Woody Allen has poked holes in his Pulitzer Prize-winning son's journalism skills, insisting he's glad others have started questioning his talents.
Calling Ronan Farrow's reporting "shoddy", the film director took issue with his estranged son's attacks on himself as the alleged molester who sexual assaulted the writer and broadcaster's sister in a new interview with Britain's Telegraph.
"Up until a couple of days ago I would have said, 'Gee, this is great, he's done some good investigative journalism and more power to him, I wish him all the success in the world'," the moviemaker said about Farrow, "but now it's come out that his journalism has not been so ethical or honest."
Allen was referring to a recent New York Times piece, which called Farrow's work into question, suggesting he "often omits the complicating facts and inconvenient details" that may make his articles and features less dramatic".
Farrow, who won a Pulitzer for his reporting on the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal, has made it clear he sides with his mother, Mia Farrow, and sister over sex assault claims against his father, and Woody insists the way he has covered the scandal has not been fair.
"I found him to not be an honest journalist in relation to me at all, but I write that off because, you know, I understand he's loyal to his mother," the director added. "But now people are beginning to realise that it isn't just in relation to me that his journalism has been kind of shoddy, and I'm not so sure that his credibility is going to last."
Meanwhile, Farrow has stood by his reporting, challenging the Times piece on social media.
He recently fired back at disgraced former NBC TV personality Matt Lauer after he accused him of failing to properly fact-check claims made in his book about the former Today host.
In an essay published by Mediaite earlier this month (May20), Lauer slammed Farrow for his reporting on the former anchor's alleged sexual misconduct, calling it "salacious" and describing the award-winning reporter as "hardly an unbiased journalist."
Lauer was fired from NBC's flagship morning show after an employee accused him of inappropriate sexual behaviour.
Brooke Nevils later alleged in Farrow's 2019 book, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, that Lauer had raped her when they were both working at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Lauer denies the rape charges, and in his Mediaite piece, he wrote: "What I found when I read the book was frankly shocking, and it should concern anyone who cares about journalism.
"I was also disappointed, but not surprised, that Ronan Farrow's overall reporting faced so little scrutiny. Until this week’s critical reporting by The New York Times, many in the media perceived his work as inherently beyond basic questioning."
Farrow slammed the allegations on Twitter, insisting: "All I’ll say on this is that Matt Lauer is just wrong. Catch and Kill was thoroughly reported and fact-checked, including with Matt Lauer himself."
Farrow’s publishers at Little, Brown and Co. are fully supporting the author, stating: "Ronan’s dedication to a deep and thorough fact-check of his reporting, his commitment to the rights of victims and his impeccable attention to detail and nuance make us proud to be his publisher."
