Wherever I end up, Lord, please don’t let me bump into Ronan Satchel Allen O’Sullivan Sinatra Farrow.  I was willing to give that smug piece of work a pass due to him exposing Harvey Weinstein and others.  But last week, Ronan crossed the line.  As you know, Ronan is estranged from one of his many possible fathers, Woody Allen, over abuse claims from his sister Dylan – claims, I should add, that were never substantiated, despite at least five investigations.  Woody wrote a memoir, Apropos of Nothing, which was to be published in April by Hachette Book Group.  Plans changed once Ronan got wind of them.  You see, Ronan’s book Catch and Kill was also published by Hachette.  Ronan stated that because of their relationship with Allen, he was severing ties with the company.  In expressing his outrage, Ronan Tweeted (in part): “Hachette did not fact check the Woody Allen book. My sister Dylan has never been contacted to respond to any denial or mischaracterization of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Woody Allen.”  Which begs the question – was Woody ever contacted to respond to the allegations Mia made in her memoir?  Because I don’t think that’s how memoirs work.

A hatchet job was quickly waged on Woody, and Ronan was at the very least the catalyst for a Hachette employee walkout.  In short order, Hachette shelved the book and terminated their relationship with Woody.  Why?  Well, Ronan is a star on the rise and is taking a victory lap due to the Weinstein conviction.  If this were simply one person against another, I might not bat an eye (assuming I still have eye activity).  But in this case, the troublesome irony for me is that the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting and public service is trying to squelch someone from telling their story.  Clearly censorship on any level is loathsome – especially from someone whose profession is uncovering the truth.  Stephen King Tweeted his thoughts: “The Hachette decision to drop the Woody Allen book makes me very uneasy.  It’s not him; I don’t give a damn about Mr. Allen.  It’s who gets muzzled next that worries me.”  You’d think that would worry Ronan, as well.