Catch and kill

Catch and kill is a technique employed by some newspaper editors in order to prevent information damaging to someone else from becoming public, presumably to protect allies of the editor. The newspaper buys the exclusive rights to a story without the intention of publishing it, in effect silencing the seller.

Catch and kill is distinct from using hush money: it is practiced by the media and the target may not be aware his or her information will be kept secret. So far, the rare documented cases always involve a tabloid newspaper, specifically the National Enquirer and its parent company.[1]

Examples

Instances where newspapers have been accused of using catch and kill include:

Harvey Weinstein
  • In 2015, the National Enquirer allegedly approached Ambra Battilana to purchase the rights to her story about the groping she suffered at the hands of Harvey Weinstein, after Weinsten asked for help from a newspaper's executive. When no agreement could be reached between the newspaper and the model, National Enquirer staff turned to collect damaging personal information on Battilana and other Weinstein accusers.[3] The upcoming book of the reporter who broke the story about sexual abuse accusations against Harvey Weinstein is entitled "Catch and Kill".[4]
  • In 2015, the National Enquirer's parent company American Media paid a former doorman at Trump Tower $ 30,000 for the exclusive rights to his allegations that he overheard a conversation about a child Donald Trump had with a woman who is not his wife, but never published an article on the topic. In 2018, man's lawyer indicated that AMI released him from his obligations to keep silent about what he said he heard[5][6][7].
  • Karen McDougal
    American Media has been accused of making a payment of $150,000 in 2016 to Karen McDougal for the story of her liaison with real estate mogul Donald Trump, with no intention of publishing the story. The "life-story rights agreement" covers "exclusive ownership of her account of any romantic, personal, or physical relationship she has ever had with any 'then-married man". In response, the publisher stated the deal included other elements such as a regular column from McDougal, and simply decided not to use the story. The CEO of American Media, David Pecker, is a friend of Trump's.[1][8][9][10]

A short film produced by Geoffrey Gunn in 2017 is named Catch and Kill. The main protagonist is a young reporter trying to build a career in the news media.[11]

In the novel Through His Eyes from Emma Dibdin, two characters discuss an instance of catch and kill by a tabloid.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 Stelter, Brian (February 16, 2018). "'Catch and kill': How a tabloid shields Trump from troublesome stories". CNN. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  2. ↑ Nicholas, Peter; Hall, Carla (August 12, 2005). "Tabloid's Deal With Woman Shielded Schwarzenegger". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  3. ↑ Twohey, Megan; Kantor, Jodi; Dominus, Susan; Rutenberg, Jim; Eder, Steve (December 5, 2017). "Weinstein's Complicity Machine". New York Times. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  4. ↑ Stelter, Brian (July 29, 2018). "How Ronan Farrow keeps landing bombshells". CNN. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  5. ↑ Moghe, Sonia (August 25, 2018). "EXCLUSIVE: ex-Trump World Tower doorman's "catch-and-kill" contract released". CNN. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  6. ↑ York, Chris (August 25, 2018). "Dino Sajudin Releases 'Catch And Kill' Contract 'About Donald Trump's Illegitimate Child'". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  7. ↑ Farrow, Ronan (April 12, 2018). "The National Enquirer, a Trump Rumor, and Another Secret Payment to Buy Silence". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  8. ↑ Borchers, Callum (March 21, 2018). "Why efforts to silence Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal are failing". Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  9. ↑ Farrow, Ronan (April 12, 2018). "The National Enquirer, a Trump Rumor, and Another Secret Payment to Buy Silence". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  10. ↑ Toobin, Jeffrey (July 3, 2017). "The National Enquirer's Fervor for Trump". New Yorker. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Catch and Kill (2017)". IMDB. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  12. ↑ Dibdin, Emma (2018). Through His Eyes (ebook). Head of Zeus.
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