Hush Money Allegations Add to Criminal Anthony Marx's New York Public Library Scandal

From Robin Pogrebin's New York Times article Former Employees Feel Silenced on Library Project.

The library says nondisparagement clauses are standard in separation agreements and that it has used them for 18 years. Still, critics say that for an institution with a tradition of championing free speech — the library opposes book bans and has permitted visitors to watch pornography on its computer terminals — the clauses seem inconsistent. “It does raise the question, what are they afraid people are going to say?” said Joan E. Bertin, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship. “So what if former employees criticize them? They ought to be able to take the heat.”