Reputations, Careers and Lives of Nuzzi and Lizza Being Badly Damaged
Who's telling the truth or far more of it?
In conflicts, especially in domestic ones, there is a tendency to jump to conclusions and villainize one person or claim both people are in the wrong. Both are a lazy judgments, usually rooted in confirmation bias.
Rare is it that people stop and think, who is really, objectively telling the truth, how do I factually know this and what are the motives of the person communicating falsehoods and in many cases, going out of their way to defame another person?
“New York magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi is publicly accusing her ex-fiancé — Ryan Lizza — a prominent political journalist with Politico, of orchestrating a harassment and blackmail campaign against her after their split and while Nuzzi had a personal relationship with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,” wrote Katelyn Polantz at CNN.
“Nuzzi wrote in a court filing that in mid-August, Lizza ‘explicitly threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation—a threat he has since carried out,’” Polantz reported.
These are highly specific, ugly, damaging accusations.
What if they aren’t true? They could ruin someone professionally and cause them long-term, overwhelming personal pain and suffering.
It’s also fair and important to ask: What if the accusations are true?
Nuzzi has been placed on leave by her employer, which is conducting a “third-party review” because Nuzzi admitted that she had a personal relationship with Kennedy, a former subject of coverage that is relevant to the 2024 campaign on which she was reporting.
As for Lizza, Politico’s chief Washington correspondent and Playbook co-author, he has responded through a statement to CNN after he was briefed about the court action.
“I am saddened that my ex-fiancée would resort to making a series of false accusations against me as a way to divert attention from her own personal and professional failings. I emphatically deny these allegations and I will defend myself against them vigorously and successfully,” Lizza said.
The “I’m saddened” public communication is pretty common fare. It isn’t recommended as it comes across as disingenuous.
Think about it, when someone claims you acted in uncivil, socially shameful or criminal ways, is that person saddened to learn about it? Not usually. Not often. I doubt, at all.
They’re shocked, disgusted, angry and maybe in a state of rage and feeling vengeful.
Should you communicate that reality? You have to be careful, in control and measured.
You should not, however, communicate in a way that isn’t believed or worse, is fully disbelieved because it casts additional doubt on who you are as a person, your character and whether or not you did the terrible things people claim you did.
Slamming the person’s “failings” is an act of walking on thin ice in the court of public opinion and dangerous territory in which to be moving, even if you’re telling the truth. Don’t do it. It will bring additional, intense criticism and negativity to your name.
Lizza, like Nuzzi, is taking a leave from employment while Politico conducts an investigation into the matter.
Question: Do you think either of their employers are happy about their very-public employees being tangled up in alleged wrongdoing, drawing scrutiny from the media and subsequently, the public?
A media report communicates that this case has negatively impacted how the parties are being experienced and judged by their employers.
“Nuzzi said she believes Lizza began his alleged harassment at the beginning of July, as a way to blackmail her back into a relationship with him and punish her when she wouldn’t acquiesce,” Polantz writes.
These are scandalous claims: Blackmail and punishment, inferring control and abuse.
If Lizza did in fact act in this manner, he should face severe legal, professional and social consequences for his behavior.
What if, however, he didn’t? That’s not possible? Look at the highlighted word above. Nuzzi “believes.”
Is everything we’ve ever believed been factual and correct? Is everything we’ve believed about a romantic partner or former partner been factual and correct? Or have our emotions, including anger, fear and assumptions, been off base, at least on a rare occasion?
Again, Lizza should face full consequences if he did what Nuzzi claimed. For now, regarding the justice system, the media and public, there is far more unknown than known.
Being punished for false allegations has badly injured people and perpetrators of this type of manipulative, violent reaction know it and utilize it as a weapon.
“(Nuzzi) said by the next month, Lizza had stolen a personal electronic device from her, was hacking her devices, then anonymously shopping information about her to the media.
“Some of the information may have been ‘doctored’ to hurt her more, Nuzzi alleged, and she believes Lizza impersonated ‘an anonymous campaign operative’ to give a political campaign information that would hurt her further, according to the court records,” Polantz wrote.
Claims: Lizza stole, hacked, shopped another person’s information, doctored some of it, impersonated someone else and provided additional information to hurt her.
Extreme claims. Very detailed. Could they be factual? Are they plausible? Of course.
For now, notice there is still “believes” attached to one of the allegations.
There is a lot of smoke and heat however involving Lizza’s name. The accusations are not general. They are specific. A question to ask here is, could there be anyone but Lizza committing the wrongful behavior, if there is some? Unlikely.
“Nuzzi also accused Lizza, potentially ‘through a third party or anonymous channel,’ of tipping off her employer last month about what she calls ‘the matter,’” Polantz writes.
Notice: “potentially.” There are assumptions and uncertainty peppering the legal complaint. Lawyers will attack the validity of them.
Did Lizza want someone else to do his dirty work on this claim or did he not do what he has been accused of doing?
Is Nuzzi, on this particular claim, saying that is she more upset about being caught being unethical or that she was acting in a way that would be frowned upon in her and is focusing on the wrong thing?
“In her court filing, Nuzzi said Lizza also threatened her with violence to assume his share of financial responsibility’ for a joint book contract they had, according to the court records,” Polantz wrote.
Violence on top of everything.
Lizza has a lot to overcome. He may have extreme difficulty retaining his position with Politico. The odds are now heavily against him. Nuzzi is furious, maybe rightly so if most or even some of what she alleges happened did indeed transpire, with Lizza’s figurative fingerprints on it.
Who is telling the truth or much more of it?
Publicly, Lizza seems confident. Privately, he is likely to be uncertain and anxious, even if he has favorable facts on his side. The courts are murky, alligator-infested waters.
Nuzzi has detailed a lot of attack-like behavior and if true, is a sign of a controlling, vindictive, abusive and dangerous man. She now appears to be on a mission to sink Lizza professionally and personally, whether as a defense or offense.
The courts don’t often go into cases unbiased. People are human, meaning they are biased and unethical, even in fields that are supposed to be — and claim to be — objective and ethical. That’s bad news for one side.
Who knows how this turns out, which side has more skilled legal representation. There is a lot to prove. There will be evidence provided. There is a lot to disprove or throw into question. That isn’t always as easy a task and duty as one might assume.
Lizza may survive the case yet it is far more likely that legally, professionally, online and in the court of public opinion, he finds himself justly — or unjustly — punished.
That means a legal judgment, financial penalty, job loss, financial hit and a permanent black mark on the internet and in the minds of critics who have long memories, especially with negativity bias.
The betting “favorite” to “win” this emotional “war” — in court — is Nuzzi.
Michael Toebe is a specialist for trust, risk, relationship, communications and reputation at Reputation Intelligence - Reputation Quality. He serves individuals and organizations by helping them further build, protect, restore and reconstruct reputation.
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