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Thursday, September 6, 2018

Fox, MSNBC Feud Over Farrow Story

The feud between Fox News and MSNBC has taken a personal turn, with Fox News host Tucker Carlson accusing “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd of being aware of NBC’s decision to kill a story by Ronan Farrow detailing sexual harassment charges against movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

Carlson offered no evidence in asserting that Todd, the political director of NBC News, knew about an NBC decision to not run Farrow’s story, but argued it was implausible to think that he was not aware of internal network talks surrounding the story.

“NBC gets the biggest scoop of the year and then kills it mysteriously, of course Chuck Todd knew. What does he think of that?” said Carlson, who once hosted an MSNBC program.

Todd hosts “Meet the Press” Sundays on NBC and “MTP Daily” at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday on MSNBC.

NBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


NBC has said that Farrow’s story lacked on-the-record, on-camera sources, and that it was not ready for broadcast. It subsequently allowed the reporter to take the story to The New Yorker. Farrow ended up winning a Pulitzer Prize for the work.

NBC News Chairman Andy Lack on Monday insisted in a memo to NBC staff that the network did not obstruct Farrow’s efforts to report sexual assault and misconduct allegations against Weinstein. Farrow, however, disputed Lack’s assertion.

“I've avoided commenting on the specifics of NBC's role in the Weinstein story to keep the focus on the women and their allegations,” Farrow said in a statement. “But executives there have now produced a memo that contains numerous false or misleading statements.”

NBC responded in a statement provided to The Hill by disputing Farrow's claim that his story was “cleared and deemed ‘reportable’ by legal and standards.”

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