Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood and the US media

On The Listening Post this week: How Hollywood and the media failed to expose sexual predator Harvey Weinstein. Plus, how the CIA and the Pentagon manipulate the movies.

Weinstein, Hollywood and the media

In Hollywood, it was one of those open secrets, something widely known that no one was prepared to say out loud. Harvey Weinstein, one of the most successful producers in the movie business, is a serial sex abuser, using his immense power and influence to force women – staff, interns, but mostly actresses – to succumb to his will.

But why has something that took place over decades not been reported until now?

We examine what the Harvey Weinstein story – the one the US media failed to report until now – says about the relationship between the film industry and the news business.

Contributors:
Paula Froelich, journalist
Jeet Heer, senior editor, The New Republic
Francesca Viola, assistant professor of Journalism, Temple University
Margaret Sullivan, media columnist, The Washington Post
Lindsey Blumell, lecturer in journalism, City University

On our Radar

• In Malta, a journalist, who used last year’s Panama Papers data dump to expose corruption, has been killed by a car bomb.
• Iranians witnessed the end of a social media era this past week – when one of the country’s oldest platforms, Cloob, announced it was shutting down.
• The government of Mauritania has closed five independent news outlets, for what the networks’ journalists believe is their coverage of recent political unrest.

Covert operations: How the CIA works with Hollywood

The Weinstein story was suppressed by Hollywood, using its legal and financial muscle to keep a lid on it – until now. But there are also power centres in the US government that can dictate to Hollywood: the Pentagon and the CIA.

We examine the US government’s symbiotic relationship with Hollywood – how the Pentagon and the CIA attempt to shape their on-screen image.

Contributors:
Tricia Jenkins, associate professor, Texas Christian University
Matthew Alford, author, National Security Cinema
Nicholas Schou, author, Spooked