The Washington Post announced the suspension of 57-year-old Joel Achenbach for three months without pay Wednesday for what they called “inappropriate workplace conduct,” citing The New York Times’ suspension of reporter Glenn Thrush as precedent.
“The Post’s decision to suspend rather than fire Achenbach mirrors the Times’ disciplinary action against its White House reporter, Glenn Thrush, who was suspended for two months and removed from covering the president following a lengthy investigation of misconduct that occurred when he was a reporter at Politico,” the article reads.
WaPo’s article said Achenbach, a staff writer, had been involved in harassing “current and former female colleagues,” and pointed out he is the first WaPo journalist to be punished for sexual misconduct since the Harvey Weinstein allegations came out.
“Achenbach, a veteran reporter, is the first Post journalist to be disciplined for misconduct of this kind since a wave of sexual-harassment allegations began roiling through news outlets and other organizations in the wake of revelations about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein,” the piece read.
Managers from the paper declined to give detailed comments on the two-month investigation into Achenbach’s behavior, but assured readers they are committed to creating a safe workplace for all their employees.
“The Washington Post is committed to providing a safe and respectful work environment for all employees We will continue to investigate any allegations that come to light and will take further action if necessary,” said Managing Editor Tracy Grant in a prepared statement.
Achenbach also provided WaPo with a statement, admitting he had acted unprofessionally and apologizing to his accusers, while saluting their “courage:”
“I’m very sorry to say that I’ve behaved badly and have been suspended by The Post for three months for inappropriate workplace conduct. I’ve said and done things that were unprofessional, and I apologize to the women affected by this and acknowledge their courage in speaking out.”
WaPo claims it based their decision off “interviews with current and former colleagues and with Achenbach himself.” He joined the newspaper in 1990 and is credited with starting their first online-only column, entitled: “Rough Draft,” WaPo reports.
The piece goes on to praise WaPo’s content and their “reporting on workplace harassment,” while also noting their coverage of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore.
“The Post has been among the leading publications in reporting on workplace harassment since the New York Times published its first exposé on Weinstein three months ago,” the article reads. “The Post broke several stories about misconduct by public figures, most prominently Roy Moore, the Alabama Republican Senate candidate who was accused of sexually inappropriate behavior with teenage girls when he was in his 30s.”
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