White House reporter axed for risking historic prisoner swap – media

Bloomberg staff have reportedly been reprimanded for prematurely breaking the news of a US-Russia exchange

Bloomberg News has reportedly dismissed one of its journalists and taken disciplinary action against other staff members, after the outlet reported on a historic US-Russia prisoner swap before it was completed.

A total of 26 people were exchanged last week following lengthy negotiations that also involved Germany and Belarus, in the biggest event of its kind since the Cold War. Bloomberg News sparked outrage in the US journalistic corps by releasing its report while a plane carrying freed detainees was on its way from Russia to Türkiye. The media had reportedly been asked by the US government to break the news only after the prisoners had been handed over.

Editor-in-chief John Micklethwait reportedly addressed the incident in an email to the Bloomberg newsroom on Monday, saying the mishap “could have endangered the negotiated swap”.

“Even if our story mercifully ended up making no difference, it was a clear violation of the editorial standards which have made this newsroom so trusted around the world,” he wrote, according to the text of the message circulated by journalists online. Micklethwait said that following an investigation, the outlet has “taken disciplinary action against a number of those involved”.

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He said he has written apology letters to each of the prisoners returned from Russia, and also contacted Emma Tucker, his counterpart from The Wall Street Journal, to apologize to her. WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was sentenced in Russia to a prison term for espionage, was one of the American citizens released under the deal.

Bloomberg’s senior White House reporter, Jennifer Jacobs, who co-bylined the story about the exchange, was fired by the news agency this week, according to multiple reports. She issued a statement on social media, distancing herself from what happened.

”In reporting the story about Evan’s release, I worked hand in hand with my editors to adhere to editorial standards and guidelines,” she wrote. “At no time did I do anything that was knowingly inconsistent with the administration’s embargo or that would put anyone involved at risk ,” she added, referring to Washington’s request.

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Jacobs stressed that “the chain of events here could happen to any reporter tasked with reporting the news,” and called the idea that her actions could have jeopardized a fellow journalist “deeply upsetting on a level that’s difficult to describe”.

Gershkovich was arrested in March last year while receiving classified information about the Russian Defense Ministry, according to the case against him. The US government claimed he was unlawfully detained for journalistic work. During the trial he denied acting on behalf of US intelligence.