Rachel Kurzius
Martin Di Caro is the newly announced host of History As It Happens, a podcast at the Washington Times that seeks to view current events through the lens of history.
Two dozen people, mostly women, accused Di Caro of inappropriate behavior and making them feel uncomfortable while he was a local journalist in D.C., most prominently at WAMU. (WAMU acquired DCist in 2018.) According to a DCist investigation, Di Caro was temporarily banned from Metro headquarters in 2014 over repeated comments about a spokesperson’s appearance. “Your actions and communications have caused some individuals to feel harassed, offended, insulted, and/or degraded,” a confidential 2016 memo from station management to Di Caro stated, one of three human resources investigations into his conduct at WAMU.
The complaints were an open secret among local media, government, and transportation networks. They became public on social media amid a larger outcry over a toxic work environment at the station during the tenure of General Manager JJ Yore, during which multiple Black employees left. Yore stepped down from his role in August. Documents obtained by DCist demonstrate that American University, which holds WAMU’s license, overruled a 2016 attempt by Yore and other station leadership to terminate Di Caro’s employment. (Di Caro ultimately resigned at the end of 2017, facing the threat of termination.)
Di Caro worked on a contract basis for Bloomberg from 2018 through the summer of 2020. Bloomberg declined to comment on its decision not to renew his contract.
He tells DCist that he pitched the twice-weekly podcast to the Washington Times in December.
“I simply wanted a job,” Di Caro says. “I don’t see anything more complicated than that. Obviously, I did learn a lesson from what happened to me last year … The lesson was that I did not always behave professionally and that it was wrong to make people feel uncomfortable.”
The Washington Times is a conservative media outlet based in D.C. with a history of controversy. Last week, the outlet substantially corrected an article on its website that falsely alleged that a facial recognition firm spotted antifa among the violent mob at the Capitol — but not before the factual inaccuracies were cited on the floor of the House of Representatives. In 2018, the paper retracted an op-ed “that we now believe to be false” about the death of Seth Rich, the victim of a 2016 murder in Bloomingdale that has spawned a series of conspiracy theories in rightwing media, after a lawsuit filed by Rich’s brother.
“Journalistic integrity was never number one there, “says a former journalist at the Washington Times, who spoke on the condition of anonymity over fear of retribution due to the non-disparagement clause signed at the start of their employment. While the employee does not know Di Caro personally, “I found it embarrassing that a paper I used to be associated with would seemingly overlook how much was reported and alleged about Martin’s behavior,” and expressed concern about whether women in the newsroom would feel less safe as a result.
The Washington Times has not responded to requests for comment, including questions about what structure exists for employees to file complaints and whether this hiring decision might discourage employees from reporting harassment in the workplace.
Sloane Airey is a former Washington Times journalist who alleges that Di Caro sent her inappropriate messages and made comments about her appearance while she worked there. In a statement to DCist, Airey said, “I would like to share how it makes me feel that the Times would hire Di Caro after not only me, but 23 other people also shared similar stories this summer. However, I believe I am bound by the NDA the Times had me sign when they hired me.”
