New York Times journalist Landon Thomas Jr. was in a peculiar relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, with whom he had been exchanging emails about various topics, including Donald Trump's alleged lecherous behavior. However, unlike other journalists who received similar tips from Epstein, Thomas never published any details.
In 2015 and 2018, Thomas exchanged dozens of emails with Epstein, in which Thomas tipped off Epstein about inquiries by other reporters and claimed to have vouched for Epstein. In one exchange, Thomas coached Epstein on how to repair his reputation. The relationship was a two-way street, as Epstein reportedly provided valuable information to Thomas.
One of the topics that Epstein fed to Thomas was information about Trump's alleged behavior with young women. In an email, Epstein alluded to Trump's frequent travel on Epstein's private plane and described how he would often walk into doors while focusing on younger women in the pool.
Thomas even offered to pass any information about Trump to other journalists, stating that he "would not do it myself, but would pass on to a political reporter." However, Epstein deflected this by sending a link to a story about a Norwegian heiress. When Thomas asked how long it had been since they last spoke, Epstein replied, "everyone except the NYT it seems
".
The exchanges have raised questions about why no one from The New York Times ever published any of these tips or reported on them. Margaret Sullivan, a media critic and former public editor at The New York Times, said that reporters should prioritize the public interest over sources with unsavory reputations.
Thomas's relationship with Epstein has been criticized for not being transparent about his association with the pedophile financier. In 2019, an NPR investigation found that Thomas had been asked to interview Epstein for the newspaper but disclosed a friendship with him, leading to his departure from The New York Times six months later after ethical lapses were uncovered.
The release of these emails has fanned the flames of controversy surrounding Epstein's relationship with powerful people. Critics argue that The New York Times failed to use this information effectively, and instead, allowed it to be quietly buried.
In 2015 and 2018, Thomas exchanged dozens of emails with Epstein, in which Thomas tipped off Epstein about inquiries by other reporters and claimed to have vouched for Epstein. In one exchange, Thomas coached Epstein on how to repair his reputation. The relationship was a two-way street, as Epstein reportedly provided valuable information to Thomas.
One of the topics that Epstein fed to Thomas was information about Trump's alleged behavior with young women. In an email, Epstein alluded to Trump's frequent travel on Epstein's private plane and described how he would often walk into doors while focusing on younger women in the pool.
Thomas even offered to pass any information about Trump to other journalists, stating that he "would not do it myself, but would pass on to a political reporter." However, Epstein deflected this by sending a link to a story about a Norwegian heiress. When Thomas asked how long it had been since they last spoke, Epstein replied, "everyone except the NYT it seems
".The exchanges have raised questions about why no one from The New York Times ever published any of these tips or reported on them. Margaret Sullivan, a media critic and former public editor at The New York Times, said that reporters should prioritize the public interest over sources with unsavory reputations.
Thomas's relationship with Epstein has been criticized for not being transparent about his association with the pedophile financier. In 2019, an NPR investigation found that Thomas had been asked to interview Epstein for the newspaper but disclosed a friendship with him, leading to his departure from The New York Times six months later after ethical lapses were uncovered.
The release of these emails has fanned the flames of controversy surrounding Epstein's relationship with powerful people. Critics argue that The New York Times failed to use this information effectively, and instead, allowed it to be quietly buried.
So I'm reading this about Landon Thomas Jr. and his super weird friendship with Jeffrey Epstein 
. Like, what was going on with these two? They were basically trading info, but nobody from The New York Times ever published anything. It's all a bit shady, if you ask me. I mean, who wants to be associated with someone like Epstein, right? 
And the emails are just so... convenient. It's not surprising that Margaret Sullivan is speaking out about this now, though. Journalists gotta prioritize the public interest, you know? 
like how did he not publish any of these juicy stories? I mean, Epstein was basically throwing info at him willy nilly and Thomas just kept quiet 
it's like he was in on some shady deal 
and now we're left wondering what really went down 
The fact that Landon Thomas Jr.'s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein wasn't transparent enough has led to a lot of questions about why The New York Times didn't pursue this story further. They should've been more open about their association with someone who, let's be honest, had some serious skeletons in his closet. 
it's like they were so invested in protecting their source that they forgot about the public interest. Margaret Sullivan is right - reporters should be prioritizing the truth, not sources with sketchy reputations. I feel like Thomas let everyone down 
and it's not just his colleagues who are affected, but also the victims of Epstein's crimes 
. I mean, we all know how sketchy Epstein was, and the fact that he coached him on how to repair his rep is wild 
. And what's up with Thomas just passing on info to other journalists without getting paid or even acknowledging it? It just seems like a weird quid pro quo situation 
.
. And now that these emails are out, it just reinforces the whole narrative of The New York Times being complicit in covering up some serious wrongdoing 
. and what's up with The New York Times not making a bigger deal about this? it's like they're trying to sweep it under the rug 
. i hope Landon Thomas Jr. faces some serious repercussions for his shady dealings 
. and can we please just be more careful about who we're trusting with our info? 
it just doesnt add up why no one published anything about these tips from him. i know its not all his fault, Epstein was probably trying to use his resources to manipulate the system, but still... Thomas's lack of transparency is super sus 
. why did The New York Times just let him slide? didn't they see something shady going on? 
. I'm not making excuses for Thomas' friendship with Epstein, but it is interesting that he was coaching him on how to repair his rep 
.
. Margaret Sullivan said it best - if you're gonna take tips from someone shady, then what's the point? 
The fact that Thomas never published anything is definitely suspicious, but at least we have these emails now, right? 
Maybe this will lead to more scrutiny on how journalists handle sensitive info 
. And can we talk about how weirdly convenient it is for Thomas to pass on tips to other journalists and then Epstein just sends a link to some story? 
.
.
. Margaret Sullivan is right on point about prioritizing the public interest over sources with sketchy pasts 
. The fact that Thomas was asked to interview Epstein but declined because of their friendship is pretty telling