Access to spacious and convenient facility here in the center ofre washington. Were also grateful for the support from all a of you and we know you have choices and we would like to thank you for choosing to shop with the local independent bookstore. [applause] its exciting to be hosting this evening, he is here to talk about his new book catch and kill, it is been two years since riding in the new yorker two years since they published their separate Sexual Assault and harassment allegations against movie producer harry weinstein. Those stories encourage merit enter many other women to come forward with allegations against other powerful privileged and previously protected men and help give rise to the me too movement. Both the new yorker in the times shared last year for Public Service which honored,. It honored the courageous breakthrough r reporting. In catch to kill in breaking the weinstein story he details the institutional and the threats they face in doing so. The book contained revelations is not just the Investigative Journalism but a compelling and instructive spy story. He writes about not only the extreme tactics taken by weinstein who he calls upon espionage operation the but also actions like nbc news where he initially pursued the story to keep her from being broadcast. Im not giving away any spoilers because this is widely reported since the book release. The nbc behavior was motivated desire to protect news anchor matt lauer who subsequently was accused of Sexual Misconduct and let go. In the interest of fairness let me say nbc strongly denies to block his investigation or trying to cover up lauers misconduct and he maintains his actions were consensual. But he stands by his account in the controversy helps interest and is very resilient in the very riveting book. Into public attention having to live in existence he delayed entry to work for spokesperson and after graduating law school he joined the state department to work for Richard Holbrook focusing on afghanistan and pakistan and later became secretary of stateis Hillary Clinton special advisor foral global. John thune 2012 he went off to oxford on a scholarship. In 2014 nbc signed it could enter into contract and the own daytime and vista bc program and the show lasted a year but the network kept him on the correspondent. In 2017 after nbc lack of support for the pursuit of weinstein took the story to the new yorker and finished it there. Last year they came out with a wellreceived book were on peace with the decline of diplomacy and earlier this year he earned a phd in International Relations from oxford. All of that and he has yet to turn 32. [applause] he will be in conversation with sonny, the former federal prosecutor who serves as cohost of the abc daytime talk shows and senior Legal Correspondent and analyst for abc news. He also host an executive producer truth about murder which is about to start on the Network Investigation discovery where they will highlight the stories of victims and their loved ones. Ladiesct and gentlemen please jn me in welcoming ronan and sonny. [applause] [cheering] thank you. Thank you for doing this. When ronan asked me too be here, i was thrilled because as you know i am a big fan in this book is incredible, it is incredible so lets get writing. As we launch into the conversation i have to say, i asked and was excited because sonny has been a powerful voice and i dont know if you seen thc way she speaks of issues of Sexual Violence covered up by powerful people on the view and it shows the whole history as a prosecutor and a journalist husband about speaking power. I amor honored. [applause] lets talk about the allegations about former today show anchor matt lauer and that made a lot of news. And bc claims he was fired in 2017 for inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace. And the only found out about it very shortly before he wasas fired. But in the book you write that they knew about his behavior for a long time. I think its important to note, there are very fallacious headlines around individual allegations and that is not incorrect that they get a lot of attention, the very serious claims but its uncovered in this book an undocumented in a way that is much bigger than anyone Network Start executive or anyone network. Its about patterns of coverups and corporate america. And the way in which people get hurt if problems are stepped under the rug with payouts instead of address. Weve talked about this several times, it was a component of the Harvey Weinstein and on cbs two news, and a component of the reporting on nbc news. This is a company that had previous claims there were no Sexual Harassment settlement in a 6 7 year period. I document in this book a paper trail of seven settlements in multiple people involved were explicitly Sexual Harassment wsettlements with women complaints about matt lauer and others. Years beforein his firing. And i personally spoke to Senior Executives of a leadership level who were warned about a problem with matt lauer, this is not just coming for me in my reporting, this is something anchor said and that checks out with the reporting and again, the point here is bigger than this company. Its about people getting hurt when these problems are confronted. My understanding that rather than call them settlementem agreements they are called enhanced severance agreement. Yes they are enhanced severance. What does that mean . Its a good question, these are the youth andisms and contortions that you see when a problem is being covered up. Nbc news rebuttal to all of this are woven into the book and you can judge the facts for yourself against the responses and they continue to claim that these were severance packages and they paid this woman seven figures vastly more than someone would get in the company and could went to dental he she had a Sexual Harassment complaint. The coincidence is while we fear we relate to make sure the room response in their its very fair to nbc and other parties that reporting, its worth noting that this is what a coverup looks like. It is youth andisms, it is terms that allow you to know less than what it actually is. You know as a former prosecutor when there is a Sexual Harassment or Sexual Violence related nda, it does not say in big bold letters, this woman was abused by this person on x date. It just find someone to silence and tries to talk around the issue entirely. And severance agreements . This Company Found a way to consistently to sweep the problem under the rug. Lets talk briefly about brook neville because nbc says when they found out about her allegation, thats when it was too much, thats when you know, he had he had to go then. Matt was hired. Relegation is true, she says, she was raped. She was recorded it to nbc and they fired him, it was not recorded or reported to the police. It was not reported to the das office, what exactly did she tell you happened to her. She described an ambiguously raped by any legal addition or definition of the term. Her full story is laid out in this book. Dori just the headlines about it, read in context. Matt lauer, as reflected in here to what his opinion is. He released a very fiery letter, the tone towards women whom i come forward with allegations. One of the points emphasizes that they had subsequent contacts. On ask about that. I do because he will response letter. He said that the books account is categorically at fault. He said his sexual encounter with her was it can clearly consensual and she was an enthusiastic partner. He also said all of these womens that he had affairs with have abandon or share responsibility that she continued after this alleged rape to have sexual relationship with him. Andf maybe people are questionig her because of that. Theyre pushing that because if you are really raped, why would you go back and have a sexual relationship. This is the recurring theme in recording. It was a response that harvey points and. In many cases, these were women who went back to him in various ways. He says at one point and these calls and where Fact Checking, and seeking comment from him, it is right that they come back. That is not consistent with any Legal Definition of rape. Its not consistent with any ethical definition of rape and indeed, you would know better than i havent worked on the criminal justice side of this, it is a very common facet of Sexual Violence that these are crimes committed by passengers and bosses and parents. Its with Power Dynamics that attract with the ongoing [applause] with professional [applause] that makes a very hearty and away from someone. There was a machine, from the vault moment brooke came to see and in an ambiguously described in nonconsensual act with potential criminal locations. Where this Company Despite the fact of her attorney very clearly signaled that this has brought consensual, and while she was not using the term rape, she was describing one. Began to plan the press and to discuss within the News Organization the idea that this was an affair. And matt lauer in his letters see that this is an affair. They said up to including week new cycle. Understand that there is a strong consensus that this company was on scrutiny for your not doing enough to stop this over. Of time in which people knew about the dark about these problems to downplay it. They suggest that if they knew, they knew about something lesser. The fact is that what she described and the following [applause], that she described are not consistent with any definition that i know. She as a junior employee at this company, with the most powerful man at the company, was in a dynamic that she described as income when he said come to my apartment for your drinks. Come to my office, come to my dressing room. Right. In the time she struggled to get away from this. In our narration of events. It was simply in she was on orders from her bosses to go get something for your purely professional reasons fromso ourp would be demanding sexual favors in his office. That is a difficult and complicated diet dynamic. She described both consensual and not consensual times. She tried to put him in east desperately in syntax and make calls sounded maximum only enthusiastic because she wanted desperately to make the situation okay. Then to not anger this incredibly powerful guy who had a lot of control over her career. But while all of those shades of gray are laid out, theyre not actually to remain if there was a question of Sexual Assault. Exactly. As prosecutors, and with people who are reading the media, theyre trying to figure out what happened that night. With what happened after, has nothing to do that would happen that night. This right. These common followers of ambiguities. Come in. But that regardless whether she thought he thought or interpreted interactions afterwards, that night she was is it too drunk to consent she says. And she said no repeatedly to a act that he then proceeded with. And denies that. This is consistently how she has told the story from the beginning. What you described also in this book, is the culture of misogyny, to the very fabric of nbc. Not only does nbc, just in our culture, and you describe noah often times, he said that with a little bit of [laughter] icing initially. Its very fair to nbc because i was [laughter] the facts speak for your themselves but the tone is very much there. [laughter] your tone may be not be measured. [laughter] was the head of nbc news at the time. And you write on page 186, years as a writer, the harvard princeton, heroes and things that were pretty provocative. In fact he had some headlines reading clip notes, transgender and he wrote to the angry feminist, there is nothing wrong with singlesex and into institution. Mens are just like women. Women feel threatened by the clubs environment should see apparently women like to be prayed upon. They feel desired, not be need. This is the same person, it would have been told about brooke loophole. Intuited the the conversation journalists other organization immediately afterwards and Something Like that she did not describe nonstick consensual interaction. It is part of that machine when she learned there is being downplayed in that way, she just a way that this was handled after the fact was extraordinarily traumatic. Theres a bigger. There about the patterns of corporate behavior. She talked very eloquently about making a position to come forward in this book. In filling that the women who came before her and had voice complaints in the company about matt lauer, terry sense of guilt. That her alleged thing happen. And then she in turn carried a sense of guilt from anyone who might face violence afterwards. That ultimately is why she wanted to s speak and break the cycle. A sense of guilt because of the. [silence] is the moment you have a set of legal structures to conceal these alleged crimes, and to allow your perpetrators to the same position power, you expose subsequent people to victimization. Who many of these stories than reported this of the Weinstein Company w. There is nothing in his hr file is technically about Sexual Harassment. There was nothing in the hr file about it. When where there were payout happening over and over again. To conceal a record. Happened at kcbs news. This has brought an nbc problem. This is the problem in our culture and in corporate america. Bruce nevels has brought wrong. It should not have been on her shoulders to break the cycle. Two men on the shoulders of that hcompany. But it is only now coming over scrutiny because she was brave enough to speak. A whole variety of sources. There are still executives of the company, with a series of products. A lot of people were really brave to a space the story that plays out this book. I asked you that on marshall on the view, how do the folks like the oppenheimol news in the lead, you as you frontline in page 13, he also had a history of praying upon people who work on with him. She has read this book. Did you hear that. You describe. Retaliated against them,. How did they survive Something Like this we do have people like megan kelly and greg that are calling for your an outside law firm to come in and gainvestigate these flames and e asking if they are found to be true, they need to go. Need to be fired. It is pretty striking that again in his book, the wonderful brave journalists and nbc, make him our Services Sources in this book and me are holding their bosses to feet to the fire and demanding accountability. Its a tough thing to do to your bosses. They see over and overr again, o the executive chain of command in this company, why dont we do an outside investigation. They demanded inside and outside of the company for your years and they have flatly refused. This is another pic brought important. About corporate america. Internal investigations self investigations, are notot investigations. No if you asked me to greg myself i get in a every time. Cat and mouse out. But it is a real serious problem. The set of techniques when a company is trying to conceal something. Including doing their own self investigation. And then having an outside firm sort of rubberstamp it. And nbc has deployed the full set of tools they have ofsteadfastly said, we will noto an outside investigation. I say this retelling, that there is a very dramatic moment in the prophet unravels in cash and go, were journalists inside of this building are who angry and its this is all coming out. Theres a meeting with general counsel with chimeric, to dissent from the executive into the Investigative Unit and tries to do damage control. Shes getting all of these contentious questions. And a woman journalist in the room, what about an outside investigation. Even if we dont like the outcome, it will help us be transparent as it is an organization. Kim harris command finally and says, if the press would stop talking about this, it will huawei. [laughter] another words, after some. [silence] , we are the press. She was in stunned. [silence] exactly. Lets talk about the Harvey Weinstein story because you want a surprise to that story [applause] it was magnificent. And thank weve god for the sources. Your prosecutorial record, we do are able to do something that hopefully help the conversation know people news healing and transparency and accountability. You do it on the back seven because of the babe bravery. Bravery of the sources and in the witnesses. You had the story and nbc. They refused to air it. In fact, they killed it. And they did this day, they really didnt have enough. He didnt have enough sources. And it didnt mean journalistic standards. And then a few weeks later, you published surprise wind story at the new yorker. Right across the street. Did you have enough. What did you have we do are at nbc. And if you had enough, why did they kill it. Of course get enough. Its no longer in dispute in the conversation and the working loophole produced on the story bridge mcewan, break very bright guy who resigned in protest over this. Do you some applause for your him. [applause] i am with you. Yeah that guy is the profile of courage. He says, would every journalist who looks at the set, this thing should been higher we had thero recorded admission from Harvey Weinstein. Misting operation. We had a not only ed manning to a Sexual Assault the serial Sexual Assaults. We had multiple name to women every version of the story. It was an expensive audio recording. But thats not even the point. Its a distraction tactic to try to pull the conversation towards discussion of whatever whether or not at a given. In time, as you see, ive run across the street at the judgment and it was absolutely enough. Within a few weeks, it was the story that youve all seen. But the point wasnt that it was done in any one of those points in time or that it can be expanded if they wanted it to. The point that they ordered us to stop. And that is the striking smoking gun tell that this was noted journalistic vision that was happening. We were told to cancel interviews. We were told to stay on down and not take estate sale the subject. I was threatened that i was going to be exposed as having an intern mayday date and let go company if i ever disclosed and nbc had anything to do this work. And in this book, over the course of several years of investigative reporting, uncover what was happening at this company and the secrets of this, he had that were on threat of exposure Harvey Weinstein was bearing down on them and a whole slew of secret conversations and emails and contacts going on behind our backs. The thing, you frontline in the story, that Harvey Weinstein tis really blackmailing nbc nes over mount lauer allegations. I am very careful to only go as far as mexico. It is true that we have multiple courses that cope both md nbc news and ami, the Parent Company in the National Enquirer. In that denial isin in there. Staying that there was a thread communicated of the type that you just alluded to. But the bigger question is indisputable is that the secret settlements and highlevel conversations about matt lauer news accreditation, create a situation where nbc news was dealing with a lot of secrets there were about to come out. When i document these, at least 15 secret calls and top executives at nbc in Harvey Weinstein, where they have admitted these calls happen. And with a promise to kill the story ahead of any journalistic measures. It is very clear we do look at those calls, but these were executives who felt like they had secrets to guard. And they were simultaneously brokering and enforcing secret Sexual Harassment settlements while telling me that their legal judgment was that we could not record or report a secret Sexual Harassment that Harvey Weinstein made. And as it turns out, i can now reveal, they were even a talking. By a hostile person Harvey Weinstein. By exposing them, there was a conversation about how to prevent this from happening to other people within a company you might be targeted, and violent acts by individuals close cited in a conversation about how to prevent this from happening to any other journalistrn. This thing, you also discussed in this book in Harvey Weinstein went to great lakes to keep the story on wraps. He went who far as to prior spies to follownd you and other reporters. S. Who much who that you felt your life was in danger and people advise you to get a gun. Multiple sources advised me to get again i moved out of my apartment, i was very stressed out and not getting a lot of sleep looked over my shoulder a lot. I i am like you, someone with Legal Training background. And naturally inclined toward skepticism. There are many t points in the thoughts workplace at the macquarie of the last we met, something bizarre is happening here. But evenne then, you know to expect that the answered to the bizarre thing that is happening is an International Espionage involving former agents and russian spies subcontractors outside of your apartment, and like an international someone in the tilting of the source. These are real things that happened. In actual life [laughter]. Unbelievable. People reading the book and making their jaws up off of the floors. For your a lot of reviews they said is glamorizing afterthefact the first bullet didnt feel that way the time. Actually felt kind of candy. [laughter] might for your mom, had stopped telling her about what was happening. I was looking my desk rather than to go home. In my car in the night. Going to my apartment before i moved out of it to you the keys out. Im not good at selfdefense. [laughter] despite the target process decide do. It is glamorizing is the sign of just how far over the line that this went. These are tactics it should be reserved for your spy thrillers. They should not be done to journalist in her life. Its unbelievable. [applause] seems to be the nature we are these days. I am very aware and grateful for the fact that i am not a journalist and passed russia or any of the places where you reporting on power, and did the next day a lot of times. Journalists are a killed the lie of the work, everything a day. The work is who important and who precious, and her democracy two. All of the stories about exotic and underhanded tactics that are exploited by powerful and wealthy people about the ways in which News Organizations gets diverted tort begin in all of it goes to these questions about our access to free and transparent information in our democracy. In the stories we tell ourselves, as we enter our next election cycle. This matters. [applause] i never want to see because of life or death things that i just described from the world transparent to our own country. I often say it is the First Amendment because its mostla important. Select is the only profession that is protected in the constitution. That is true for your a reason. The book is in who many ways a love letter to fellow journalists. There are stories all through this. And also to the sources. Continue to speak and refuse to stop. Even in the face of opposition. There is an incredible whistleblower named sleeper who comes forward in this very traumatic if it. And helps me expose it. Theres occasionally slightly mumbling spies who are outside my apartment chased me around. They were actually are changing chasing a who lookedli like me r your a while. They would call me on my cell phone. The pickup at the other side of town. No cursing and russian. There like pulling long hours. Being in bottles. Sort of the spies who is on my time till actually has an incredibly revolution and becomes pivotal to the story in unexpected ways. And starstruck about having talk about growing up in a police state and having a crest controlled by the powerful and how people can suffer as a result. And therefore feeling invested in turning around his met moment this. Very moving to me and i hope that those stories in these pages means that you close back cover of this book. You all have it right. Youll view copies [applause] im honored by anyone he takes the time to read about it and cares about these issues and i nihope you will finish and feel optimistic as i do at the end. One that struck me, we share friends inen common, one thing that struck me was some of the stories you read about lisa bloom. She is also an attorney. And how you felt most strictly lisa. She has in recent days, though she did apologize to me and other reporters that she, a bit of an apology. I would see justifiably. [laughter] she should perhaps consider apologizing to the other women who she victimized. [applause] and she has said in recent days and run this book as it is seated up that she never liked me and our calls. And if she really believed that, then dont say she understands the spirit of honesty. Or conversation among friends or attorneys or just common decency. Because lisa bloom in the story is the double agent. She has brought disclosing that she is representing Harvey Weinstein, she is having conversations where she is presenting yourself as an ally. She is someone for your years appeared on my Cable News Program advocating for your victims of powerful men. The present herself as an activist on womens rights who wrote that best defending my sisters claim. I admired lisa bloom and respected her. And lisa bloom cashed in on the admiration and the steps that she had built to work for your highbury orenstein and to gaslight and undermine and attack women. And to wash recording efforts. She will have to reckon with consequences about but i say her behavior specifically with me right said, look i know were not on attorneyclient privilege here but were both o attorneys t just as to lawyers, newark and profession this bedrock is respecting confidences, if im going to answered you in retrospect facetiously probing questions about who im working with, i need to know that i have your assurance that you are not going to disclose to the person im reporting on Anyone Around them. And she said absolutely i swear and when i told her that i was working in Harvey Weinstein immediately after his machine targeting me again rubbing up and down targeting women again rubbing up. I became suspicious but is s ony later that i confronted her and said you know, lisa you promised this at this. I had received a number of legal threat letters from harveys. Sign with her signature on it. Her name is at the bottom of it as cocounsel. Letters that include among other things arguments that my sister had been brainwashed and was crazy. Things that directly contradicted years of this. She put her name on this and threats to wipe me out to. From a friend. I sent her, you give me a word as an attorney and a human being, the you not tell his people. She said, ronan, i am his people. That is my reaction to. [laughter] shocking. It is shocking. New york times, have done excellent reporting uncovering things like memos and promising to demolish these women and expense reports where she was planning opposition operations against me. And rose mcallen also was a target as well. Absolutely, ms. Miguel and was a target from lisa bloom and lisa bloom did in competition with me but also from this whole International Espionage operation. She had an undercover agent pose as womens rights activist and become her best friend to the t point were rosalie gallen finally said no one in the world i can trust except you. And this woman was secretly recording rose and setting those recordings to her. Most of the stories about women who are really examples of bravery and also there are a lot of men and women in these pages who are i have Cautionary Tales about just how depraved and ethically bankrupt you can becomeet when her name and power are at stake. You mentioned your sister. I say she is very brave as you know pre disconnect i say you i agree. [applause] that has always been significant coming from you. You do looking possessively at the facts of cases like this. I know from the perspective of being rented. I say when people return to that, with fresh i. C. E. And look in the facts. It is pretty shocking. He is no justice. What was also shocking to me, is that weinstein called your estranged father woody allen, and he try to argue that the situation with your sister, who was accused woody of molesting her. The woody maintains his innocence. Who the weinstein says that you had mentioned a because of that. In Harvey Weinstein talking on the phone, you could save someone you love, and i say you can saveu everyone. There are a lot of instances in this book and beyond the stories i work on where personal and painful things get weapon i. C. E. Against me. His occupational hazards as journalists. We go up against tough stories a lot of stuff you start you one common playbook is out personal can you get and Harvey Weinstein, set legal threat letters that were full of things like extensive discussion on mccoy have those convicted of pedophilia that never met. But is very unfair how is relevant. Accusing Harvey Weinstein rate but, i guess the idea was to convey some sense of hypocrisy like. You got some of this and your family is it too. True. [laughter] and be first to see it. And similarly, this very painful effort to weapon i. C. E. My sisters allegation. No journalist is the mere thought that looking at the facts. Reporters become deeply invested in investigative work, they do have a quality thats a real theme of this book. One of the characters in this wonderful new yorker writer who is this great kind of old guy from another era. Toxin is very stately way. For your years struggled with rape and with the heartbeat weinstein story didnt get it over the line but really help me. He kept up at night by the case that got away. Use words like obsessed and fixated. As i kinda got these arguments thrown at me, really questioned is there any truth to the idea that you can be is it too close to a story and sure, if you have an actual conflict of business onlicon bed thats another matter but the men like this where there is no factual links between the stories but there is a link in terms of caring about in understanding the issue, that is not only a positive but in some ways necessary to some extent. Everyone of us as journalists bring to the table our investment in the issues where reporting on. That doesnt mean they have a stake in the facts shaking out one way or another on an individual story. I was adversarial sources with accusations against Harvey Weinstein. Id really love him. Skeptical at all times and wheeling to go wherever the fax medley. Those pieces are very fair to Harvey Weinstein. That said, i understood how crucial this issue was. Because of my sisters experiences. And how important it was to the culture ofta these women were doing the right thing. The theme of trust comes up over and over again. I wonder that i get asked this question often when i was prosecuting cases. How do you get witnesses to trust you. How did you get these women to trust you. I would like to hear about your process. I was one of the prosecutors that was wheeling to go into people news homes and knocked on the door and see, i care and i want to hear your story. I will do everything i can to bring justice to you. I will do everything in my power but i need to hear your story. Ought to tell her my story and annoying have one to tell. Im there. It takes time though to build the trust. Of course. The brawl of a prosecutor and the brawl of a journal are very different. It is about steady trust building. Giving someone agency. Not browbeating them when people make a live bulb decision by coming forward is the very serious claim about a powerful person. Winners in a journalistic or criminal context, takes tremendous pet bravery and take grappling with the realization that your life may never be the same again. I say a lot about the story who had an incredibly upsetting allegation that violet rape. About harvey placing. I say it has good days and bad days as most people from survivors from, due to the state. It was almost impossible on a physical loophole for your her to get the story out and articulate it. Almost impossible to listen to on some loophole two. I say for your me as a reporter and eventually for the public. Their unfathomable horrors. She did a brave thing after all long time and not make sure she was going to and which included presence picking up the phone when it first contacted her panicking and staying i dont know anything i dont know anything which is anotherth comn conversation starter. She not only decided to tell that story but has now volunteered to testify in a criminal case. It is upsetting and re traumatizing that again trust her up against a dynamic where she knows that her life will never be the same republic profile will will never be thehe same. Shes an actress but she loves her work never once been known anything but her work has brought an tabloid. She talks during our reportede conversations and some of this in the book, about knowing that she would now be walking into restaurants with your kids walking on the streets that people would know this incredibly evasive personal and horrible demeaning thing about her. And i hope that she has come to some feeling they also know something about her bravery. And that she is a standing up fr your something much bigger than herself and that is who important to who many other people out there. One hundred that makes it easy. I talk about this almost everyday on show theda view, the trumpets and bob in this book two. And it was none shocking to me. Honestly. You tell the story of the American Media inc. In the National Enquirer keeping us safe filled with top secrets and sensitive donald trump related documents that was abruptly shredded in 2016. Stigma of how excited she has xcwhen she talks about this. It. Shredded. The you saw some of it. Ohhr yeah. Who right this is the first time a reporter has seen this list. The master list of all of the trunk dirt that the inquirer has over the years. As with who many stories about inquire in American Media inc. , the stories in the process that played out relentless. But more than it is about the content. There were five affairs and about 60 items and is called, 60 items. Was called donald trump killed. They have listed donald trump killed stories. Include reference to about things that some became public some not. As far as i can see from the headline there was not allegations about misconduct. It is about who cares. There was at least one allegation of misconduct with jim hart case. This right. It has subsequently become public. Someone declared to not over blow, its not that what we discovered on the list was from brandnew smoking gun about donald trump, and should also be pointed out that was supposed to be a complete list of dirt and that was the design of the list. But it doesnt necessarily represent the foley universe of the inquirer. The full knowledge. Which makes another fact that we uncover in this book, which is that it makes another even more relevant because either files on that list, or other files that have notav but i didnt type i d all were destroyed by the inquire in the days leading up to the election. We have multiple source well documented account make shredding party at this company which is now admitted that it may have violated election laws to try to scream the outcome of the 2016 race. Im hearing the stories. And that trail includes the clues that led me to the inquire stories and for your Harvey Weinstein to a series of stories that a break and rented one involving donald trump and epstein that is not been t disclosed before the book came out. It is a song and then i say has a lot to not just for the media world but for the way of the future of our country how it played out. These stories, really hard about a culture i say of Sexual Harassment. They have hit who Many Companies that we are talking about kcbs and bloomberg and weinstein and warner bros. And pixar, now nbc. Do you say there is more to aycome. I say it is indisputable that there is more to come. And i dont see that as a person just gets a lot of leads everyday but i know there is more to come. Essay because of the assets of the systems that we are talking about. Is all very clear to me that this story was not significant. Just because Harvey Weinstein is the big deal, its about more than anyone producer, more than just the entertainment industry, this is about patterns of power protecting power. In every industry and all around the world. We are just beginning to see a conversation about that. He talked about the unique significance of the media. And how it shape the future of our nation. Who im very glad that that conversation is now happening across multiple companies in the media including abc. But that is not the only area was focused on. And it will take brave sources and whistleblowers continued to speak and brave reporters continuing to knock back downwn andd the case of all of these intimidation tactics and everyone see a march towards accountability. We have questions from the audience. Is no good time to do that. How tough are your questions guys. Sonny is the prosecutor who it can get pretentious. Are public narrative has been shaped by creditors and their enablers. In the news media and hollywood. What can we do as a public and as journalists to reclaim that narrative. Thats a a good question. I say that every journalist speaking out about this and continuing to report on this is the part of that solution and we have seen it in response to reporting on cbs news, a lot of people step up and be forthright about addressing thee problem ad we eventually saw it on leadership change at that company precisely because of the great journalist reese used to shut up about it. Right after i reported on multiple allegation of Sexual Assault that is led to the head of that company. Very much a darling of wall street. And they werend protected for yr years and years even though they knew he wash on criminal investigation. Talk to people about semen air and see i demand accountability for your my boss even though he is my boss. The wake of the nbc reporting, you seem multiple nbc report is chris hayes, anybody who that left [applause]. Wonderful. Thats a tall thing to do to stay on up and caught your bosses. Thank weve god there are journalists who have the backbone. Is that as part of the answered. All of us in the public two, and the decisions we make about where we consume media and how stridently we demand accountability for your media companies. That can influence a decision. In terms of nbc news, the Parent Company is [applause]. Who dont you demand [applause] be a good investigator nbc news. Im a reporter, not an activist on this issue. Job is to very fairly interrogate the facts and i am who grateful that now that this fact throughout the world, they are prompting things like this letter sent by all of these reporters and their needs to be an effort from this Parent Company to ensure that people are getting hurt and of these organizations, the coverage is independent i cant be part of that pushde but or see that i kw with the outcome of it should be but i can see that im inspired anybody takes fact next on the tries to translate ityo in chan. Is another question. I was disturbed by nbcs decision to sit on his infamous access Hollywood Tape for your several days. I was disturbed as well. In 2016 until somebody licked it to the washington post. As you reporting unearthed any trends in unfortunate editorial decisionmaking that extends beyond weinstein. I would see that a significant portion of this book is devoted to exactly that. And it is a trend. That it does extend beyond one example. The backdrop of the access Hollywood Tape, being set on by the same executives, and nbc news. And the effect that that had in the culture, is very prominent in the story. It was a part of the backdrop of reporting conversation that i had the course of these events that women i. C. E. Was talking to especially work kinda fed up with the situation over and oven again that would come up as same. The people were seeing enough. Because there have been this moment in politics were people look the other way in response to that. And News Organizations seem to have been sitting n on or suppressing or not insuring that the public saw and reacted also like to this. People frustrated. Rightly who. Thank you teresa for your your question. As a Sexual Assault survivor, i would like to see thank you for your shining a live on such a pervasive problem. As a journalist, i would like to ask, how do you separate yourself from theas work. I would imagine its hard. Thank you, teresa. Thank you teresa, [applause] and thank you everybody who is brave enough to be forthright about this. It is really hard. The question is the good one. There is a struggle plays out in the spot. These were pointing out. Safari with a beginning and middle and an end. It made the decision notot to da book of the survey piece or string of different people reporting. But a specific set of characters in a series of emotional upanddown part of that is chronicle of a very low. In my life that perhaps to be personal honest and transparent about in ways which i let other people around me and with whom which i felt vulnerable and frightened. There was a hard decision to make. And i chronicle out for your a long time, and just wanted desperately to not be destroyed. And in particular with a t persn like me, i guess i grew up with a lot of scandal in turmoil and pain things but mostly focused on the incredible privileges and opportunities that i had. And it earnestly wanting to hang those forward when i can. In his forward. Because of the background, i really wanted the work to stay on on its own pride and very intensive about being in the long shadow of those personal things. And who when it came into the situation where i was on air everyday and good generals were asking me, why are you talking about the weight you were targeted. Why arent you talking with shutdown of the reporting i would see, i want the underlying story. I wanted to have the moment in the son there. The focus should be on that. None of us want to a be the sto. It was a no, the story of and are notig being told and insignificant itself. In the end, struggle with that. I decide, you are right, they were right to throw me and i did have to spend a couple of years investigating this. And to really tell it honestly, i had to tell the full arc of my involvement in it. Despise chasing you. Assume it right. Who the moral the story is if you have spies chasing you, [laughter] you are going to become the story a little bit. And i say s it is possible to bh be transparent about your brawl in the story and rigorous about reporting on it. I say this book has been received in the spirit of people understanding that it does both. How do you manage to juggle this book, reporting, and your dissertations. [laughter] [applause] [laughter] okay that question. Thank you. Thank you very much. I am a big nerd. I guess its probably already clear. I did finish a a phd earlier ths year. Its been a congratulations. [applause] thank you. I had to i had a doctorate at oxford and then i had to fly to england, and then i had to fly to england in the middle of like book deadline, and around stories i was doing, it took me, honestly i say a full seven years to do phd. Who i was not like, and what my Fact Checkers who the gift of pokemon smoking, [laughter] to track my progress on not like the moving faster a doctoral degree but it finally did get it towards the finish line and multiple times during the course of this process if go to england to kiss the ring and out to the pleura for your professors im still working on it. And i had oral exams i had to d. As well. Each time we had conversation with a with a time that, see peer to be anchoring an american show everyday. T [laughter] i would see yes, as a side project. [laughter] but academic, fulltime at oxford as well. [laughter] who more recently going for your my final oral exam. In ten the degree and is the big surprise and i was doing other things. This is my main priority. [laughter] i love it. They put up with me. In my bull ship. I didnt and in the end have to work really hard on it. Something like 40 or 50 pages and i really gave a full social science it dissertation and schema sizing, weather there is a correlation between the loophole of deception and relationship the United States has with the proxy armies and the cost of those relationships. Its not as boring as a sound sstop laughing. Very serious. I love it. Okay this comes fromay peter. The second one. Do you prepare prepare for your in re is buried deep repair and with your questions in advance. Who this really varies. Im a big preparer. I saw you preparing for your this and it warmed my heart because study is the big preparer. I am. Is right. That he has something to be proud of. Just about any profession. I do a lot of prepping and preparing when i do broadcast interviews. That is a veryth different discipline if you are doing a live interview versus if you are doing a taped interview and do things like an hour with Angelina Jolie or something. To be a a special, you have one set of priorities. Doing a if you contentious cable news interview, with a politician, is the whole mother arc that you are constructing. Ahead and trying to plot a series of satisfying reveals. There is a little more kind of, brazen showmanship to be live tv and cable tech news and views. I see cable especially because this and be on the view, one thing i love about the format, you get to shoot the breeze. I say people dont talk about the seriousness about this version of the view. Some people dont enjoy our interviews. Oy lessons like a bad thing. You are tough on some people rightly so. You raise serious issues thats really important. It is important that you give that to the audience they have. As a position of power and response ability those play out over slightly longer twominute or threeminute or six or six minute segment. You are really getting into it. In my contest when you are doing Television Investigative reporting, and very often you ask and would be you are doing a lot of ram up is never to make it on camera. And in trying to get to a soundbite. New kind of thinking in terms of individual puzzle pieces. If you have it all in a sequence, sometimes not listening to the answered and you cant build over it. And find both things y simpl. A lot of planning, and a blueprint of where you could go in and the willingness to be in the moment and kind of enough familiarity with theld blueprint that you can not focus on it. Have it there is reference and use the as a jumping off. Mike gibran might go to new mdirection, are you guys feeling satisfied the number of questions. [applause]. Are you good. [applause] there good. We are only human. I am right on time. Like a true prosecutor. With for you. I get asked that question a lot and i never know how to answered. You can hear me stalling for your time. As a nono. Ive been who immersed in getting the smoker type and i have who much respect for your anyone who writes book. Books are really hard. How many people in this audience have written about. Within a couple of book writers. I am there with you. Weve god bless you. [applause] is hard for the writer i i was a nightmare to pt up with during a whole lot of the events described in this book and weve god bless might wonderful partner put up withs me. Through this whole thing. Theres my fanfare. Great. It is really hard. Is really hard and this particular book, i guess any investigative book, you are doing several Different Things at once. One of which is you are doing multiple year very contentious investigation of getting a lot of threats including legal threats is the high wire act and related powerful people with very difficult revelations Fact Checking and it is a very precise a most legalistic work. But at the same time you doing a slightly different and difficult thing in creating dramatic work. Where the plot is moving at the right place and hopefully real nuance and interest in the character. And everyone thats in the book is the coherent arc in the middle and middle beginning middle and end. This book in particular is the bit of a chinese puzzle book. There are threads that are upgraded together and converging hopefully satisfying in unexpected ways. Its been such a relief after years of trying to finetune this sort of pieces of intricate machinery and printed out into the world is english like my baby. [laughter] news been critically acclaimed. I am who grateful for the reviews [applause] in the way the public is probably grown it. Doesnt reportorial people really around these forces around it. And cut through a lot of bs in legal threats. Inferences, it got it banned for your us to live for your several days. The head of nationalfio inquire. Dont clap for your that. Bama spoke. Nanette. [laughter] this National Enquirer guy, he worked for your weinstein and for your trump, and he dideo not want people reading this book. Reasons you can probably imagine. Hired lawyers in every region of thee world and amazon australia, they caved and then, yet he can do that went out one. [laughter] a couple of other things. I love this. [laughter] a couple of big retailers for your la it. And now its head of a moving tribute to the importance of free speech. And australians like rushedpe ot and got it from independent booksellers and imported it and now theres the chains including amazon are la it in australia. Who free speech winds. Re exactly. But in all much to see its meant a lot for your people to rally around it this way and at the same time to understand that it is a darn about more than the headlines, more than just the sum of its parts. And i am who excited for your yall to read it. Im who grateful that you took the time to talk about it. [applause] my pleasure in my honor actually. Mr. Rowan farrell ladies and gentlemen. [applause] thank you. Thank you guys. Book to be recently visited capitol hill asked republican congressman, the oklahoma, what are you reading. Limiting by a book named tom in english author kind of a new historian on impeachment and chamberlain and hitler to enter joe, the road work. And then just finished