The top editor at the German tabloid Bild, one of Europe’s most influential publications, has been removed from his post over abuse-of-power accusations connected to an alleged relationship with a junior employee.

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       Bild is owned by the German media giant Axel Springer, which has become a major player in the United States through the acquisition of Business Insider and, most recently, Politico. The resignation came after a New York Times report published Sunday detailing an internal investigation into Julian Reichelt’s conduct.

       According to the New York Times, the investigation delved into Bild editor in chief Reichelt’s alleged relationship with a trainee who was later promoted to a high-level job for which she said she was not ready. At one point, Reichelt tried to break things off with the woman out of fear of losing his job.

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       The investigation, conducted by a law firm hired by Axel Springer, cleared Reichelt of any fireable wrongdoing. He took a brief leave from his post in March and was reinstated, with a female co-editor in chief.

       In a statement published on its website Monday, the company said that it had “gained new knowledge in the last few days about Julian Reichelt’s recent conduct” and that, upon following up on this new information, “the Executive Board discovered that — even after conclusion of the compliance investigation in spring 2021 — Julian Reichelt still failed to maintain a clear boundary between private and professional matters and was also untruthful to the Executive Board in this regard.”

       The internal investigation into Reichelt’s conduct did not uncover “any allegations of sexual harassment or sexual assault,” but “allegations of consensual intimate relationships with female BILD employees and indications of abuse of power in that connection,” the statement continued. It “remains disputed” whether one of the staffers in question benefited improperly from her relationship with him.

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       Reichelt did not respond to requests for comment.

       After Reichelt’s ousting Monday, the German newspaper Der Spiegel published news reports, in collaboration with the outlet Ippen, finding that Reichelt had pursued relationships with various female employees, abusing his position.

       Ippen had prepared its own investigation into Reichelt’s conduct, but the story was later withheld, prompting four Ippen media group reporters to write a letter that circulated on social media accusing the company of a “breach of trust.” In a statement, the company defended its decision, saying that “as a media group that stands in direct competition to Bild, we must carefully ensure that we avoid the impression we might want to economically harm a competitor,” the AP reported.

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       This #MeToo-era shake-up at Axel Springer occurs as the company is expanding its footprint in the U.S. media market as it pursues global ambitions. The company bought Business Insider in 2015 for $442 million (the publication was later rebranded as Insider); it acquired Morning Brew, a business-news-focused outlet; and recently it announced the purchase of Politico for $1 billion. The company also was in talks to buy Axios, but the negotiations soured, according to a New York Times report. The move could have brought competitors Axios and Politico under the same leadership as a major combined force.

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