"Messages between Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019, and journalists Michael Wolff and Landon Thomas Jr. are frequently chummy and, in one case, show Wolff giving Epstein advice on how to deal with the media -- a line journalists are taught not to cross. Wolff specializes in the "you are there" inside accounts that are possible with intensive reporting, though some of his work has been questioned."
"'I think you should let him hang himself,' Wolff replied. 'If he says he hasn't been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt.'"
Emails released this week reveal frequent, affable exchanges between Jeffrey Epstein and journalists Michael Wolff and Landon Thomas Jr., including Wolff offering media-strategy counsel. Private messages and calls differ from on-camera reporting because reporters may ingratiate themselves to obtain information, but ethical standards and independence remain central to American journalism and are followed by most. Wolff advised a tactic in December 2015 that suggested allowing someone to "hang himself" politically or to be saved to create a debt, prompting criticism. Media-ethics experts said such counsel compromises independence and undermines trust in reporter-source relationships.
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