President Trump questioned whether NBC News should lose its license after Ronan Farrow said the network tried to spike his reporting on Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct allegations.
“NBC FAKE NEWS, which is under intense scrutiny over their killing the Harvey Weinstein story, is now fumbling around making excuses for their probably highly unethical conduct. I have long criticized NBC and their journalistic standards-worse than even CNN. Look at their license?” Trump tweeted Tuesday.
NBC FAKE NEWS, which is under intense scrutiny over their killing the Harvey Weinstein story, is now fumbling around making excuses for their probably highly unethical conduct. I have long criticized NBC and their journalistic standards-worse than even CNN. Look at their license?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2018
It’s at least the second time since he became president that Trump has suggested pulling NBC’s license. He previously proposed revoking the network’s broadcast license in October 2017 following a report that then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called him a “moron.”
Farrow said Monday in a statement that his former employer, NBC, blocked his reporting on the Weinstein allegations and then misled the public about why it killed his story. The network has defended its actions, saying Farrow’s story did not yet meet the standards needed to publish. NBC has also said it was Farrow’s idea to take his story elsewhere.
The story was “twice cleared” for publication but was “blocked” by company executives who refused to allow Farrow to seek comment from Weinstein, he said.
