Did NBC try to muzzle the story that led to the #MeToo movement? That’s what The Daily Beast is saying.
Ronan Farrow actually started working on an exposé of Harvey Weinstein and his casting couch exploits while he was still at NBC. They told him that the piece wasn’t ready to run on-air or online. In fact, a source said that NBC News’ lawyer Susan Weiner threatened to smear him if kept reporting on the now-disgraced movie mogul. Furthermore, Harvey’s lawyer, Charles Harder, claimed NBC News had given them written assurance that Ronan wouldn’t use any of the reporting he’d gathered while at the network.
After NBC passed on it, Ronan took it to “The New Yorker.” They published the piece as part of a series that won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. In addition, he got a George Polk Award for National Reporting, and garnered him universal praise.
- Naturally, there were questions at the network about how they’d let the story get away. While NBC News President Noah Oppenheim initially took responsibility for the situation, he allegedly told someone that NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack and senior communications vice president Mark Kornblau had made him a scapegoat. The questions will allegedly be answered in Ronan’s upcoming book, “Catch & Kill.” He’s expected to share his thoughts on what NBC actually did about his story and the culture of silence that tends to protect powerful men.
Source: The Daily Beast