New York Review of Books editor Ian Buruma exited his duties on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the company told TheWrap. Another individual familiar with the matter said the company was preparing to issue a statement.
The departure comes just days after Buruma published an essay from former Canadian radio personality Jian Ghomeshi, whose career imploded after he faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct in 2014.
In the piece, “Reflections from a Hashtag” Ghomeshi broadly defended himself and noted that he had been acquitted of all criminal charges stemming from the accusations.
“Several months later, after a very public trial, I was cleared on all counts. One of the charges was separated and later withdrawn with a peace bond–a pledge to be on good behavior for a year. There was no criminal trial,” he said. “My acquittal left my accusers and many observers profoundly unhappy.”
The piece, coming in the wake of the MeToo movement, was met with a torrent of outrage on social media and Buruma faced sharp questions from Slate’s Isaac Chotiner last week.
“We both know, sexual behavior is a many-faceted business,” Buruma told Chotiner at one point. “Take something like biting. Biting can be an aggressive or even criminal act. It can also be construed differently in different circumstances. I am not a judge of exactly what he did.”
Buruma did not immediately respond to request for comment from TheWrap.