Bloomberg News reportedly fired a prominent White House reporter for breaking a media embargo over the prisoner swap that freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from a Russian prison.
Jennifer Jacobs, a senior White House reporter for the news agency, was let go Monday after Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait vowed to discipline staffers for jumping the gun on the dramatic deal, according to New York magazine’s Charlotte Klein.
“Jennifer Jacobs — one of the two Bloomberg reporters who bylined the embargo-breaking Gershkovich piece — has been fired, according to a source familiar with the situation,” Klein posted to X on Monday.
Jennifer Jacobs was reportedly fired by Bloomberg News. X / @JenniferJJacobsGershkovich, the Wall Street Journal correspondent who was imprisoned by Russia on charges of espionage, and fellow American Paul Whelan were among two dozens people set free Thursday in the largest prisoner swap between Washington and Moscow since the Cold War.
An embargo on the news was put in place until the Gershkovich and the others were deemed to be safely away from Russian hands.
However, Bloomberg published a story at 7:41 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday. Minutes later, one of its editors posted on X: “It is one of the greatest honors of my career to have helped break this news. I love my job and my colleagues.”
About an hour later, the Bloomberg story was updated with the comment: “An earlier version of this story was corrected to reflect that the Americans have not been released yet.”
Jacobs worked as senior White House correspondent for Bloomberg News prior to Monday. X / @JenniferJJacobsThe Journal, which is owned by The Post’s parent company News Corp, published its story just after 11 a.m. Eastern time after it was confirmed that Gershkovich and the other Americans were no longer in Russian custody.
Micklethwait admitted the Bloomberg story “could have endangered the negotiated swap that set them free.”
“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.
Jacobs’ byline appears on the Bloomberg story about the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on Thursday. REUTERS
Gershkovich was held in Russian captivity for more than a year after he was convicted of espionage. Russia State TV via Reuters
Gershkovich (seen embracing his mother Ella Milman after his arrival at Joint Base Andrews on Aug. 1) was among two dozen people freed as part of a prisoner swap. REUTERSJournal staff and other outlets were furious with Bloomberg for breaking the embargo.
“We literally had [Journal chief foreign affairs correspondent] Yaroslav Trofimov on the ground [in Turkey] with binoculars waiting to see Evan come off the plane, and we pubbed as soon as that happened,” a Journal source told New York Magazine.
A Bloomberg spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by The Post.
Gershkovich is seen far right alongside freed Americans Paul Whelan (center) and Alsu Kurmasheva (far left). AFP via Getty ImagesMicklethwait told staffers that Bloomberg’s Standards editor conducted a “full investigation” which resulted in “disciplinary action against a number of those involved.”
Bloomberg News will review their processes so as to ensure that “failures like this don’t happen again.”
Micklethwait wrote that he personally sent letters of apology to each of the released Americans.
He also revealed that he “immediately” apologized on Thursday to Emma Tucker, editor-in-chief of the Journal.
