Troy Young
Troy Young

Hearst Magazines global president Troy Young resigned July 23 in the wake of a New York Times story alleging that he created a toxic environment at the company and sexually harassed some of its workers. Young initially apologized in a staff memo, but said that the incidents described in the Times story “are either untrue, greatly exaggerated or taken out of context.” A subsequent memo from Hearst president and chief executive Steven Swartz announced that “Troy Young and I have agreed that it is in the best interest of all of us that he resign his position as president of Hearst Magazines, effective immediately.” Young joined Hearst in 2013 as head of the company’s digital operations. He was named global president in August 2018, succeeding David Carey, who later returned to the company as senior vice president of public affairs and communications.

Nicholas Sandmann
Nicholas Sandmann

The Washington Post has settled the lawsuit brought by the parents of Nicholas Sandmann, the Kentucky high-school student who they say was defamed by the paper’s coverage of his encounter with Native American activist Nathan Phillips on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in January 2019. In the aftermath of the incident, the encounter was cast in political terms, partly due to the MAGA hats worn by Sandmann and some of his classmates. Sandmann later said he meant no disrespect to Phillips and claimed he did not try to block his path. The family claimed that the Post defamed Sandmann in seven articles, as well as via tweets promoting the articles. The Post admitted no wrongdoing. Neither side disclosed the terms of the settlement, which foreclosed the possibility of a trial. The Sandmann's settled a lawsuit against CNN in January, and they have also filed suits against Gannett, ABC, CBS, the New York Times and Rolling Stone.

Serial

The New York Times Company is acquiring Serial Productions, the company that produces the “Serial” podcast. Serial Productions will still commission and edit its own stories. The Times also announced that it had entered into an ongoing creative and strategic alliance with “This American Life,” the weekly public radio program founded by host and executive producer Ira Glass, under which the program will collaborate on content with Serial Productions and on marketing and advertising sales with the Times. “We feel confident the ‘Serial’ and ‘This American Life’ teams share our desire to continue to find groundbreaking ways to tell stories, grow listenership and help more and more people better understand the world,” said Times assistant managing editor Sam Dolnick, who oversees the company’s audio content.