Dylan Howard

Howard joined Seven News (7NEWS) in 2004[23] as a sports reporter and producer.[16] His primary reporting focus was on the Australian Rules Football League (AFL),[20] but during the summer months, he would present the Melbourne evening sports bulletin. Howard's 2007 report, revealing the impending sacking of an Australian football coach, garnered him local acclaim.[20] In 2008, Howard published a controversial AFL story that involved paying for and publishing two footballers’ medical records and the confidential details of their drug use.[24] The story prompted an investigation, and neither the network nor Howard was charged.[18] Howard left the network shortly after – when his contract was not renewed.[25][23]

In January 2009, Howard moved to New York to head Crocmedia's U.S. arm [3] and wrote for various publications including Hello, Woman's Day, OK!, Men's Style, Ralph Magazine, In Touch, and The Sunday Mail's Celebs on Sunday.[23] In 2009, Howard reported for Reuters in New York City.[18]

In 2010, he joined RadarOnline.com and Star in Los Angeles as its senior executive editor.[18] In July 2010, Howard broke the Mel Gibson audiotape scandal after obtaining the expletive-laden recordings between Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva.[26][27]

In early 2012, Howard joined BuzzMedia as editor-in-chief of Celebuzz.com. Just over a year later, he returned as editor-in-chief of RadarOnline.com in April 2013.[28] By 2014, the site's parent company, American Media, Inc.(AMI), named Howard editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer in addition to his role as editorial director of Radar.[3][18]

In 2017, the Associated Press reported on an inquiry conducted by AMI in 2012 about a sexual harassment allegation toward Howard. AMI hired an outside investigator to look into two employees’ claims about Howard’s behavior. The lawyer, Cam Stracher, said the investigation did not show serious wrongdoing.[29] American Media supported Howard through the allegations.[30]

Howard rose through the ranks to become vice president and chief content officer at AMI. He left the company on 31 March 2020, after his contract expired.[31] During his leadership, Howard oversaw Us Weekly, OK!, Star, In Touch, Life & Style, Closer, The National Examiner, RadarOnline.com, and The National Enquirer and its U.K. edition, Globe. He oversaw AMI's acquisitions of Us Weekly[8] from Wenner and Bauer Media.[5]

On 7 February 2019, Jeff Bezos accused Howard, The National Enquirer, AMI and its CEO David Pecker of attempted blackmail after The Enquirer exposed his extra-marital affair and released his private text messages.[50][51] Bezos published an email Howard had sent to his attorney describing various intimate photographs, including a "below the belt selfie" they had in their possession. In the blog post, Bezos refused to negotiate with AMI.[52] AMI attorney Jon Fine followed the email with demands that Bezos cease an ongoing investigation of AMI's previous release of Bezos' private text messages.[50] American Media Inc., said it "acted lawfully in the reporting of the story of Mr. Bezos. At the time of the recent allegations made by Mr. Bezos, it was in good faith negotiations to resolve all matters with him."[53]

Bloomberg suggested the Bezos scandal could upend a 2018 non-prosecution agreement the publisher of the National Enquirer struck with federal prosecutors in New York over its illegal aid to the Trump campaign. Under the Sept. 20 agreement, the tabloid publisher was supposed to refrain from all illegal activity for a three-year period.[54] It was initially reported that Howard was a party to a September 2018 non-prosecution agreement with Southern District of New York federal prosecutors.[55] The Washington Post later corrected its reporting, stating Howard never admitted he, “bought and buried a story to influence the presidential election in favor of Donald Trump” and it was unclear if Howard was ever investigated for that offense.[56]

In the mid-2010s, adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal received payments in exchange for not publicly discussing their sexual encounters with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. The settlements drew Howard into the Trump campaign expense controversy as his employer, AMI., had facilitated one of the payments.[57] The New York Times reported on 23 August 2018 that Howard was cooperating with federal investigators examining hush payments made by Michael Cohen to the two women on behalf of President Donald Trump.[58]

Ronan Farrow claims in his book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators that American Media, Inc. and the National Enquirer shredded sensitive Trump-related documents held in a top-secret safe on orders from then-editor-in-chief Howard the same day a reporter from the Wall Street Journal asked for a comment for a story about how AMI paid $150,000 to Karen McDougal to keep her story about having an affair with Trump quiet before the election.[59][60]

Howard has never publicly commented on Farrow’s book. However, he took legal action against Farrow and his publisher Little Brown Book Group Limited.[61] Howard retained famed libel lawyer Paul Tweed, who denied the allegations. “It is for the publishers and the distributors to satisfy themselves as to the truth of what they publish and our client has made his position absolutely clear and will not be deterred from the facts by the leaking of correspondence to the media,” he said in a statement.[62]

Howard received media attention for providing Harvey Weinstein with information about Rose McGowan, an actress who made a sexual harassment claim directed toward Weinstein. Howard provided this information to Weinstein at the time Weinstein was denying any harassment claims and did so to maintain a strong working relationship with Weinstein due to "mutual business interests" a lawyer for Howard said.[63] Howard stated that he pursued Weinstein's request "as a courtesy" but refused to publish any material about the subject,[64] resisting each of Weinstein's "repeated efforts" to have Howard publish favourable stories about him or unfavourable stories about his accusers.[65]

On 7 March 2018, Howard successfully sued Nine Network's 60 Minutes after they unlawfully trespassed on private property and attempted to question him about the Weinstein story in his New York office lobby.[65]

In the 22 April 2016, issue of The Hollywood Reporter, Howard wrote a firsthand account of how he exposed that actor Charlie Sheen was HIV positive. The magazine wrote: “Dylan Howard was the volatile actor's confidant until the National Enquirer editor began investigating rumors that Sheen was HIV positive. Howard recounted Sheen threatening him on a telephone call and said in the months after publication, he had to employ personal security. Howard said he published the article despite the risk to his life, "because it was the truth."[66]

The medical records of two players from an AFL club were claimed to have been found in the gutter outside a clinic by a woman. After allegedly attempting to return the documents to the clinic and finding that the gates were locked, the woman began to call all the media outlets in Melbourne, offering the documents as a "public service."[67] Her asking price was A$3,000. Channel 7 purchased the documents and around 4:15 on Friday, 24 August 2007, Channel 7 began reporting that it had a "huge story" related to AFL and drugs. At 6 pm AEST Howard went on air and named the club that the two players played for. A court injunction was sought to suppress the name and club mentioned in the records and was granted by Justice Kim Hargrave of the Supreme Court of Victoria.[68]

Later on 24 August, during half time on Channel 7's Friday Night Football, Howard participated in an on-air interview, conducted by Tim Watson where he claimed that after contacting the AFL, it had given Howard "approval" to go to air with the story. This interview went live, via Fox Sports to New South Wales and Queensland and on the CCTV at the Telstra Dome, but was not in the program that aired on the Seven Network during the delayed coverage into Victoria, South Australia or Western Australia after Howard admitted he inadvertently misspoke.

Howard, on Tuesday 28 August 2007, went on 3AW during the Sport's Today program and explained to Caroline Wilson that his comments on Friday night had been misinterpreted and that he had "apologised to those who misunderstood that at the time".[69] The AFL CEO, Andrew Demetriou, then responded to Howard's interview on 3AW, saying that "It's mischievous, and we have asked him to apologise, given that it went to air in two states, and all Dylan Howard had to do was apologise. We will not be misrepresented to people about the AFL supporting a story that we've already said publicly we find obscene, abhorrent, the route of gutter journalism".

On 1 August 2007, Australian Football League star, Jason Akermanis wrote an article[70] for Melbourne's NewsCorp paper, the Herald Sun, stating that he 'felt' that his direct opponent in previous games seemed able to run faster and recover better. The implication was that this player was using performance-enhancing drugs. Jason didn't name the player in his article, but it prompted an investigation by ASADA, the Australian Sports Anti-doping Authority.[71] Days later, Howard, who to date has yet to name his source,[72] revealed that the player who Jason was referring to and was being probed was Michael Braun[73] a player for the West Coast Eagles. Akermanis later apologised to Braun.

While on assignment in Ireland, broke the story that Australian Football League star Brendan Fevola had been in a fight with that pub's bartender while he was a member of the All Australian team visiting Ireland for the International Rules Series[74] Seven News purchased the video tape from a pub in Galway, Ireland, and broadcast it back into Australia.