A lot has been made over the fact that Trump uses NDAs to keep his people quiet.
But Greta Van Susteren tweeted today that the news networks are doing the same thing and she’s calling for them to lift all of their NDAs, past and present.
If you have followed the Les Moonves / CBS scandal, you might want to read my op/ed asking ALL news organizations to lift the current/past NDAs so that they can stop hiding behind them: https://t.co/S9i7H3jNAp
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) September 11, 2018
Stunned by the latest news org's scandal? There is more…time for news orgs to quit hiding and lift all (past and present) NDA's [non disclosure agreements]they use to muzzle employees..we didn't sign them to cover up bad behavior.RT if you agree with me
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) September 11, 2018
Greta says the NDAs are being used, not simply to hide sexual harassment, but to hide a deliberate effort to ’tilt the news’:
sex harassment and payoffs are not the only thing networks are hiding from you..there is other very bad behavior that is hidden ..when networks lift the NDAs you will find out…has to do w/ deliberate effort to 'tilt the news' (what FCC calls heinous on its webpage)
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) September 11, 2018
a press can't live up to its constitutional protections of free press and free speech if it is hiding things from you; transparency is not just important in gov, but vital also in news organizations – hence lift all the NDAs
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) September 11, 2018
When asked why she signed them, she made clear she didn’t do it so the network could hide bad conduct:
I certainly did not sign them to hide immoral or bad conduct-I assumed network corps would act at all times honorably as I did..had I realized that they were used to hide immoral or bad conduct, I would never have signed (trade secrets? yes..like shows planned for future) https://t.co/0oSLvIccHn
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) September 11, 2018
She asserts this isn’t about going after reporters, but rather it’s about unmuzzling reporters:
I am so NOT going after the reporters…you got that all wrong..I am standing up for the reporters by trying to get them unmuzzled by the NDAs' that their corporate bosses had them sign ..the reporters want to do their jobs with transparency https://t.co/EnYFxS9Q4D
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) September 11, 2018
Greta further explains that there are legitimate reasons for NDAs, but hiding bad behavior isn’t one of them:
in hindsight, you are right..but there is nothing wrong w/ signing them if not used to hide bad or immoral behavior-eg to agree not to disclose some future programming of the network to competitor would be reason to sign https://t.co/T7wKuvHzVi
— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) September 11, 2018
It sounds like Greta has a lot she wants to get off of her chest. But I wouldn’t hold my breath at networks lifting their NDAs. They would much rather point the finger rather than have it pointed toward them.