Matt Lauer has fired off a lengthy op-ed going after Ronan Farrow, accusing the Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter of "shoddy journalism."
The disgraced former NBC host, who was accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women and fired in 2017, published his op-ed Tuesday on Mediaite, attacking Farrow, who interviewed a woman who alleged Lauer raped her at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The interview was for Ronan's 2019 book Catch and Kill. Lauer, who denies Brooke Nevils' rape allegation, claims Farrow did not properly fact-check the book and acted "as Brooke's advocate, not as a journalist investigating her claims."
"I also believe that some of Ronan's sources felt they could make outrageous claims to him, knowing he (and thus their stories) would not be doubted," Lauer writes.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lauer goes on to claim he personally reached out to some people referenced in Catch and Kill who supposedly told him they were not contacted for fact-checking, and he accuses Farrow of using misleading language in the book.
Though Lauer writes he'd been working on the op-ed, intending to release it last year, it comes partially in response to an article Sunday by New York Times media columnist Ben Smith. The Times column is surprisingly critical of Farrow, which clearly pleased Lauer because he quotes it throughout. Smith wrote that Farrow "does not always follow the typical journalistic imperatives of corroboration and rigorous disclosure" and suggests "conspiracies that are tantalizing but he cannot prove." Farrow said in response, "I stand by my reporting."
Following the Mediaite op-ed's publication, commentator Evan Siegfried blasted Lauer, tweeting that he "raped my friend @BrookeNevils and is now trying to rewrite history."
-
September 1 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday’s political cartoons include Labor Day picnic, branding strategy, and more
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
When does autumn begin?The Explainer The UK is experiencing a 'false autumn', as climate change shifts seasonal weather patterns
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in ZürichThe Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
