NBC defends itself

NEW YORK — NBC News defended itself Wednesday after questions were raised about whether it had fumbled an explosive story about Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s alleged sexual assaults that network contributor Ronan Farrow broke instead in The New Yorker magazine.

Farrow’s story, released by the magazine Tuesday, offered new details about Weinstein’s alleged behavior with women that followed an investigation published last week in The New York Times. The Times’ story led to Weinstein’s firing from the film company that bears his name.

Farrow, who had a short-lived daytime show on MSNBC, had been working on the Weinstein story for NBC News.

NBC News President Noah Oppenheim said Wednesday that the network reached a point this summer where it didn’t feel all the elements were in place to air a story and didn’t stand in Farrow’s way when he wanted to take his reporting elsewhere.