Editor leaves after article by man cleared of sex attacks

THE editor of the New York Review of Books has departed after a backlash to publishing an essay by a Canadian radio host discussing his experience of being accused of multiple sexual assaults.

The article by Jian Ghomeshi, who faced accusations from more than 20 women, was titled Reflections From a Hashtag and described how he had been on the receiving end of “mass shaming”.

Mr Ghomeshi had been accused of hitting, biting, choking, and verbal abuse during sex.

He was charged with the sexual assault of three women in November 2014 but was acquitted.

Some commentators criticised Ian Buruma, the magazine’s editor, for running the piece, which was more than 3,000 words and included in a print edition of the publication entitled The Fall Of Men.

One journalist wrote “The New York Review of Books lets Jian Ghomeshi whitewash his past”, while another questioned why no accounts of the women who made the allegations were also run.

Mr Buruma defended his decision to publish the piece amid the rise of the “#Metoo” movement against sexual harassment during an interview with Slate magazine published last month.

“The reason I was interested in publishing it is precisely to help people think this sort of thing through. I am not talking about people who broke the law,” Mr Buruma was quoted as saying.

“I am not talking about rapists. I am talking about people who behaved badly sexually, abusing their power in one way or another, and then the question is how should that be sanctioned.”

It has now emerged that Mr Buruma has departed. A spokesman for The New York Review of Books confirmed to The Daily Telegraph yesterday that Mr Buruma “is no longer editor”. The spokesman did not provide further comment when asked whether he had been sacked or quit.