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.