Alexi Jo McCammond (born 1993) is a political journalist. She has served as a reporter for the political website Axios and an opinions editor for The Washington Post.[1][2] She has also been an NBC and MSNBC contributor[3] and a contributor for PBS's Washington Week.
Alexi McCammond | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993 |
| Education | A.B. University of Chicago |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Education
editMcCammond attended Guilford High School in Rockford, Illinois.[4] In 2011, she attended the University of Chicago on a full 4-year QuestBridge scholarship, graduating in 2015, with an A.B. in sociology and Spanish language and literature.[5] She received additional training from the National Association of Black Journalists.[6] While at the University of Chicago, McCammond also wrote for student political newspaper The Gate.[5] At the university, she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta fraternity. She is of mixed ethnic descent.[7][8]
Career
editMcCammond started her career as a freelance political writer for the women's magazine Cosmopolitan and later left to become a news editor at women's online news magazine Bustle.[citation needed] She joined the website Axios in 2017.[9] McCammond wrote about Michael Bloomberg's withdrawal from the 2020 Democratic primary race in March 2020[10] as well as leaked presidential schedules revealing that 60% of Donald Trump's days were devoted to "executive time" while he was president.[11]
In November 2019, McCammond accused former NBA star and TNT commentator Charles Barkley of threatening her in an Atlanta bar prior to the 2020 Democratic primary debate in Atlanta, Georgia.[12] McCammond reported that, after she commented to Barkley and someone who had joined their conversation that a Barkley remark was contrary to what he had said to her outside the third person's presence, he replied, "I don’t hit women, but if I did I would hit you." Although McCammond never revealed any threat Barkley had made to her, he later issued a public apology for his remark, which was an "attempted joke that was not funny at all." McCammond replied on Twitter without saying she accepted or appreciated the apology, implying that she equated Barkley's comment to actually being "hit or threatened. . . ," and stating her opinion that the remark was "not a joke. . ." and that it was a product of what she called "the culture of misogyny. . . ."[13]
McCammond received further media attention related to her relationship with TJ Ducklo, a member of the Biden 2020 campaign, while she covered the campaign. Ducklo, White House deputy press secretary under President Biden, resigned for harassing female Politico reporter Tara Palmeri.[14] Ducklo reportedly made "derogatory and misogynistic comments" toward Palmeri during a phone call and accused her of being "jealous" of his relationship with McCammond.[15] The couple publicly announced their relationship on February 8, 2021.[9] On February 12, Ducklo was suspended without pay and apologized.[16] Under pressure from the Vanity Fair article that reported the matter, Ducklo resigned the next day from his White House position.[17]
In March 2021, McCammond was selected as editor in chief of Conde Nast's Teen Vogue. After the appointment, a series of racist, bigoted and homophobic tweets that McCammond posted a decade earlier resurfaced. She apologized to the staff of Teen Vogue. Several media makers of Asian descent called for McCammond's removal, citing racism against Asians in the U.S. fashion industry and a rise in anti-Asian violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] Former Teen Vogue editor Elaine Welteroth called the tweets and the feelings behind them "racist and abhorrent and indefensible."[19] More than twenty members of the staff voiced concern internally and to the press.[14] In response, Ulta Beauty paused $1 million in advertising in the online-only publication,[20] and McCammond resigned from the position prior to starting.[21]
McCammond rejoined Axios in July 2021 serving as a political reporter.[3] In August 2023, she joined The Washington Post as an opinion editor.[22] In July 2024, she faced criticism for an Instagram post about her ex-boyfriend Ducklo, "my toxic ex who works for the Biden campaign and has to play cleanup after that disastrous debate."[23][24] Soon after, she announced her departure from the Post.[25]
Awards
editMcCammond received the 2019 Emerging Journalist Award from the National Association of Black Journalists[6] and was on 2020's Forbes 30 Under 30 list.[26]
References
edit- ^ "Alexi McCammond". Axios. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- ^ "Alexi McCammond". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ a b Haring, Bruce (July 3, 2021). "Alexi McCammond Returns To Axios As Political Reporter". Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Chipalla, Zoe (March 27, 2021). "Teen Vogue Editor and Guilford High School graduate resigns after rage over racist tweets". WIFR.
- ^ a b "On the campaign trail, alum breaks big stories, reflects on discourse in U.S." University of Chicago News. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ a b Stewart, Kanya (2019-06-24). "NABJ Names Alexi McCammond 2019 Emerging Journalist of the Year". National Association of Black Journalists.
The 25-year-old will receive the award in recognition of her exemplary reporting that has often gone viral.
- ^ McCammond, Alexi (December 8, 2015). "11 Crazy Things You Hear When You're a Biracial Woman". Cosmopolitan.
Oh, wait, I just realized despite my quarter-black background, your comment was still 100 percent offensive.
- ^ McCammond, Alexi (September 20, 2016). "I Think Of My Dad Whenever Police Kill A Black Man". Bustle.
My dad is a 6' 3" man who is actually half white, but that doesn't matter, because to a police officer, he is black.
- ^ a b Lapin, Tamar (2021-02-09). "Axios reporter reveals relationship with White House aide". New York Post. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ McCammond, Alexi. "Bloomberg suspends presidential campaign, endorses Biden". Axios. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ Swan, Jonathan; McCammond, Alexi. "Scoop: Leaked private schedules show Trump spent 60% of last 3 months in "Executive Time"". Axios. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ Draper, Kevin (2019-11-20). "Charles Barkley Is Accused of Threatening a Female Reporter (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
- ^ "Alexi McCammond claims Charles Barkley said he would hit her". 20 November 2019.
- ^ a b Tani, Maxwell (March 8, 2021). "Teen Vogue Staff Rail Against New Editor-in-Chief's Past Tweets Mocking Asians". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 19, 2021 – via www.thedailybeast.com.
- ^ Caleb Ecarma (February 12, 2021). ""I Will Destroy You": Biden Aide Threatened a Politico Reporter Pursuing a Story on His Relationship". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ Brian Schwartz (February 12, 2021). "Biden spokesman suspended for a week after reportedly threatening reporter". CNBC. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "White House aide resigns after suspension for sexist comments to reporter". The Independent. February 12, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-02-14. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- ^ "Anti-Asian Tweets From 2011 Surface After Teen Vogue Hires New Editor-in-Chief". NextShark. 8 March 2021.
- ^ @TheTalkCBS (9 March 2021). "Teen Vogue staffers call out new editor-in-chief Alexi McCammond over past anti-Asian tweets" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Post Alexi McCammond's racist tweet outcry, Ulta Beauty pauses Teen Vogue ads". Hindustan Times. Mar 12, 2021. Retrieved Mar 19, 2021.
- ^ Robertson, Katie (March 18, 2021). "Teen Vogue Editor Resigns After Fury Over Racist Tweets". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
- ^ "Shadi Hamid and Alexi McCammond join The Washington Post Opinions section". The Washington Post. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ Lanum, Nikolas (10 July 2024). "Washington Post editor called out after posting to TikTok on 'toxic ex' working for Biden campaign". Fox News. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ Walker, Josephine (9 July 2024). "Biden Campaign's Controversial Flack Becomes the Story Again". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ McCammond, Alexi. ""i did leave my job"". Instagram. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ "Alexi McCammond". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-03-04.