Catch and Kill

by Ronan Farrow

  In the months that followed, I wasn’t sure those plans would include the claims about harassment at NBC. At the network, everything was in its place: the Wikipedia articles had been scrubbed; the self-reports declared definitive. The people who would claim otherwise had been paid, and remained too frightened to risk their nondisclosure agreements. The men of NBC News had put in the last word about Brooke Nevils, who had an affair, who hadn’t been assaulted, about whom the company had known nothing.

  Only not quite. In early 2019, I returned to Nevils, and sat in her book-lined living room again. This time, I brought Lavery, the New Yorker fact-checker. Afternoon light streamed through the windows. Cats, white and black and gray, encircled Nevils. Among them was a new kitten, taking the place of the one she’d lost before.

  Nevils was leafing through letters her late mother sent her. Meticulous notes, in dreaming, swooping cursive, a mother’s love for her daughter leaping off the yellowing pages. “My dearest darling daughter,” one read. “Each time a door closes, another opens.”

  Nevils felt she’d ruined her life by not shutting up. And she was increasingly convinced it was the right thing to do. “All the women before feel I am their fault,” she said. “And if there were women after me, I feel that is my fault.” She told me she was willing to take another risk—to tell her story again, for the sake of those women yet to come.

  As I prepared to leave, she looked me in the eye and repeated her answer to all my questions about the network. “I am obliged to tell you that I cannot disparage Andy Lack, or Noah Oppenheim, or any other employee of NBC News.”

  I nodded. As I watched, a smile just began to turn the edges of her lips.

  In the end, the courage of women can’t be stamped out. And stories—the big ones, the true ones—can be caught but never killed.

  Not long after the meeting with Nevils, Igor Ostrovskiy and I reunited at a French bistro on the Upper West Side. Sun fell through the window behind him over our little table. He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in days. I asked him what brought it all on, this crazy high-wire act of leaking information to me through the months.

  “I like to be able to read the news and not think somebody’s holding a gun to the reporter’s head deciding what they write,” he said. “Coming from a society where the news was controlled by those in power, I never, ever want to allow this to happen to the country that gave me and my wife and my son a chance.”

  Turns out, his wife had just had a baby. A first-generation American boy.

  “I happened to be at this intersection where we were following reporters whose stories I read, who I thought were doing something honest and good for society. If somebody wants to attack that, that’s attacking my country. That’s attacking my home.”

  I studied him. How strange, this speech, from the man who spent a summer following me, trying to stop my reporting.

  Once he’d refused to take the polygraph for Black Cube, the InfoTactic jobs had stopped coming. Now he was hanging out his own shingle, Ostro Intelligence. He’d still be a private investigator, but there’d be a public service angle, he announced, proud and earnest, meaning it and wanting me to know he meant it. Maybe he could help groups like Citizen Lab. “Moving forward, I’m going to try to be more involved with this kind of stuff, to better society, to seek out these kind of actors, try to expose them,” he said. “You know, the press is as much part of our democracy as Congress or the executive branch or the judicial branch. It has to keep things in check. And when the powerful control the press, or make the press useless, if the people can’t trust the press, the people lose. And the powerful can do what they want.”

  Ostrovskiy flicked through pictures on his phone, a far-off smile on his face. A mother, flushed and exhausted after birth. A new son coming home. A father imagining how good a man he could become for his family. A blue-gray cat with clever, lamplike eyes, peering wonderingly at the new arrival.

  The cat’s name, by the way, was Spy.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Catch and Kill was exhaustively vetted by Sean Lavery, a senior fact-checker at The New Yorker, who has also worked on many of my investigations for the magazine. Without his steady judgment and lack of work-life balance, this book would not have been possible. Noor Ibrahim and Lindsay Gellman, my impeccable researchers, put in long hours. The brilliant and tireless Unjin Lee managed and assisted that research team, counseled me during stressful low points, and performed light countersurveillance duties. She is still planning to learn Krav Maga.

  Little, Brown and Company supported this book through a protracted reporting and fact-checking process. Tough stories don’t get told without companies being willing to weather the storm. Thank you to Reagan Arthur, my wonderful publisher, and Michael Pietsch of Hachette Book Group. Thank you to Vanessa Mobley, the editor of every writer’s dreams and an unwavering ally in getting this book right. Thank you to Sabrina Callahan and Elizabeth Garriga for their efforts defending the message of this book. I also depended on Mike Noon, our hardworking production editor, on Janet Byrne, our meticulous copyeditor, and on Gregg Kulick, our talented designer, who was collaborative and gracious about my backseat driving. Liz McNamara of Davis Wright Tremaine and Carol Fein Ross of Hachette further defended the reporting with their legal vetting. And the legendary Lynn Nesbit, my literary agent and dear friend, stood by me during the long journey of the Weinstein story and through the writing of this book.

  I hope Catch and Kill serves as a tribute to other journalists I admire. Without their labors, powerful people would never be held accountable. I am grateful, every day, for the peerless team at The New Yorker that rescued the Weinstein story and continues to stand behind one difficult investigation after another.

  I don’t know how to thank David Remnick. The fact that he did so right by the stories, and by me, changed my outlook on journalism and life. You know that clip where Oprah Winfrey says of Gayle King, “She is the mother I never had. She is the sister everybody would want. She is the friend that everybody deserves. I don’t know a better person”? That’s David Remnick. Esther Fein, a wonderful journalist and David Remnick’s wife, is impossibly kind. Deirdre Foley-Mendelssohn, my editor, is a singular talent with an unerring moral compass. She is responsible for the voice of our New Yorker stories and somehow found time to give exacting notes on this book through work and travel and a pregnancy. David Rohde is my fearless collaborator. I find unconvincing his claims that he is not, as described in these pages, an angel. He and Michael Luo have both been important defenders of the reporting.

  Fabio Bertoni is a badass lawyer who approached the thorny legal challenges and threats we faced with integrity and common sense. It’s easy for lawyers to say no. The best media lawyers give advice on how to get to yes carefully and fairly. Natalie Raabe, The New Yorker’s head of communications, went to the barricades to defend our stories against some pretty efficient spin machines. There are many others, including Peter Canby, the magazine’s head of fact-checking, E. Tammy Kim, the checker who worked so diligently on the first Weinstein story, along with Fergus McIntosh, who also helped me untangle Black Cube and AMI. Natalie Meade scrutinized follow-up stories. They all ensured the reporting was precise, accurate, and fair. Other senior editors at the magazine, including Pam McCarthy and Dorothy Wickenden, have been kind and generous. Roger Angell graciously, if unknowingly, allowed me to use his desk. I love The New Yorker—and the people there, who inspire me to be a better journalist.

  Thanks also to my bosses at HBO, including Richard Plepler, Casey Bloys, Nancy Abraham, and Lisa Heller, who supported the reporting at every turn and stood by me through long months of book leave.

  I also owe a debt of gratitude to the many reporters and publications who helped break ground relevant to this book. Thank you to the journalists who pursued the Weinstein story, and then shared their insights with me, when they didn’t know me and didn’t have to but for their sense of principle. Ken Auletta is a prince among men and the
history of the Weinstein story would be different without his work. Ben Wallace was similarly generous. Janice Min and Matt Belloni and Kim Masters were too. And admiration to Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, whose powerful stories made me feel less alone and taught me to type faster.

  Thank you to the reporters who shed light on the AMI story, including Jeff Horwitz and Jake Pearson of the Associated Press and Joe Palazzolo and Michael Rothfeld of the Wall Street Journal. Thank you to Shachar Alterman of Uvda, the documentarian Ella Alterman, Adam Ciralsky of Vanity Fair, Raphael Satter of the Associated Press, John Scott-Railton of Citizen Lab, and Adam Entous, my colleague at The New Yorker, for their help with the Black Cube reporting.

  Thank you to those who exposed allegations of abuse at NBC News, including Ramin Setoodeh and Elizabeth Wagmeister of Variety, Sarah Ellison of the Washington Post, and Lachlan Cartwright of the Daily Beast—who doggedly pursued the pattern of settlements.

  Thank you to the journalists and producers of NBC News who continue to chase important stories and believe in the place’s promise and principles. Before the intercession of executives, the Weinstein story was well supported by Rich McHugh’s and my colleagues. I am so grateful to Anna Schechter, Tracy Connor, William Arkin, Cynthia McFadden, Stephanie Gosk, and many others on the investigative unit. Rachel Maddow was a voice of principle. Phoebe Curran, an associate producer, helped conduct research in the story’s early days.

  Rich McHugh did the right thing, even when it was the worst thing for himself, every time. Without his fierce ethics and the sense of mission in his bones, not to mention the righteous indignation of his wife Danie, we would have been lost. He’s a hero and he lives in New Jersey.

  Most importantly, I thank the sources. I am inspired by those who exposed unethical and at times illegal conduct from the inside. Sleeper’s courage broke through a wall of lies and helped victims of deception and gaslighting. Igor Ostrovskiy put principle and patriotism before self-protection at every turn, first by informing me, and then by agreeing to put his name in this book. Thank you also to John Tye for supporting him in that process and for being helpful as I navigated my own security concerns. The list of conscientious objectors includes many employees of Miramax and the Weinstein Company, of NBC News and AMI, of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the NYPD, and the Southern District of New York. Most of them, I can’t name. A few to whom I owe a debt of gratitude: Abby Ex, Dede Nickerson, Dennis Rice, and Irwin Reiter.

  I am especially grateful to the women who risked so much to reveal important and difficult truths. Rosanna Arquette overcame her fears to help with the Weinstein story, then stayed in the fight, urging source after source to come forward. She has been indispensable to my follow-up stories about Weinstein, my investigation of CBS, and to other reporting that still hasn’t seen the light of day.

  Ambra Gutierrez is a source for the ages, with the courage of a jewel thief. Her story in these pages speaks for itself. Emily Nestor is as compassionate and steadfast a person as I’ve encountered. Before the story was a sure thing, she stood by it. And she’s continued to stand by it, in the face of continuing attempts to discredit her and the other sources.

  We are better for the fact that there are too many others to mention them all. But here are some: Ally Canosa, Annabella Sciorra, Asia Argento, Brooke Nevils, Daryl Hannah, Emma de Caunes, Jane Wallace, Jennifer Laird, Jessica Barth, Karen McDougal, Lauren O’Connor, Lucia Evans, Melissa Lonner, Mira Sorvino, Rose McGowan, Rowena Chiu, Sophie Dix, and Zelda Perkins.

  Finally, thank you to my family. My mother, who stood by a survivor of abuse in the face of smearing and blacklisting and intimidation, constantly inspires me to be a better person. My sister Dylan’s courage kept me going and helped me understand the unfathomable—and she provided the interior illustrations in Catch and Kill. My sister Quincy, whose wedding I missed while closing the Weinstein story, was so understanding. I’m sorry, Quincy!

  Jonathan already got a dedication and he’s quoted throughout these pages. How much more attention does he need?

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Ronan Farrow is a contributing writer for The New Yorker, where his investigative reporting has won the Pulitzer Prize for public service, the National Magazine Award, and the George Polk Award, among other honors. He previously worked as an anchor and investigative reporter at MSNBC and NBC News and is currently producing documentaries for HBO. His print commentary and reporting appear in publications including the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post. Before his career in journalism, he served as a State Department official in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence. Farrow has been named one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and one of GQ’s Men of the Year. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and a member of the New York Bar. He recently completed a PhD in political science at Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He lives in New York.

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  NOTES

  CHAPTER 1

  1 published an article: David A. Fahrenthold, “Trump Recorded Having Extremely Lewd Conversation About Women in 2005,” Washington Post, October 8, 2016.

  2 Donald Trump held forth about grabbing women “by the pussy”: Billy Bush’s Access Hollywood tape with Donald Trump, 2005.

  3 “How do you feel about your butt?”: Billy Bush interview with Jennifer Lopez, Access Hollywood, 2002.

  4 sat on it: Jack Shafer, “Why Did NBC News Sit on the Trump Tape for So Long?” Politico Magazine, October 10, 2016.

  5 Leaked accounts presented differing timelines: “NBC Planned to Use Trump Audio to Influence Debate, Election,” TMZ, October 12, 2016.

  6 “The executive was unaware”: Paul Farhi, “NBC Waited for Green Light from Lawyers Before Airing Trump Video,” Washington Post, October 8, 2016.

  7 “Get to Know Billy” video: “Get to Know Billy Bush—from Billy Himself, As His Parents Send Special Wishes,” Today show, August 22, 2016.

  8 “Pending further review of the matter”: “Here’s How the Today show Addressed Billy Bush’s Suspension On-Air,” Entertainment Tonight, October 10, 2016.

  9 against the head of that network: Michael M. Grynbaum and John Koblin, “Gretchen Carlson of Fox News Files Harassment Suit Against Roger Ailes,” New York Times, July 6, 2016.

  10 women in at least fifteen cities staged sit-ins and marches: Edward Helmore, “Anti-Trump Protests Continue Across US as 10,000 March in New York,” Guardian, November 12, 2016.

  11 A hashtag: Emanuella Grinberg, “These Tweets Show Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Assault,” CNN, October 13, 2016.

  12 “time for some goddamned honesty”: Rose McGowan quoted in Gene Maddaus, “Rose McGowan Says a Studio Executive Raped Her,” Variety, October 14, 2016.

  CHAPTER 2

  1 helping to reinvent the model for independent films: Ronan Farrow, “From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers Tell Their Stories,” The New Yorker, October 10, 2017. Reporting from this article also referenced in subsequent chapters.

  2 he had been thanked more than almost anyone else: Catherine Shoard, “They Know Him as God, but You Can Call Him Harvey Weinstein,” Guardian, February 23, 2012.

  3 “sex movie”: Ken Auletta, “Beauty and the Beast,” The New Yorker, December 8, 2002.

  4 “‘Denny the Hustler’ did not take no for an answer”: Harvey Weinstein quoted in Margaret Sullivan, “At 18, Harvey Weinstein Penned Tales of an Aggressive Creep. It Sure Sounds Familiar Now,” Washington Post, October 17, 2017.

  5 hundreds of millions of dollars: Edward Jay Epstein, “The Great Illusionist,” Slate, October 10, 2005.

>   6 “The wall just shook”: Donna Gigliotti quoted in Ken Auletta, “Beauty and the Beast,” The New Yorker, December 8, 2002.

  7 at a cocktail party for William J. Bratton: Leena Kim, “A Night Out with NYC’s Former Police Commissioner,” Town & Country, October 30, 2016.

  8 laughing with Jay-Z: Ashley Lee, “Weinstein Co. Sets Exclusive Film and TV First-Look Deal with Jay Z,” Hollywood Reporter, September 29, 2016.

  9 “About to forward some creative”: Harvey Weinstein quoted in Zaid Jilani, “Harvey Weinstein Urged Clinton Campaign to Silence Sanders’s Black Lives Matter Message,” Intercept, October 7, 2016.

  10 raised hundreds of thousands of dollars: Ashley Lee, “Harvey Weinstein, Jordan Roth Set Star-Studded Broadway Fundraiser for Hillary Clinton,” Hollywood Reporter, September 30, 2016.

  11 Sara Bareilles sat bathed in purple light: Robert Viagas, “Highlights of Monday’s All-Star Hillary Clinton Broadway Fundraiser,” Playbill, October 18, 2016.

  12 “Harvey Weinstein, the Comeback Kid”: Stephen Galloway, “Harvey Weinstein, the Comeback Kid,” Hollywood Reporter, September 19, 2016.

  13 represented Al Gore: James B. Stewart, “David Boies Pleads Not Guilty,” New York Times, September 21, 2018.

  14 “They r strategists and say your firm have used them”: Email from Harvey Weinstein, October 16, 2016.

  15 “highly experienced and trained in Israel’s elite military”: Black Cube website homepage, “What makes us unique,” under “Cutting-Edge Analytical Skills.”

  CHAPTER 3

  1 taken on a sensitive assignment: Joe Palazzolo, Michael Rothfeld and Lukas I. Alpert, “National Enquirer Shielded Donald Trump From Playboy Model’s Affair Allegation,” Wall Street Journal, November 4, 2016.

  2 Illicitly obtaining medical records: “Cedars Sinai Fires Six over Patient Privacy Breaches After Kardashian Gives Birth,” Associated Press, July 13, 2013.