The tawdry history of “catch-and-kill” journalism

“MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL” is how David Pecker, the first witness in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial, described a deal the National Enquirer struck with the former president. Mr Pecker, a former chief executive of A360 Media, which publishes the tabloid, described how the magazine often paid for stories—including some it never intended to publish, a ruse known as “catch and kill”. In the run-up to America’s presidential election in 2016 the Enquirer used that ploy to bury stories that might have hurt Mr Trump’s chances, he said.

Many publications (including The Economist) do not pay for interviews. But some have made exceptions. The New York Times forked out $1,000 in 1912 (around $30,000 today) for an account from a survivor of the Titanic. In 1975, after the Watergate scandal, CBS News paid President Richard Nixon’s former chief of staff $25,000 ($150,000 in today’s money) for two interviews. Tabloids practise chequebook journalism openly. “Sell a story to the Sun—and keep 100% of the cash,” the British newspaper promises. TMZ, an American celebrity news site, pays tipsters amounts ranging from $50 to tens of thousands of dollars. Mr Pecker told the court that his editors were authorised to spend $10,000 per article; higher sums required his approval.