As the grim scope of Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual abuse has continued to expand, attention is turning to how he kept allegations at bay for so long. Source / AP
As the grim scope of Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual abuse has continued to expand, attention is turning to how he kept allegations at bay for so long. Source / AP
Harvey Weinstein's power over the media and his ability to keep his alleged dark secrets under wraps for years has finally been exposed.
The Hollywood producer is accused of sexually harassing, assaulting or raping more than a dozen women in the film industry, following an explosive report from the New Yorker.
Ronan Farrow, the author of the bombshell article, said that a number of organisations had tackled the story but that they faced a hefty weight of pressure to hold off publishing, CNN reported.
"I will say that over many years, many news organisations have circled this story and faced a great deal of pressure in doing so," Farrow said during an appearance on MSNBC on Tuesday night.
Farrow wrote in his piece that Weinstein and his legal team "have threatened to sue multiple media outlets".
According to CNN, Weinstein succeeded for years in keeping allegations from being printed, while the New Yorker alleges one alleged victim was subject to unflattering stories after she filed a sexual assault complaint against Weinstein in 2015.
As the grim scope of Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual abuse has continued to expand, attention is turning to how he kept allegations at bay for so long. Source / AP
A number of news agencies were hesitant to touch the allegations against Weinstein, with NBC News coming under fire for its decision not to run the story from contributor Farrow.
NBC News said the article wasn't publishable at the time but Farrow disputes those claims.
"I walked into the door at The New Yorker with an explosively reportable piece that should have been public earlier. And immediately, obviously, The New Yorker recognised that," Farrow said Tuesday night.
"And it is not accurate to say that it was not reportable. In fact, there were multiple determinations that it was reportable at NBC."
New York Magazine's Rebecca Traister wrote that Weinstein had control over many media outlets and could spin his way out of any story, suppressing anything he wanted.
"Back then, Harvey could spin - or suppress - anything; there were so many journalists on his payroll, working as consultants on movie projects, or as screenwriters, or for his magazine," Traister wrote.
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has spoken out against Weinstein who helped launch her career.
The New York Times also faced questions from a former reporter who claimed the newspaper "gutted" a story she had written in 2004 about sexual harassment allegations against Weinstein.
In his story, Farrow said sources told him Weinstein frequently bragged about planting items in the media about those who spoke out against him.
According to former New York City tabloid reporter Lloyd Grove, Weinstein tried to kill a story about his divorce and suggested that the paper's owner give Grove a pay rise.
He claims Weinstein raged when the offer was declined and threatened to ban the reporter from premieres, telling Grove: "I'm the scariest mother------ you'll ever have as an enemy in this town!"
According to Grove, other reporters buckled under Weinstein's influence.
It has also been alleged that Weinstein had numerous media scribes at his disposal which was "startling... and professional mortifying", according to a former editor of the New Yorker.
