Bloomberg News Suspends Michael Forsthye, Reporter Suspected Of China Leak

Bloomberg Suspends Reporter Suspected Of China Leak
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, is followed by Premier Li Keqiang, center right, and Chinese Communist Party top leaders as they walk with umbrellas toward the Monument to the People's Heroes during a ceremony marking the National Day at Tiananmen Square in Beijing Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, is followed by Premier Li Keqiang, center right, and Chinese Communist Party top leaders as they walk with umbrellas toward the Monument to the People's Heroes during a ceremony marking the National Day at Tiananmen Square in Beijing Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Bloomberg News has suspended Michael Forsthye, the reporter suspected of leaking allegations about the organization's handling of controversial China stories, the New York Post reported Friday.

Bloomberg News was recently accused of scrapping investigative stories about Chinese leaders for fear of retaliation from the Chinese government. Sources told the Post that Forsthye was suspected of leaking the claims, and was escorted out of Bloomberg’s Hong Kong office on Thursday.

He has reportedly been placed on unpaid leave of absence. A spokesperson for Bloomberg declined to comment on the case when contacted by the Post.

The allegations against Bloomberg surfaced in a front page New York Times report last week. The Times spoke with four Bloomberg employees — who remained anonymous — who said that editor-in-chief Matthew Winkler spiked a story about the financial ties between one of China's wealthiest men and government officials. They said that Winkler cited not wanting to get kicked out of China as the strongest reason for not going ahead with the piece.

Meanwhile, Winkler has vehemently denied the claims. "What you have is untrue," he told the Times. "The stories are active and not spiked."

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