How Top NBC Executives Quashed The Bombshell Harvey Weinstein Story

[oberliner]

In mid-August, Ronan Farrow, an NBC News contributor, had secured an interview with a woman who was willing to appear on camera, in silhouette, her identity concealed, and say Harvey Weinstein had raped her, according to four people with close knowledge of the reporting. It was a pivotal moment in a testy, months-long process of reporting a story that had bedeviled a generation of media and Hollywood reporters.

Farrow had a lot of material already. In March, he had acquired a damning and much-coveted audio recording in which Weinstein admits to having groped an Italian model. He had interviews with former executives and assistants who’d worked closely with Weinstein who spoke about the culture of harassment and abuse he perpetrated. And now he had someone ready to accuse Weinstein of rape, on camera.

But at that moment Farrow was also caught in the pincers of an NBC News edict. He had been told by executives at NBC News that he didn’t have enough reporting to go on air with his Weinstein story, according to four sources, and he had been told by the network to stop reporting on it. NBC tried to put a stop to the interview with the woman accusing Weinstein of rape. The network insisted he not use an NBC News crew for the interview, and neither was he to mention his NBC News affiliation. And so that was how Ronan Farrow wound up paying out of his own pocket for a camera crew to film an interview.

As a project for NBC News, Farrow’s story was effectively dead. Later that month, he received permission to take his reporting to another news organization. The story that resulted, published Tuesday by The New Yorker, was a blockbuster: multiple women accusing Weinstein of rape and other sexual misconduct, accompanied by the audio of Weinstein admitting to sexual assault.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nbc-harvey-weinstein_us_59de5688e4b0eb18af059685

[malaise]

1. But they allowed the Con and others to spread the birther bullshit about the then sitting

President of the United States

[oberliner]

2. I wish we can talk about this topic

Without making it about politics.

[malaise]

3. We can't n/t

[oberliner]

4. Sort of heartbreaking

If there is any topic that we Democrats should be out front on it is this one.

(Republicans aren't going to do it)

[ehrnst]

16. You might be interested in reading the Democratic Platform....

Ending Violence Against Women

Democrats are committed to ending the scourge of violence against women wherever it occurs —whether in our homes, streets, schools, military, or elsewhere. We will continue to support the Violence Against Women Act to provide law enforcement with the tools it needs to combat this problem. We will support comprehensive services for survivors of violence and increase prevention efforts in our communities and on our campuses. Democrats will fight to bring an end to sexual assault—wherever it occurs, including on campuses— because everyone deserves a safe environment where they can learn and thrive, not live in fear. We will provide comprehensive support to survivors, and ensure a fair process for all on-campus disciplinary proceedings and in the criminal justice system. We will increase sexual violence prevention education programs that cover issues like consent and bystander intervention, not only in college, but also in secondary school.

https://www.democrats.org/party-platform#violence-women

[WinkyDink]

8. The Republicans put the kibosh on that wish.

[oberliner]

10. We can and should be better than them

And address this serious topic irrespective of whatever games they try to play

[WinkyDink]

14. You don't get it. You still are framing it in political terms, with "we" and "them." You are you,

and I am I. If you decide to react to the Weinstein story AS A DEMOCRAT, you have proven my point.

[ehrnst]

17. How have Democrats failed to "address" this?

Can you define what you mean by "address?"

[democratisphere]

18. Thank you.

[cwydro]

5. I don't understand why he's walking around free

if he's been accused of rape. Makes no sense

[oberliner]

6. Because Cy Vance would not take the case

Cy Vance Defends Decision Not to Pursue Case Against Harvey Weinstein

The Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., on Wednesday defended his decision not to pursue sexual abuse charges against the movie producer Harvey Weinstein in 2015.

Mr. Vance said his office did not have enough evidence to prosecute Mr. Weinstein, despite an audio tape an Italian model made for the police on which the producer apologized when the woman asked him why he had touched her breasts.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/11/nyregion/cy-vance-defends-weinstein-decision.html

[cwydro]

7. Wow

Awful.

[mucifer]

9. I was impressed that Rachel had Farrow on her show two days ago discussing this.

[oberliner]

11. That was quite an interview

Especially considering that it was on a network that is part of the NBC family.

[WinkyDink]

12. Why would NBC want to produce a story that, at the time, amounted to "anonymous"

accusations and no police charges/arrests?

[oberliner]

13. "He had been told by the network to stop reporting on it"

"NBC tried to put a stop to the interview with the woman accusing Weinstein of rape"

One would think they would at least allow him to continue to do reporting on it and to interview the woman in question.

(He ended up doing both, which resulted in a story with evidence that a major outlet saw fit to publish)

[WinkyDink]

15. Clearly I am NOT "one" who "would think" that NBC would give young

Farrow, an employee, either time or their imprimatur to pursue his independent work.