New York Times reporter Walter Duranty, who reported on Adolf Hitler in the previous century.
Maggie’s discomfort is obvious at several moments in the correspondence. At one point she tells Schmidt that, “Steve, I feel threatened by how you’re talking so I’m going to go now. You keep being menacing toward me.”
At another point she says that, “I’m asking you to stop harassing me on Twitter and on text… Please stop menacing me. You did it publicly and now you’re doing it privately.”
Schmidt however continued to send her eight messages after she wished him “good night” in an effort to end the conversation.
The executive editor of the New York Times, Dean Baquet, spoke to a digital publication regarding this issue stating that, “This is harassment and it is unacceptable.”
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the incident and demands that Steve Schmidt offers an apology, not just for his unprofessional opinion but also for his latest attempt to bully Maggie Haberman on social media. CFWIJ has routinely reported on how quickly social media and digital space can be weaponized against women journalists, and Schmidt’s decision to release private correspondence in order to expose some “rot” appears to be an attempt to do just that.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.