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Gimlet Media’s popular “Reply All” podcast has been suspended and its series devoted to food magazine Bon Appétit’s allegations of racism was shelved after former Gimlet employees complained that one of its hosts and a journalist had themselves contributed to a toxic work culture.
In a two-minute statement on Thursday, posted to the “Reply All” feed and titled “A Staff Message from ‘Reply All”, co-host Alex Goldman told listeners that the senior reporter Sruthi Pinnamaneni and co-host PJ Vogt had decided to quit the podcast. Last week, former colleagues accused them of joining a union effort that many employees of color believed was necessary to increase diversity and create a more equal workplace.
“Our former colleagues at Gimlet have publicly described several instances of disturbing behavior on the part of Sruthi and my longtime co-host PJ Vogt,” Goldman said in a statement on Thursday. “These testimonials inspired our team to consider the work culture of ‘Reply All’, and they left us wondering if we could continue to spread the story without questioning ourselves and what happened at Gimlet. We now understand that we should never have published the series as reported, and the fact that we did was a systemic editorial failure.
On Twitter and in interviews last week, former Gimlet employees said they viewed Mr. Vogt and Ms. Pinnamaneni’s involvement in the “Test Kitchen” series as hypocritical.
Eric Eddings, a former Gimlet employee who co-hosted the podcast ‘The Nod’, said he couldn’t believe Ms Pinnamaneni was telling a series about racism and toxicity in the workplace as she and Mr. Vogt were responsible for an “almost identical” Ambiance at Gimlet.
Mr Vogt and Ms Pinnamaneni issued a public apology after the charges surfaced. They did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
Mr. Goldman said the remaining two episodes of “Test Kitchen,” which was to be a four-part series, would not be released. He apologized to listeners for “our many failures”.
“We are sorry for our colleagues and our former colleagues whom we have injured,” he said. “We are sorry for you, our listeners. And of course, we’re sorry to the people who spoke to us about the “test kitchen”, who shared their extremely personal stories with us. “
The two episodes of “Test Kitchen” that had already been released would remain online, Goldman said, with an additional warning. “Responding to all” would be paused, he said, as the show’s staff assessed what was wrong. “Once we get this right ourselves, we also want to tell you, as best we can, what happened,” Goldman said.
A spokesperson for Spotify, which acquired Gimlet Media in February 2019, said Mr. Vogt and Ms. Pinnamaneni will remain at Gimlet, even though they are not on the podcast. He did not give details of their new roles.
Mr. Goldman and Mr. Vogt launched “Reply All” in 2014, adapting it from their previous WNYC radio show, “TLDR” (too long; didn’t read). Episodes from the past few years have taken listeners on phone scam ring tones in India and on a journey to find a song that a director heard on the radio as a teenager.
Mr. Eddings and other former Gimlet employees said both Mr. Vogt and Ms. Pinnamaneni strongly oppose organizing efforts, which employees of color saw as the only way to create an environment where they could be successful, and that the couple rejected efforts to diversify the workforce. In one instance, according to Mr. Eddings, Mr. Vogt sent derogatory texts to a Gimlet employee who was involved in the organizing effort which left the employee in tears.
In the second episode of the “Test Kitchen” series, which Ms. Pinnamaneni recounts, Ms. Pinnamaneni said that Gimlet “had his own version” of the problems Bon Appétit faced.
“The whites who ran the place hired people of color, promised them a change that never seemed to really come through,” she said in the episode. When a group of employees tried to change the atmosphere at Gimlet by unionizing, she chose not to join the effort, she said. “As far as I’ve talked about it, I’ve talked about how their fight was running on my toes. She said it took her eight months of reporting on Bon Appétit for her to realize how wrong she had been.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, Mr. Goldman said the ad didn’t mean ‘Reply All’ ended.
“We’re just figuring out what’s next,” he wrote. “Answering everyone” is not and never was fair Alex and PJ. There is a bunch of incredibly talented people who make this show. “
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