Catch and kill

Catch and kill is a surreptitious technique employed by newspapers and media outlets to prevent an individual from publicly revealing information damaging to a third party.

The National Enquirer and its parent company American Media, Inc. have attracted attention for using the practice.

[1][2] It may also refer to the practice of buying up competitors to eliminate competition and maintain a monopoly or oligopoly,[3][4] or as an antonym to catch-and-release, a common term in flyfishing – meaning the fish is caught and then it's released back into the water.

The practice of "catch and kill" raises a host of issues that permeate journalistic ethics as well as free speech, especially the freedom of the press exercised by the editor.

Leonard M. Niehoff, professor of the University of Michigan Law School, concludes that both catching a story and killing it enjoys 1st Amendment protection.