catch and kill
Buy then bury
Catch and kill is a tabloid journalism practice where a publication buys exclusive rights to a damaging story specifically to bury it, protecting the subject from exposure.
The publication "catches" the story by purchasing it, then "kills" it by never running it: The tabloid's catch and kill arrangement kept the affair out of the news.
The practice gained wider attention through cases involving payments to suppress stories about public figures during political campaigns.
- hit pieceDisparaging article targeting someone
- suppressForcibly put an end to
- non-disclosure agreementsContracts requiring secrecy
- blockSolid mass, or impede
- checkbook journalismPaying for exclusive information
National Enquirer · ambush journalism · gag orders · hush money · legal settlements · defamation law · reputation management · media manipulation · privacy rights · confidentiality agreements · editorial control · censorship · power dynamics · ethical dilemmas · intellectual property theft · tabloid journalism · Stormy Daniels · exclusive rights
catch and killinvestigative journalism
In-depth reporting exposing wrongdoing
exposé · muckraking · whistleblowing · publish · breaking the story
catch and killdisclosure
Act of revealing information
revelation · exposing · uncovering · bringing to light · leaking
catch, kill, catches, catching, caught, catcher, catchers, catchable, kills