NBC News Ridiculed After Ronan Farrow Breaks NY AG Sexual Assault Story
NBC News is being criticized after its former reporter, Ronan Farrow, once again broke a story regarding sexual misconduct allegations involving a major figure, who happens to be on the political left.
On Monday, Farrow co-bylined a story in the New Yorker documenting four accusations of sexual misconduct by Democrat New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, which led to his resignation just hours later, The Wrap reported.
Farrow chose the same news outlet last fall to break the story of multiple allegations of rape and other instances of sexual assault involving Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, when Farrow’s own employer, NBC News, turned him down. His piece won a Pulitzer Prize.
Appearing on the “Rachel Maddow Show” last October, the MSNBC host asked Farrow about NBC News’ decision not to run the story.
“You would have to ask NBC and NBC executives about the details,” Farrow replied. The reporter noted that he was threatened personally with a lawsuit by Weinstein, implying perhaps NBC received the same threats.
Maddow followed up saying NBC claimed the story wasn’t “ready to go” when Farrow brought it to their attention.
He immediately shot that notion down.
Video: Smart of @Maddow to press @RonanFarrow about why NBC didn't greenlight/support him pushing his Weinstein investigation #TTT pic.twitter.com/JApEs07xoL
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 11, 2017
“I walked into door at The New Yorker with an explosively reportable piece that should’ve been public earlier,” Farrow said. “And immediately, obviously, The New Yorker recognized that, and it is not accurate to say that it was not reportable.”
He added, “In fact, there were multiple determinations that it was reportable at NBC.”
New York Magazine reporter Yashar AIi tweeted that NBC executives’ decision not to trust Farrow’s skills was one of the “biggest mistakes” the network has made in the past decade.
3. NBC executives doubting @RonanFarrow's ability to report out a story is one of the biggest mistakes a news organization has made in the past decade.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 7, 2018
Bill Grueskin, a professor at the famed Columbia School of Journalism, faulted NBC News and MSNBC chief Andrew Lack for failing to keep Farrow on his team.
NBC's Andy Lack has blown so many key personnel issues — tolerating Matt Lauer, hiring Megyn Kelly. But his failure to keep @RonanFarrow on staff ranks near the top. Or the bottom, depending on how you look at it. https://t.co/xjhYdph7vE
— Bill Grueskin (@BGrueskin) May 7, 2018
Conversely, Grueskin hit Lack for allowing former “Today” show host Matt Lauer to stay around so long, in light of the numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against him, and for the CEO’s hiring of former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly at top dollar.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Rob Tornoe offered the simple observation that the score is Farrow 2, NBC News 0.
Ronan Farrow 2, NBC News 0.
— Rob Tornoe (@RobTornoe) May 8, 2018
Finally, The Daily Caller’s Derek Hunter wondered why Farrow seems to be the only one breaking these stories.
Anyone else think it's weird that @RonanFarrow is the only journalist breaking these stories about people who have rolled with hundreds, if not thousands, of journalists for years? How many times was Schneiderman on @Morning_Joe? How many parties did they attend together?
— Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) May 8, 2018
“Anyone else think it’s weird that @RonanFarrow is the only journalist breaking these stories about people who have rolled with hundreds, if not thousands, of journalists for years?” Hunter wrote.
He added, “How many times was Schneiderman on @Morning_Joe? How many parties did they attend together?”
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