Thursday, May 23, 2019

Even After Alleged Outbursts, Media Just Couldn't Quit Michael Avenatti

New reporting suggests Avenatti revealed glaring flaws in his character to the press while many of its members were boosting him.

In the middle of a new Vanity Fair report charting his fall from grace, Emily Jane Fox included anecdotes about Avenatti's troubling behind-the-scenes behavior at the time of his ascent, sourced to a "Prime time anchor," "a number of reporters," and at least one booker.

Both the prime-time anchor and a reporter "Avenatti raged at" told Vanity Fair he had a habit of engaging in heavy flattery with the media as well.

"Will Avenatti be a media inflection point? His bullying, bordering on abuse, seemed to be an open - and tolerated - secret," Amy Chozick of The New York Times tweeted on Wednesday, linking to the Vanity Fair report.

It's possible, though unlikely, that only a smattering of media members had similar experiences with Avenatti.

If as many people had these experiences as the Vanity Fair report indicates, you can bet a healthy chunk of the press- especially in cable news-was well-aware of them and chose to keep giving Avenatti airtime anyway.

Yes, the media ultimately conducted some solid reporting that exposed Avenatti's problems.

https://thefederalist.com/2019/05/23/even-alleged-outbursts-media-just-couldnt-quit-michael-avenatti/

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