Ronan Farrow responds to some Australian retailers refusing to sell his new book amid legal threats
Author Ronan Farrow has spoken out against alleged bullying which he says has resulted in some Australian retailers refusing to sell his new book.
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Author Ronan Farrow has hit out against what he says are “intimidation tactics” that has resulted in some Australian retailers refusing to sell his new book.
Farrow tweeted advice to Australians wanting to purchase his book, Catch and Kill, after retailers, including Booktopia, declined to distribute the book after legal threats.
“I’m sorry to all the Australian readers to whom this story is important too. I hope you can import or buy from an independent bookseller, and avoid outlets that yield to these kinds of intimidation tactics,” Farrow wrote.
I’m sorry to all the Australian readers to whom this story is important too. I hope you can import or buy from an independent bookseller, and avoid outlets that yield to these kinds of intimidation tactics.
— Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) October 15, 2019
It came after lawyers for Dylan Howard, a former reporter for Channel Seven who is now a senior executive at the tabloid media company American Media, wrote to Australian booksellers last month alleging that Farrow’s book, Catch and Kill, might contain “false and defamatory allegations”.
Farrow’s book investigates some of the sexual abuse claims levelled at Hollywood’s elite and the tactics allegedly used by some media outlets to kill the stories being published.
“Our client has put the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group Limited (in the USA and UK) and Hachette Australia Pty Ltd … on notice that if the defamatory content is included in the book, we are instructed to take such legal action as may be appropriate,” the letter said.
McLachlan Thorpe, the lawyers acting for Mr Howard, said their client had not warned booksellers not to sell the book but was merely informing them of the defamatory claims made within.
Farrow called out Mr Howard by name in another tweet, citing free speech group, PEN America, who had called the moves by the Australian journalist a “reprehensible attempt at censorship”.
Many other retailers, including Readings and WH Smith, ignored the legal threat and stocked the Farrow book for sale.
Farrow worked with many figures of the #MeToo movement, including actress Rose McGowan, on the book.