EXCLUSIVE: A senior figure at The Times of London has bemoaned the damage done to the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper’s reputation after a reporter was duped by a man pretending to be Bill de Blasio. Ian Brunskill, an associate editor at The Times, emailed the newsroom lamenting the “humiliating” botched interview with the former New York City mayor. We should have tried much harder to speak to the people concerned,” he wrote in the email, seen by Deadline. Semafor reported that The Times did track down a man named Bill De Blasio, but he was actually a Long Island wine importer. De Blasio said he supports Mamdani and believes “his vision is both necessary and achievable.”Here is Brunskill’s email to staff:
