贝索斯长文控诉：遭“狗仔队” 用“亲密照片”威胁（全文）

贝索斯长文控诉：遭“狗仔队”威胁（全文）

贝索斯今天发布长推文， 控诉“国家调查者”（狗仔队）曾试图通过“亲密照片”来勒索他。

亚马逊首席执行官杰夫·贝索斯斯在博客上说，"国家询问者"的母公司美国媒体（AMI）试图以发表“亲密照片”相威胁威胁他。

以下是贝索斯推文全文（中文翻译仅供参考， 英文全文后附）

  No thank you, Mr. Pecker

Something unusual happened to me yesterday. Actually, for me it wasn’t just unusual — it was a first. I was made an offer I couldn’t refuse. Or at least that’s what the top people at the National Enquirer thought. I’m glad they thought that, because it emboldened them to put it all in writing. Rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, I’ve decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite the personal cost and embarrassment they threaten.

AMI, the owner of the National Enquirer, led by David Pecker, recently entered into an immunity deal with the Department of Justice related to their role in the so-called “Catch and Kill” process on behalf of President Trump and his election campaign. Mr. Pecker and his company have also been investigated for various actions they’ve taken on behalf of the Saudi Government.

And sometimes Mr. Pecker mixes it all together:

“After Mr. Trump became president, he rewarded Mr. Pecker’s loyalty with a White House dinner to which the media executive brought a guest with important ties to the royals in Saudi Arabia. At the time, Mr. Pecker was pursuing business there while also hunting for financing for acquisitions…”  Federal investigators and legitimate media have of course suspected and proved that Mr. Pecker has used the Enquirer and AMI for political reasons. And yet AMI keeps claiming otherwise:

“American Media emphatically rejects any assertion that its reporting was instigated, dictated or influenced in any manner by external forces, political or otherwise.”

Of course, legitimate media have been challenging that assertion for a long time:  

不了，谢谢你，佩克先生

昨天发生了一件不寻常的事。事实上，对我来说这并不奇怪— 这是第一次。我得到了一个我无法拒绝的提议。至少《国家询问报》的高层人员是这么想的。我很高兴他们这么想，因为这让他们更大胆地把这些都写下来。我决定公布他们寄给我的东西，而不是向勒索屈服，尽管他们威胁要付出个人代价和尴尬。

最近，由戴维·佩克(David Pecker)领导的美国国家调查官AMI与司法部达成了一项豁免权协议，涉及他们代表特朗普总统及其竞选团队在所谓的“捉杀”过程中所扮演的角色。佩克先生和他的公司也因为他们代表沙特政府采取的各种行动而被调查过。

有时佩克先生会把这一切混合在一起：

“特朗普当选总统后，他用白宫晚宴奖励佩克的忠诚，媒体主管邀请了一位与沙特阿拉伯王室有重要关系的客人。当时，佩克先生在寻找收购融资的同时，也在那里经营业务。”联邦调查人员和合法媒体当然怀疑并证明了佩克先生出于政治原因使用了询问者和AMI。然而，AMI却一直声称：

“美国媒体坚决驳斥任何关于其报道受到政治或其他方面外部势力的煽动、支配或影响的说法。”

当然，长期以来，合法媒体一直在挑战这种说法：

I didn’t know much about most of that a few weeks ago when intimate texts messages from me were published in the National Enquirer. I engaged investigators to learn how those texts were obtained, and to determine the motives for the many unusual actions taken by the Enquirer. As it turns out, there are now several independent investigations looking into this matter.

To lead my investigation, I retained Gavin de Becker. I’ve known Mr. de Becker for twenty years, his expertise in this arena is excellent, and he’s one of the smartest and most capable leaders I know. I asked him to prioritize protecting my time since I have other things I prefer to work on and to proceed with whatever budget he needed to pursue the facts in this matter.

Here’s a piece of context: My ownership of the Washington Post is a complexifier for me. It’s unavoidable that certain powerful people who experience Washington Post news coverage will wrongly conclude I am their enemy.

President Trump is one of those people, obvious by his many tweets. Also, The Post’s essential and unrelenting coverage of the murder of its columnist Jamal Khashoggi is undoubtedly unpopular in certain circles.

(Even though The Post is a complexifier for me, I do not at all regret my investment. The Post is a critical institution with a critical mission. My stewardship of The Post and my support of its mission, which will remain unswerving, is something I will be most proud of when I’m 90 and reviewing my life, if I’m lucky enough to live that long, regardless of any complexities it creates for me.)

Back to the story: Several days ago, an AMI leader advised us that Mr. Pecker is “apoplectic” about our investigation. For reasons still to be better understood, the Saudi angle seems to hit a particularly sensitive nerve.

A few days after hearing about Mr. Pecker’s apoplexy, we were approached, verbally at first, with an offer. They said they had more of my text messages and photos that they would publish if we didn’t stop our investigation.

My lawyers argued that AMI has no right to publish photos since any person holds the copyright to their own photos, and since the photos in themselves don’t add anything newsworthy.

AMI’s claim of newsworthiness is that the photos are necessary to show Amazon shareholders that my business judgment is terrible. I founded Amazon in my garage 24 years ago, and drove all the packages to the post office myself. Today, Amazon employs more than 600,000 people, just finished its most profitable year ever, even while investing heavily in new initiatives, and it’s usually somewhere between the #1 and #5 most valuable company in the world. I will let those results speak for themselves.

OK, back to their threat to publish intimate photos of me. I guess we (me, my lawyers, and Gavin de Becker) didn’t react to the generalized threat with enough fear, so they sent this:

几周前, 当我的亲密短信被发表在《国家问询者》上时, 我对其中的大部分了解并不多。我聘请调查人员了解这些文本是如何获得的, 并确定《问询者》采取的许多不寻常行动的动机。事实证明, 目前有几项独立调查对此事进行调查。

为了负责我的调查, 我聘请了加文·德·贝克尔。我认识德·贝克尔先生已经二十年了, 他在这个领域的专业知识非常出色, 他是我认识的最聪明、最有能力的领导人之一。我要求他优先保护我的时间, 因为我还有其他事情我更愿意做, 并以他所需的任何预算去处理这个问题的事实。

这里有一个背景: 我对《华盛顿邮报》的所有权对我来说是一个复杂的问题。这是不可避免的, 某些有实力的人谁经历了华盛顿邮报的新闻报道会错误地认定我是他们的敌人。

特朗普总统就是其中之一, 他的许多推特都很明显。另外, 《邮报》对其专栏作家贾迈勒·哈肖吉被谋杀的重要和无情的报道, 无疑在某些圈子里不受欢迎。

(尽管《邮报》对我来说是个复杂的人, 但我一点也不后悔自己的投资。《邮报》是一个具有关键使命的关键机构。我对《邮报》的管理和对《邮报》使命的支持, 将保持坚定不移, 这是我在 9 0岁的时候最自豪的, 如果我有幸活那么久, 不管它给我带来什么复杂的东西, 我都会感到最自豪。

回到故事: 几天前, 一名 ami 领导人告诉我们, 佩克先生对我们的调查感到 "道歉"。由于还有待更好理解的原因, 沙特的角度似乎击中了一个特别敏感的神经。

几天后, 听说先生佩克中风了, 一开始有人口头找到我们, 提出了一个报价。他们说, 他们有更多我的短信和照片, 如果我们不停止调查, 他们会公布。

我的律师认为, ami 无权公布照片, 因为任何人都拥有自己照片的版权, 而且照片本身并没有添加任何有新闻价值的内容。

ami 声称的新闻价值是, 照片是必要的, 以显示亚马逊股东, 我的商业判断是可怕的。24年前, 我在我的车库建立了亚马逊, 并亲自把所有的包裹都送到邮局。如今, 亚马逊拥有60多万员工, 刚刚完成了有史以来最赚钱的一年, 即使在新举措上投入巨资, 而且通常介于 #1 和 #5 世界上最有价值的公司之间。我将让这些结果为自己说话。

好吧, 回到他们的威胁, 公布我的亲密照片。我想我们 (我、我的律师和加文·德·贝克尔) 对普遍的威胁没有足够的恐惧反应, 所以他们发出了这个（以下电子邮件）:

From: Howard, Dylan [[e-mail]] (Chief Content Officer, AMI)
 Sent: Tuesday, February 5, 2019 3:33 PM
 To: Martin Singer (litigation counsel for Mr. de Becker)
 Subject:. Jeff Bezos & Ms. Lauren Sanchez Photos

CONFIDENTIAL & NOT FOR DISTRIBIUTION

Marty:

I am leaving the office for the night. I will be available on my cell — 917 XXX-XXXX.

However, in the interests of expediating this situation, and with The Washington Post poised to publish unsubstantiated rumors of The National Enquirer’s initial report, I wanted to describe to you the photos obtained during our newsgathering.

In addition to the “below the belt selfie — otherwise colloquially known as a ‘d*ck pick’” — The Enquirer obtained a further nine images. These include:

· Mr. Bezos face selfie at what appears to be a business meeting.

· Ms. Sanchez response — a photograph of her smoking a cigar in what appears to be a simulated oral sex scene.

· A shirtless Mr. Bezos holding his phone in his left hand — while wearing his wedding ring. He’s wearing either tight black cargo pants or shorts — and his semi-erect manhood is penetrating the zipper of said garment.

· A full-length body selfie of Mr. Bezos wearing just a pair of tight black boxer-briefs or trunks, with his phone in his left hand — while wearing his wedding ring.

· A selfie of Mr. Bezos fully clothed.

· A full-length scantily-clad body shot with short trunks.

· A naked selfie in a bathroom — while wearing his wedding ring. Mr. Bezos is wearing nothing but a white towel — and the top of his pubic region can be seen.

· Ms. Sanchez wearing a plunging red neckline dress revealing her cleavage and a glimpse of her nether region.

· Ms. Sanchez wearing a two-piece red bikini with gold detail dress revealing her cleavage.

It would give no editor pleasure to send this email. I hope common sense can prevail — and quickly.

Dylan.

Well, that got my attention. But not in the way they likely hoped. Any personal embarrassment AMI could cause me takes a back seat because there’s a much more important matter involved here. If in my position I can’t stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can? (On that point, numerous people have contacted our investigation team about their similar experiences with AMI, and how they needed to capitulate because, for example, their livelihoods were at stake.)

In the AMI letters I’m making public, you will see the precise details of their extortionate proposal: They will publish the personal photos unless Gavin de Becker and I make the specific false public statement to the press that we “have no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AMI’s coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces.”

If we do not agree to affirmatively publicize that specific lie, they say they’ll publish the photos, and quickly. And there’s an associated threat: They’ll keep the photos on hand and publish them in the future if we ever deviate from that lie.

Be assured, no real journalists ever propose anything like what is happening here: I will not report embarrassing information about you if you do X for me. And if you don’t do X quickly, I will report the embarrassing information.

Nothing I might write here could tell the National Enquirer story as eloquently as their own words below.

These communications cement AMI’s long-earned reputation for weaponizing journalistic privileges, hiding behind important protections, and ignoring the tenets and purpose of true journalism. Of course I don’t want personal photos published, but I also won’t participate in their well-known practice of blackmail, political favors, political attacks, and corruption. I prefer to stand up, roll this log over, and see what crawls out.

Sincerely,

Jeff Bezos

嗯，这引起了我的注意。但不是他们可能希望的方式。任何个人的尴尬AMI可能会让我退居二线，因为这里涉及的事情要多得多。如果在我的位置上我无法忍受这种勒索，有多少人可以？ （在这一点上，很多人都联系了我们的调查小组，了解他们与AMI的类似经历，以及他们如何投降，例如，因为他们的生计受到了威胁。）

在我正在公布的AMI信件中，你会看到他们的敲诈提案的确切细节：他们将发布个人照片，除非Gavin de Becker和我向媒体做出具体的虚假公开声明我们“没有任何知识或基础表明AMI的报道是出于政治动机或受到政治力量的影响。“

如果我们不同意肯定地宣传这一具体谎言，他们会说他们会很快发布这些照片。还有一个相关的威胁：如果我们偏离那个谎言，他们会保留照片，并在将来发布。

请放心，没有真正的记者提出任何类似于此处发生的事情：如果你为我做X，我不会报告有关你的尴尬信息。如果你不快速做X，我会报告令人尴尬的信息。

我在这里写的任何内容都不能像下面他们自己的话那样雄辩地讲述国家询问者的故事。

这些邮件内容进一步说明了AMI长期以来在新闻特权武器化方面的声誉，他们躲在重要保护之下，忽视了真正新闻的原则和目的。当然我不想发布个人照片，但我也不会参与他们众所周知的勒索，政治恩惠，政治攻击和腐败的做法。我更喜欢站起来，更新这个日志，看看有什么东西爬出来。
此致
杰夫贝索斯

From: Fine, Jon [[e-mail]] (Deputy General Counsel, AMI)
Sent: Wednesday, February 6, 2019 5:57 PM
To: Martin Singer (Mr de Becker’s attorney)
Subject: Re: EXTERNAL* RE: Bezos et al / American Media et al

Marty -

Here are our proposed terms:

1. A full and complete mutual release of all claims that American Media, on the one hand, and Jeff Bezos and Gavin de Becker (the “Bezos Parties”), on the other, may have against each other.

2. A public, mutually-agreed upon acknowledgment from the Bezos Parties, released through a mutually-agreeable news outlet, affirming that they have no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AM’s coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces, and an agreement that they will cease referring to such a possibility.

3. AM agrees not to publish, distribute, share, or describe unpublished texts and photos (the “Unpublished Materials”).

4. AM affirms that it undertook no electronic eavesdropping in connection with its reporting and has no knowledge of such conduct.

5. The agreement is completely confidential.

6. In the case of a breach of the agreement by one or more of the Bezos Parties, AM is released from its obligations under the agreement, and may publish the Unpublished Materials.

7. Any other disputes arising out of this agreement shall first be submitted to JAMS mediation in California

Thank you,

Jon

Deputy General Counsel, Media

American Media, LLC

Jon P. Fine

Deputy General Counsel, Media

O: (212) 743–6513 C: (347) 920–6541

[e-mail]

February 5, 2019

Via email:

[e-mail]

Martin D. Singer

Laveley & Singer

Re: Jeff Bezos / American Media, LLC, et al.

Dear Mr. Singer:

I write in response to your February 4, 2019, letter to Dylan Howard, and to address serious concerns we have regarding the continuing defamatory activities of your client and his representatives regarding American Media’s motivations in its recent reporting about your client.

As a primary matter, please be advised that our newsgathering and reporting on matters involving your client, including any use of your client’s “private photographs,” has been, and will continue to be, consistent with applicable laws. As you know, “the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies . . . for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting . . . is not an infringement of copyright.” 17 USC Sec. 107. With millions of Americans having a vested interest in the success of Amazon, of which your client remains founder, chairman, CEO, and president, an exploration of Mr. Bezos’ judgment as reflected by his texts and photos is indeed newsworthy and in the public interest.

Beyond the copyright issues you raise, we also find it necessary to address various unsubstantiated defamatory statements and scurrilous rumors attributed to your client’s representatives in the press suggesting that “strong leads point to political motives”1 in the publication of The National Enquirer story. Indeed, you yourself declared the “politically motivated underpinnings” of our reporting to be “self-evident” in your correspondence on Mr. de Becker’s behalf to Mr. Howard dated January 31, 2019.

Once again, as I advised you in my February 1 response to your January 31 correspondence, American Media emphatically rejects any assertion that its reporting was instigated, dictated or influenced in any manner by external forces, political or otherwise. Simply put, this was and is a news story.

Yet, it is our understanding that your client’s representatives, including the Washington Post, continue to pursue and to disseminate these false and spurious allegations in a manner that is injurious to American Media and its executives.

Accordingly, we hereby demand that you cease and desist such defamatory conduct immediately. Any further dissemination of these false, vicious, speculative and unsubstantiated statements is done at your client’s peril. Absent the immediate cessation of the defamatory conduct, we will have no choice but to pursue all remedies available under applicable law.

As I advised previously, we stand by the legality of our newsgathering and reporting on this matter of public interest and concern. Moreover, American Media is undeterred from continuing its reporting on a story that is unambiguously in the public interest — a position Mr. Bezos clearly appreciates as reflected in Boies Schiller January 9 letter to American Media stating that your client “does not intend to discourage reporting about him” and “supports journalistic efforts.”

That said, if your client agrees to cease and desist such defamatory behavior, we are willing to engage in constructive conversations regarding the texts and photos which we have in our possession. Dylan Howard stands ready to discuss the matter at your convenience.

All other rights, claims, counterclaims and defenses are specifically reserved and not waived.

Sincerely,

1 https://www.thedailybeast.com/bezos-investigators-question-the-brother-of-his-mistress-lauren-sanchez-in-national-enquirer-leak-probe(Attributed to your client Gavin de Becker)

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