Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein & Ghislaine Maxwell have long taken issue with Vicky Ward’s reporting of the Epstein case.

“I am horrified. Just leave us alone! Can’t she make money off of other victims? She’s a ‘presstitute’ and vulture … She won’t stop torturing us, and it is hurting so badly. Whenever we hear the name ‘Vicky Ward,’ we cringe,” Maria Farmer told Page Six ahead of Ward’s podcast premiere.

Serious accusations have been raised again today in a New Yorker piece about the accuracy of Ward’s Epstein work. She claims she knows more about the case than any other journalist. Yet questions remain about her impartiality and professionalism.

According to The New Yorker, her former boss Graydon Carter had this to say about Ward: “he told me that the decision not to run the Farmers’ allegations was likely influenced by Ward’s professional reputation: “My staff, to a person, did not trust her.” I spoke to numerous people who played some role in the production of Ward’s article, which for such a story always includes fact checkers, editors, and lawyers. None felt able to go on the record to discuss the magazine’s handling of the piece, but several said that Ward had not gathered evidence that would stand up in court, and others echoed Carter’s remarks about Ward’s journalism. “Vicky had zero credibility with the fact-checking and legal departments,” one person who worked at Vanity Fair at the time told me. “They had too many bad experiences.” Another then staffer said that Ward had provided inaccurate quotations and had had disputes with sources about when they were speaking on the record. A third person, who worked extensively with both Ward and Carter, told me that he thought Vanity Fair could have done more to pursue the Farmers’ allegations, but also that Ward seemed not to understand “basic journalistic rules.” 

(A spokesperson for Audible said that the podcast “reflects Ward’s rigorous journalistic investigation as well as her personal recollections of her personal experiences.”)

The fact is the Epstein survivors deserve peace of mind.  They have been through a lot and the podcast is seen as a direct affront to their lived experiences.

Take down this podcast, at least temporarily, so Audible can investigate the claims made in The New Yorker.

There are things more important than money, like intergrity, Amazon.