{"id":86253,"date":"2017-10-12T11:26:57","date_gmt":"2017-10-12T15:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=86253"},"modified":"2017-10-12T11:30:16","modified_gmt":"2017-10-12T15:30:16","slug":"caught-why-did-nbc-ignore-the-weinstein-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=86253","title":{"rendered":"CAUGHT! Why did NBC ignore the Weinstein story?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>NBC UNDER FIRE FOR PASSING ON WEINSTEIN SEX-HARASSMENT EXPOS\u00c9<\/h1>\n<h2>Film industry&#8217;s history with &#8216;casting couch&#8217; dates back nearly century<\/h2>\n<p>Bob Unruh<br \/>\nWND.com<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_86254\" style=\"width: 606px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/roman_polanski.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-86254\" src=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/roman_polanski.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"596\" height=\"282\" class=\"size-full wp-image-86254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/roman_polanski.jpg 596w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/roman_polanski-300x142.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-86254\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Roman Polanski<\/p><\/div>\n<p>So Harvey Weinstein now reportedly is to be fleeing\u00a0to Europe for therapy\u00a0for his alleged habit\u00a0of sexually harassing and assaulting young women, and the A-listers who profited from his movie business are left to say they are shocked, yes, shocked, at his unacceptable behavior.<\/p>\n<p>But is that really the truth?<\/p>\n<p>Likely not for all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe truth is that Harvey Weinstein was able to get away with what he did for so long because Hollywood, led by two-faced Ms. [Meryl] Streep, doesn\u2019t really give a d\u2014 about powerful men abusing young women,\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-4969866\/PIERS-MORGAN-Hollywood-s-hypocritical-horror-Harvey.html\">London Daily Mail columnist Piers Morgan<\/a>\u00a0charged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s why they cheer (Roman) Polanski and still finance and star in his movies. That\u2019s why Woody Allen is feted as a beloved genius despite running off with his own adopted daughter,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd it\u2019s why Casey Affleck was given the Oscar for Best Actor at this year\u2019s Oscars despite settling sexual harassment cases with two female work colleagues, cinematographer Magdalana Gorka and producer Amanda White, who accused him of bragging of his sexual exploits, propositioning and grabbing White, sliding into Gorka\u2019s bed uninvited and instructing a crew member to display his penis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morgan had just released a diatribe against Streep for supporting Polanski, who in the 1970s was accused of an attack on a 13-year-old girl: \u201crape by use of drugs, perversions, sodomy, lewd and lascivious act upon a child under 14, and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He\u00a0struck a deal with prosecutors, but when word came out that he might not escape with probation, Polanski \u201cfled the country to France \u2026 [and] has never returned, and has avoided visiting any countries since that may extradite him back to the USA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite that, Hollywood, with its long history of \u201ccasting couch\u201d escapades, cheers\u00a0Polanski\u00a0regularly, including in 2003 when he was named best director for \u201cThe Pianist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Claim: NBC\u00a0rejected report<\/b><\/p>\n<p>NBC\u00a0News contributor Ronan Farrow claims\u00a0his network passed on the Weinstein story\u00a0by insisting\u00a0it wasn\u2019t ready for publication.<\/p>\n<p>Appearing on MSNBC\u2019s \u201cThe Rachel Maddow Show\u201d on Tuesday night, Farrow was\u00a0asked why the story ran in the New Yorker instead of on the network.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou would have to ask NBC and NBC executives about the details of that story,\u201d Farrow said. \u201cI\u2019m not going to comment on any news organization\u2019s story that they did or didn\u2019t run.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NBC News President Noah Oppenheim\u00a0made the decision to reject the report, the Daily Beast\u00a0reported.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOppenheim is a screenwriter who has often told industry colleagues that he\u2019s likely to one day return to Hollywood and resume that career. He wrote \u2018Jackie,\u2019 a film starring Natalie Portman, and was attached to multiple other projects during his years in Los Angeles. At this writing, NBC and CAA have not responded to queries about whether The Weinstein Company was involved with any of Oppenheim\u2019s projects.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Through a statement, Oppenheimer denied there was anything untoward about the decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe notion that we would try to cover for a powerful person is deeply offensive to all of us \u2026 we didn\u2019t feel we had all the elements that we needed to air it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no doubt that sex assault by powerful men on young girls has been present in Hollywood not just for years, or even decades, but generations.<\/p>\n<p>Back in 1921, Fatty Arbuckle was at a party at which actress Virginia Rappe suffered injuries from which she later died.<\/p>\n<p>She had accused Arbuckle of raping her, but he was acquitted of a manslaughter charge.<\/p>\n<p>The Daily Mail noted Errol Flynn had an affair with Beverly Aadland\u00a0that started when she was 15.<\/p>\n<p>The paper cited Joan Collins\u00a0claim that\u00a0she lost out on the lead role in Cleopatra because she wouldn\u2019t sleep with the studio head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had tested for \u2018Cleopatra\u2019 twice and was the front-runner,\u201d Collins recalled.\u00a0\u201cHe took me into his office and said, \u2018You really want this part?\u2019 And I said, \u2018Yes. I really do.\u2019 \u2018Well,\u2019 he said, \u2018then all you have to do is be nice to me.\u2019 It was a wonderful euphemism in the Sixties for you know what. But I couldn\u2019t do that. In fact, I was rather wimpish, burst into tears and rushed out of his office.\u2019 The role went to Elizabeth Taylor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The report noted Shirley Temple\u00a0claimed in her memoir, \u201cChild Star,\u201d an MGM producer with an \u201cadventuresome casting couch\u201d \u201cunzipped his trousers and exposed himself to her during their first meeting in 1940. She was 12.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She reportedly laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Other accounts of such behavior have come from Marilyn Monroe, who described Hollywood as \u201can overcrowded brothel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then, there is the still-developing\u00a0case of\u00a0\u201cAmerica\u2019s Dad,\u201d Bill Cosby.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s facing retrial on claims he drugged a molested a former university worker at his home in 2004. He insists the encounter was consensual, but the Daily Mail reported \u201cdozens of additional accusers have come forward, including 13 women whom prosecutors want to call as witnesses to show that they were drugged and violated in similar fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/twitchy.com\/dougp-3137\/2017\/10\/10\/yeesh-more-proof-hollywood-knew-about-weinstein-cue-up-this-30-rock-flashback\/\">A post on Twitchy,<\/a>\u00a0the news site that\u00a0monitors Twitter,\u00a0commented that\u00a0Weinstein\u2019s behavior apparently was \u201ca running gag\u201d in the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany of the people associated with Harvey Weinstein over the years are expressing surprise at news of all the allegations against the Hollywood mogul, but comments from others also indicate his behavior was well-known in industry circles. Seth McFarland made a joke in 2013 at an Oscars event suggesting Hollywood knew the truth about Weinstein, and one year before that, the NBC comedy \u201930 Rock\u2019 featured this joke about Weinstein\u201d:<\/p>\n<p>In the episode, Jane Krakowski jokes that she turned down sex with Weinstein three times out of five.<\/p>\n<p>The Weinstein case moved from under the table to the headlines when the New York Times reported\u00a0Friday that eight women, including actress Ashley Judd, had settled sexual harassment claims against him. The New Yorker reported Tuesday that two women have claimed Weinstein raped them.<\/p>\n<p>Tamron Hall, a journalist, said she got to know Weinstein a year ago, and when she found out about the claims, she called him.<\/p>\n<p>She told the Huffington Post: \u201cIt\u2019s a woman\u2019s worst nightmare to be in a situation where you believe someone more powerful has control over your life. I immediately thought about the women who have suffered in silence and were paralyzed by fear; fear that I\u2019ve seen with domestic violence survivors; fear that I\u2019ve seen when I interviewed women who were raped on their college campuses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Weinstein appeared to admit some of the claims, stating in response to the New York Times article: \u201cI appreciate the way I\u2019ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I\u2019m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Audio from an NYPD sting operation\u00a0also\u00a0was published of him trying to persuade a woman to enter his hotel room after apparently touching her inappropriately the day before.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/culture\/news\/harvey-weinstein-what-you-need-to-know-w508162\">Rolling Stone reported<\/a>\u00a0many in Hollywood have \u201ccondemned Weinstein\u2019s alleged actions in no uncertain terms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But some critics also were aware of \u201crumors\u201d long ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGeorge Clooney, whose breakout role was in the Miramax-produced From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), said he\u2019d heard rumors about Weinstein\u2019s behavior over the years but had never witnessed it. \u2018It\u2019s indefensible. That\u2019s the only word you can start with. Harvey\u2019s admitted to it, and it\u2019s indefensible,&#8217;\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n<p>Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who benefited from his financial donations to their campaigns, waited days before they condemned Weinstein\u2019s alleged actions.<\/p>\n<p>But even after his apparent admissions, Donna Karan and Lindsay Lohan came to his defense.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo say that Weinstein has been influential in the film industry over the past few decades is an understatement. The former concert promoter established Miramax in 1979 with his brother, Bob; it went on to become arguably the most influential film company of the Nineties, turning out countless classics and award winners including Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Clerks, The Crying Game, Gangs of New York and Good Will Hunting. Their subsequent venture, the Weinstein Company, went on to produce the likes of Django Unchained, The King\u2019s Speech, Silver Linings Playbook, Blue Valentine and Carol. And the mogul\u2019s influence stretches far beyond film to television, magazine publishing, Broadway productions and even political activism,\u201d Rolling Stone said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are few corners of the culture that Weinstein\u2019s tentacles haven\u2019t reached. But his power and fame seem to have both enabled and masked from the public eye a long-spanning history of misconduct against women. According to The Cut, some 29 women so far have shared accounts of harassment and abuse, ranging from A-listers (Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow) to foreign film luminaries (Asia Argento, Emma de Caunes) to office assistants and up-and-comers. Even more disturbingly, according to the expos\u00e9s, Weinstein\u2019s actions appear to have been abetted and normalized by executives, assistants and producers in his employ,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n<p>Actress Gwyneth Paltrow\u00a0claimed Weinstein sexually harassed her in 1996.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer then-boyfriend, Brad Pitt, came to her defense and confronted the producer, but she was intimidated against speaking about it publicly for fear of jeopardizing her career,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/deadline.com\/2017\/10\/harvey-weinstein-lawyer-blair-berk-mel-gibson-attorney-hire-1202186251\/\">Deadline reported<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cOf the allegations leveled against Weinstein, the rape claims could prove ground for action. Though it is not clear if the assault occurred in the Empire State. Rape is a felony in New York State and has no statute of limitations. There are currently no active investigations in either NYC or LA into the incidents alleged in the explosive New Yorker piece that was published. \u2026 But if there were, a conviction could see Weinstein behind bars for up to two decades.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Documentary maker Amy J. Berg even released\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4eeGX4SlF1s\">\u201cAn Open Secret\u201d\u00a0<\/a>on the topic of sexual misbehavior in Hollywood just a few years ago.<\/p>\n<p>The film is a look into the issue of underage sexual abuse in the Hollywood entertainment industry. It follows the stories of five former child actors whose lives are disrupted by predators.<\/p>\n<p>While still not released to home video, the film played briefly in Seattle, Denver, New York and Los Angeles in 2015, and was described by the Hollywood Reporter as offering a \u201csober look at accusations that lend themselves to sensationalism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Concluded Morgan: \u201cHarvey Weinstein has witnessed all this at first hand, and doubtless calculated that nobody in this town, and his industry, really cares about sexual harassment or abuse. In fact, they reward, applaud and enrich people for it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd the really dreadful part of this horrendous saga is that until now, he was right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wnd.com\/2017\/10\/nbc-under-fire-for-passing-on-weinstein-sex-harassment-expose\/\">http:\/\/www.wnd.com\/2017\/10\/nbc-under-fire-for-passing-on-weinstein-sex-harassment-expose\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NBC UNDER FIRE FOR PASSING ON WEINSTEIN SEX-HARASSMENT EXPOS\u00c9 Film industry&#8217;s history with &#8216;casting couch&#8217; dates back nearly century Bob Unruh WND.com So Harvey Weinstein now reportedly is to be fleeing\u00a0to Europe for therapy\u00a0for his alleged habit\u00a0of sexually harassing and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=86253\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=86253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86253\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=86253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=86253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=86253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}