The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Harvey Weinstein scandal roils Hollywood
Ny are speaking about abuse, system that protects perpetrators.
taking part included singer Lady Gaga; actresses Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin and Evan Rachel Wood; and poet Najwa LOSANGELES— Harvey Weinstein is certainly not the first Zebian. powerful man publicly and The Oscar-winning director credibly accused of sexually Kathryn Bigelow applauded harassing or abusing women the movement. “The democin recent years. ratization of the spread of
Since 2015, Fox News chairinformation can finally move man Roger Ailes, Fox News faster than a powerful media prime-time host Bill O’Reilly, mogul’s attempts to bury it,” and comedian and actor Bill she said by email. Cosby have suffered profesIn recent days, singer sional, financial or reputaBjork, “Riverdale” actress tional setbacks after numer- Lili Reinhart and “Inside Edious women told stories of tion” correspondent Lisa their sexual misconduct. Guerrero lodged new accu
Those stories dominated sations against other men news cycles, to be sure, but who work in entertainment. the outcry accompanying The singer and actress Weinstein’s downfall seems Courtney Love accused the louder and more impas- powerful Creative Artists sioned — perhaps because Agency of punishing her after Weinstein’s accusers include she raised questions about stars like Ashley Judd, AngeWeinstein’s behavior in 2005, lina Jolie and Gwyneth Pal- a nd a rec ently unearthed trow. video clip of Love making
“I think this is a watershed the charge has gone viral. moment,” said producer Gail The model Cameron Rus- Berman, who had top jobs sell started athreadonher at Paramount Pictures and Instagram account on misthe Fox network. conduct by men in fashion.
That became clear last Sun- It has led to more than 50 day, when Facebook, Ins- models anonymously sharing tagram and Twitter were their stories of harassment. flooded with messages from Kicked off by reports on women who used the hashtag the allegations against Wein#MeToo to acknowledge that stein, the outpouring came a they had dealt with sex- little more than a year after ual harassment or assault. The Washington Post pub- A tweet posted by actress lished leaked excerpts from Alyssa Milano inspired the an “Access Hollywood” tape online campaign. in which Donald Trump, then
“If you’ve been sexually a candidate for president, harassed or assaulted write boasted of groping women. ‘me too’ as a reply to this At issue now is whether or tweet,” Milano wrote. not Hollywood can continue
Twitter promoted the its old way of doing busi- #MeToo campaign on ness, with self-styled “out- Moments, its platform of law” executives and auteurs highlighted stories, and the getting away with sexual mishashtag went on to be used conduct as lawyers and pub- moret han 500,000 times in licists protect them. its first 24 hours by people “I think it’s upsetting and from all lines of work. Those devastating, all of the stories that have come out,” said Nina Jacobson, a film producer who was formerly the president of the Walt Disney Co.’s Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group. “But I think the floodgates being opened is something that had to happen and that finally brings asubj ect to the surface that has sort of gone unchecked for countless years.”
Beginning with an article about the allegations against Weinstein that The New York Times published on Oct. 5, more than 30 accusers have stepped forwar dw ith charges of harassment, assault and even rape against the mogul. The polic einNewYorkand London have started criminal investigations. (Weinstein has denied engaging in non- consensual sex.)
Fatima Goss Graves, president and chief executive of the National Women’s Law Center, said that, since the story broke, “we’ve gotten twice the volume of calls of utives, who said they were wary of false accusations getting easy play on social media.
In breaking the news about the allegations, The Times and T he New Yorker carefully corroborated women’s stories. Social media has no such checks and balances.
A spreadsheet listing men in the media business accused of sexist behaviors ranging from inappropriate flirting to rape surfaced last week and was circulated by email. The BuzzFeed writer Doree Shafrir weighed in on the list, writing of men whoweresaidtobeguilty of behaviors like leering: “Things do get complicated when you start lumping all this behavior together in a big anonymous spreadsheet of unsubstantiated allegations against dozens of named men.”
Jacobson, the film producer, said, “There’s an importance to a careful vetting and a careful reposting The move drew ridicu lefrom and not just a free-for-all.” the HBO comedy host John She added, though, that she Oliver, given that it did no was in favor of more inforsuch thing in the cases of mation, not less, which is Cosby and Roman Polanski, why, she said, the induswho, in 1977, pleaded guilty try has to tackle the use of to having unlawful sex with nondisclosure agreements. a 13-year-old girl and then “It clearly feels like we fled the country. have to take the burden
“So congratulations, Holly- away from people to come wood,” Oliver said. “See you forward,” she said. “They at the next Oscars, where should not fear that, because — and this is true — Casey youhaveanNDA,thatyou Affleck will be presenting can’t speak up.”
Best Picture.” Each successive case of a
The reference was cutting: powerful man’s misdeeds Affleck, who won the best bursting into the open helps actor award at this year’s to embolden the next round, Oscars for his work in “Man- the feminist Gloria Steinem chester by the Sea,” had set- said. tled sexual harassment alle“When dealing with deep gations made against him bias like racism and sexism, by two fem ale producers it usually takes more than in civil suits. He has denied one injustice — or even a the accusations. few,” Steinem wrote in an
Woody Allen served as email. “The Weinstein scanthe imperfect messenger for dal would probably have those cautioning against what been taken less seriously he termed a “witch hunt.” if Cosby, Ailes and others His warning was in line with hadn’t come first and been the thinking of some exec- within easy memory.”