Powerful figures use a network of shady allies, including private investigators, to suppress negative stories and intimidate victims/journalists. Be aware of these tactics and how to counteract them.
Media organizations can be compromised by internal politics and fear of powerful individuals, leading to the suppression of critical reporting. Journalists need to develop strategies to work around or expose such internal obstacles.
Public perception can be manipulated by powerful figures to discredit victims and control narratives. Understanding this manipulation is crucial for informed public discourse and supporting truth.
Despite systemic challenges, collective action and persistent investigative journalism can lead to accountability and positive societal change. This offers a hopeful outlook for future efforts.
Journalists must be prepared for sophisticated obstruction techniques, including corporate espionage and legal threats, when pursuing high-stakes investigations. Developing resilience and a strong support network is key.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow talks with Recode’s Kara Swisher about his new book, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, which details the extreme lengths men like Harvey Weinstein have gone to escape accountability for sexual abuse. He discusses why other journalists before him couldn’t nail the Weinstein story, and how the powerful Hollywood producer tapped into a network of shady allies in his attempt to suppress it — including some of Farrow's former bosses at NBC News. He also talks about how the public and the press mistreated women like Rose McGowan, his recent story about the MIT-Jeffrey Epstein cover-up, and why the book is ultimately optimistic about the future. Plus: Will Catch and Kill be a movie?
Featuring:
Ronan Farrow, author, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators
Hosts:
Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), Recode co-founder and editor-at-large
More to explore:
Subscribe for free to Reset, Recode's new podcast that explores why — and how — tech is changing everything.
Listen to Kara's last interview with Farrow (about his previous book, War on Peace), former MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito (recorded before Farrow's New Yorker story that led to Ito's resignation), and She Said authors Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.
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Powerful figures use a network of shady allies, including private investigators, to suppress negative stories and intimidate victims/journalists. Be aware of these tactics and how to counteract them.
What's takeaway #2 from this episode?
Media organizations can be compromised by internal politics and fear of powerful individuals, leading to the suppression of critical reporting. Journalists need to develop strategies to work around or expose such internal obstacles.
What's takeaway #3 from this episode?
Public perception can be manipulated by powerful figures to discredit victims and control narratives. Understanding this manipulation is crucial for informed public discourse and supporting truth.
What's takeaway #4 from this episode?
Despite systemic challenges, collective action and persistent investigative journalism can lead to accountability and positive societal change. This offers a hopeful outlook for future efforts.
What's takeaway #5 from this episode?
Journalists must be prepared for sophisticated obstruction techniques, including corporate espionage and legal threats, when pursuing high-stakes investigations. Developing resilience and a strong support network is key.
