Catch and kill is a technique employed by some newspaper editors 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][2]
Examples
Instances where newspapers have been accused of using catch and kill include:
In 2003, the National Enquirer allegedly signed a $20,000 contract with Gigi Goyette to get exclusive rights about the story of her alleged extramarital relationship with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who at the time was a candidate as Governor of California, but the newspaper never solicited further information from Goyette.[3]
Harvey Weinstein
In 2015, the National Enquirer allegedly approached Ambra Battilana to purchase the rights to her story about groping by Harvey Weinstein, after Weinstein asked for help from a newspaper's executive. When no agreement could be reached between the newspaper and Battilana, National Enquirer staff turned to collect damaging personal information on Battilana and other Weinstein accusers.[4] The upcoming book by Ronan Farrow, a reporter who broke the story about sexual abuse accusations against Harvey Weinstein is entitled Catch and Kill.[5]
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, the doorman's lawyer indicated that AMI released him from his obligations to keep silent about what he said he had heard.[6][7][8]
Karen McDougalAmerican 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 Donald Trump.[1][9][10][11]
