Journalists Facing Serious Allegations
In a turn both stunning and tragically familiar, Wesley Lowery—the Pulitzer-winning journalist who soared to prominence reporting on race, police violence, and the Black Lives Matter movement—now finds himself at the center of serious and deeply disturbing allegations.
Once celebrated as a moral compass for media institutions grappling with issues of race and power, Lowery is now accused by multiple women of sexual assault, manipulation, and abuse of authority—allegations that span nearly six years and shake the foundations of his once-venerated career.
According to a detailed Columbia Journalism Review report, several women—most of them fellow journalists—accuse Lowery of systematically using alcohol and his influence to coerce them into sexual encounters. The reports stretch from 2018 to 2024, painting a pattern of behavior that includes grooming, power dynamics, and post-assault confusion or silence from victims.
Olivia Messer, editor-in-chief of The Barbed Wire, recounts two deeply unsettling incidents. In 2020, she says Lowery pushed alcohol on her at a bar before pressuring her into a sexual act. Then again in 2023, she woke up beside him with no recollection of having sex—he claimed they had. One of the most jarring ironies? Lowery was helping her report on institutional failures to address sexual misconduct at the time.
Other women tell similar stories: being plied with alcohol, waking up confused, unable to remember what happened. One woman said she was “sloppy drunk” after drinks with Lowery, who then allegedly sexually assaulted her in his apartment. A student intern described an office meeting where Lowery veered into a monologue about consent and dating that left her disturbed. Three other American University students reported behavior ranging from inappropriate comments to physical proximity that crossed professional boundaries.
The allegations are more than personal failings—they strike at the core of the media institutions that elevated Lowery as a voice of moral clarity. A tenured professor, a keynote speaker, a nonprofit board appointee—Lowery had become not just a reporter, but a symbol. His book They Can’t Kill Us All earned critical acclaim for its exploration of police violence and racial injustice. His leadership on Fatal Force, the Washington Post’s Pulitzer-winning database of police shootings, positioned him as a pioneer in data-driven accountability journalism.
Yet behind the accolades, women allege, was a man who wielded his rising stardom as leverage. Several accusers note that Lowery was in a position of professional power during their encounters. One journalist told investigators that after rejecting his advances, he accused her of “using him” to further her career.
In response to the allegations, Lowery has admitted to blurred lines, power imbalances, and regrets over “interactions impaired by mutual intoxication.” He’s pledged sobriety and ongoing work with professionals. Still, he pushes back on the full picture painted by his accusers, calling it “incomplete” and filled with “false insinuations.”
The timing is impossible to ignore. In 2020, Lowery was lauded for challenging journalistic norms around objectivity, particularly regarding race. He argued for storytelling rooted in “moral clarity.” Now, those ideals are juxtaposed with allegations that suggest a betrayal of the very values he championed.