MSNBC’s Chris Hayes used his closing statement Monday evening on his show to speak about his bosses at NBC News allegedly killing investigative reporter Ronan Farrow’s story on sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
Farrow’s upcoming book “Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators” details the allegations against the now-disgraced movie mogul and the cover-up attempts those at NBC News allegedly made. According to the book, Weinstein pressured NBC into dropping a story Farrow was working on about him because he knew of allegations of sexual misconduct against former NBC host Matt Lauer.
“The insidious destructive force of the path of least resistance is everywhere you look,” Hayes said after mentioning how the NBA has hesitated to criticize China. The NBA has faced increased scrutiny over its decision to silence players and management from speaking out on the Hong Kong-China controversy, he noted.
Hayes continued to talk about the controversy the network has been swept up in because of the allegations in Farrow’s book on “All In With Chris Hayes” Monday. He suggested that NBC News was complicit in having Farrow’s reporting killed, adding that “time and again the path of least resistance for those of power was not to cross Weinstein or his army of friends and lawyers.”
“Heck, I feel the tug of it myself as my own news organization is embroiled in a very public controversy over its conduct,” Hayes said.
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The MSNBC host also discussed NBC denying Farrow’s reporting, citing staff-wide memos sent out by the network. NBC President Noah Oppenheim called Farrow’s actions “abhorrent” and wrote Monday morning that his book includes false reporting because it “twists” facts into a lie.
“One thing, though, is indisputable,” Hayes continued. “Ronan Farrow walked out of NBC News after working on the Weinstein story, and within two months, published an incredible article at the New Yorker that not only won a Pulitzer, but helped trigger a massive social and cultural reckoning that continues to this day.”
Farrow received permission from the network to publish his article with The New Yorker on Oct. 10, 2017 after his own outlet was planning on killing the story. NBC News alleges this was because Farrow did not have enough concrete reporting to go on, but Farrow has said the network was pressured into killing the story. (RELATED: NBC News Chairman Sends Out Memo Hitting Back At Ronan Farrow’s Book)
“The path of least resistance is always there,” Hayes added. “Beckoning seductively – ‘you’ve got bigger fish to fry. This isn’t the hill to die on. The story isn’t ready.’ It’s the very ease of that path that makes it the enemy to the kind of work we, as journalists, are supposed to do.”
MSNBC is owned by NBCUniversal News Group. NBC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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