Category: New York Times

Jeff Sessions Asked to Resign as Attorney General: Critical Analysis of the Article in New York Times

Just hours after the end of the midterm elections, President Trump asked Attorney General, Jeff Sessions to resign. Trump had been toying with the idea of firing Sessions since he recused himself from the Russian investigation but found that doing so would only add fire to the flames of suspicion from the public and Congress. As a result, Trump took it upon himself to publically humiliate, undermine and discredit Sessions at his rallies, on his twitter and even in interviews with large media channels. However, after some thought Trump and his administration find a date they can fire Sessions: after the midterms. They see this as a natural time to fire anyone in the cabinet as it is halfway through the term and any President may be inclined to make staff changes so Trump calls for Session to resign from the cabinet effective immediately. With the Russian investigation heating up it is evident that the President is desperate to regain control and firing Sessions and naming a new Attorney General that will help turn the investigation in his favor. I have chosen three stories that discuss the firing (or resigning) of Jeff Sessions; one from the New York Times titled, a story by CNN and the last coverage I chose is from National Public Radio. I chose these three media sources because they represent a print media, a news channel (TV) media, and the radio. This will allow me to analyze the differences of coverage across media types as well as slight media bias based on channel. I believe that there will be a correlation between these pieces that is critical of the President’s decision but the rhetoric they use, frame they take and audience appeal to will be different due to their different publication type and different key audiences.

The New York Times article titled, “Jeff Sessions is Forced Out as Attorney General as Trump Installs Loyalist” takes a quick stance on the issue. I chose to find an article on the event from the New York Times due to their international relevance and credibility despite overall decline of print media (Troise and Durbin 2018). The “New York Times” effect is the idea that most publications on a local, state, national and international level look to the New York Times for their stories and information. If the New York Times reports something it is more than likely deemed credible and will be seen in other papers across the world (Rossi).

In the article they first identify whomever the successor may be as a “loyalist” whose beliefs on the special investigation align with those of the President. Then they name the acting Attorney General and give some background. Matthew Whitaker is a one-time Senate candidate and who published an op-ed in CNN questioning the reach of the special investigation. The article is definitely taking an informative stance on the events that unfold with the firing and reassignment of the case but I think they also give a slight slant to it. By presenting Whitaker first as a Trump “loyalist” even before reporting his name they have seemingly tried to discredit him. This is where their informative coverage comes off as more of a “watchdog” of democracy. After the initial shade of bias the article does return to its informative role. They describe the Democratic party’s reaction to the new appointment and what it would mean for the justice department if Whitaker doesn’t recuse himself as well. They explain that the ethics committee could get involved and how both Republican and Democratic representatives are reacting to the change in staff and its timing. They reference quotes from Republican senators like Lindsey Graham who had previously been against the firing of Sessions and are now onboard. As well as Adam Schiff of California calling the move a “constitutional crisis.” The New York Times is usually an objective media source, in my opinion. There is some obvious demographic bias based on the fact the paper is located in a massive metropolitan area which can contribute to the types of views and opinions that the authors might have but other than in opinion columns, bias is relatively mitigated. The writing style is to the point and that is evident in this piece. The author provides a bit of insight into what the repercussions of this decision could be so that provides an interpretative aspect but it generally informs the reader of the event and its significance.

The CNN story on their website discusses the event in an attempt to inform but slightly more on the watchdog side of the issue. CNN as new outlet is known to be a left-wing national new broadcast. With the sensationalization of our politics CNN has seemed to be one of the most sensationalized broadcasts of them all. It has become more and more left-leaning as its counterpart Fox has become more and more right-leaning. CNN takes a usual stance against President Trump which is consistent in their report on the resignation of Sessions. The title is a quip “Jeff Sessions out as Attorney General” is just the beginning of their brevity and slant of bias. With sentences like “Sessions received the request to resign from Kelly, not the President, on Wednesday morning, an administration official said,” are slight digs at the professionalism of the way the situation was handled. It also highlights the squabbles that Sessions and Trump had over the near two years he was Attorney General.

CNN is good at reporting relevant stories but they don’t have an affinity to be objective. They tend to only contribute to polarized feelings by painting stories in a left-leaning light and rarely providing an opposing point of view. Objectivity is essential to good journalism- to an extent, in my opinion, after sharing the facts clearly I think its important to shine light on the issue and explain the implications. However, CNN can take this to an apocalyptic level causing panic in its viewers. In this article I don’t think they push it to quite the apocalyptic end but they do make it clear what their opinion is of Sessions, the President, Whitaker, Republicans and the situation as a whole. Their coverage differs from the New York Times article because it does share their opinion in a much more obvious light. Aside from the written piece the video at the top of the article is an extensive dive into Jeff Sessions background which paints him as a racist Trump Supporter and fails to highlight other positive aspects until the end when they point out his sense of duty to his job regardless of Trump’s attitude. It also differs from the New York Times article by highlighting tweets throughout this specific coverage. The headers: “Jeff Sessions out as Attorney General”, “Trump constantly criticizes Sessions”, “Democrats demand continued independence for Mueller”, and “Immigration bonded him with Trump from the start” all seem to point to one side of the story. The article fleshes out these standpoints but fails, like the video, to address the opposing side of the argument or what a similar event from another administration would have looked like.

The lack of clear objectivity is mitigated well in coverage done by National Public Radio. In a radio episode on November 7th called “Jeff Sessions forced out as Attorney General after constant criticism from Trump” they cover the forced resignation of Sessions. Using audio clips from their host as well as clips from Trump interviews berating Sessions in the beginning of the episode they set up a clear argument. Trump was displeased with Sessions for recusing himself, tension grows, he finds his opportunity and asks for the resignation. Early on in the episode we have the clear facts of the situation given to us as well as some background on the issue. NPR as a whole is known for being a trustworthy news source that doesn’t report “fake news.” Its role as a media outlet is definitely well facilitated by the fact that it is a public platform and doesn thave to achieve private rate incentives but it does still struggle for funding. As a result of their public status though they are much less inclined to give into the entertainment aspect that helps push our media so far into sensationalism.

There really isn’t much of a frame to discuss with this report of the incident because they are generally objective but there is always some way to view an issue. The NPR episode definitely frames it as a n issue that should incite thoughtfulness for what is to come with the Russian investigation and the motives behind the forced resignation. They are coming down as a watch dog but on a much more informative side as the other two sources I have mentioned. This is to be expected if you know much about the private and public media sectors. Obviously the public media receive government funding and wouldn’t want to cause issues regarding a republican decision with a republican controlled government.

As far as objectivity I think that NPR holds true to that goal. They have a section describing Sessions achievements and what he has accomplished as Attorney General, calling him “one of the most successful cabinet members in the Trump Administration” in regards to his ability to push the Trump immigration agenda and other new policies. They explain how he led the Trump agenda to lower crime rates and reference what he claims responsibility for in his resignation letter. This provides a clearer look into the opposing side of the story- and event he opposing side of the issue in general. Instead of just hearing that Trump forced his resignation and linking the letter they provide details of his work and reasons he may not have been failing to complete his duties in actuality. They tend to leave the comments that insinuate consequence to the guests on the show but even still they cover the facts and if they go to far outside of being objective they try to rein them back in. They too use subheadings to describe what aspects of the coverage they will be spearheading throughout the attached article but they too are more representative of the entire issue than just one side unlike CNN’s subheadings.

I chose to highlight a newspaper, television, and radio media’s coverage of the Jeff Sessions resignation because all three publications bring something new to the table. The three types reach different audiences of different ages on a local, state, national and international level without looking at how impactful these specific publications are. Analyzing how the New York Times, CNN, and NPR report the same story provides interesting insight into where bias among citizens can come from. Certain age groups, genders, and social classes have access to these different media but do they always consume it? If so which are they more likely to consume? Will they cross reference their sources to be sure they are getting clear information? Unfortunately, it isn’t likely that someone who watches CNN is crossing it with Fox or CBS. Someone who regularly reads the New York Times might also consume television media but it is not likely that they tune into NPR or other radio stations on a consistent basis. It is interesting to note that the publication perceived to be the most objective is also probably the least consumed outlet of the three. American citizens like the entertainment aspect of broadcast media and it is easy for them to consume nowadays especially with social media. The New York Times has an international effect and is widely respected as a publication with objective journalism with a slight slant of insight towards being a watchdog. CNN is a known liberal television media source with private revenue who has to incentivize their viewers to watch by adding in that sensationalized entertainment that can cause mass panic. NPR is a great option that is widely accessible and provides an informative view of the relevant issues our country faces today with limited bias as it is a public media source.

Each of these platforms reaches millions of people and each of these platforms takes its own approach in reporting the Jeff Sessions story. Noting these differences and looking for them in future can help the viewer/reader/listener pick up on bias and break through the insight to find the facts and in turn form their own opinion.

Works Cited

1. Troise and Durbin 2018
2. Baker, P., Benner, K., & Michael. (2018, November 07). Jeff Sessions Is Forced Out as Attorney General as Trump Installs Loyalist. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/us/politics/sessions-resigns.html
3. Jarrett, L., & Watkins, E. (2018, November 08). Jeff Sessions out as attorney general. Retrieved November 11, 2018, from https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/07/politics/sessions-resign/index.html
4. Johnson, C. (2018, November 07). Jeff Sessions Forced Out As Attorney General After Constant Criticism From Trump. Retrieved November 11, 2018, from https://www.npr.org/2018/11/07/539109386/jeff-sessions-out-as-attorney-general-after-steady-drumbeat-of-criticism-from-tr
5. Rossi, A. (Director). (2011, September 29). Page one – Inside the New York Times[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1787777/

Essay on Media Analysis of The New York Times

Muslims have been faced with stereotypes since the 7th century AD or the Byzantine Empire era. But what started and continued the stereotype has been through the usage of media. Whether it be in the form of a movie, T.V. shows, or news, the concept of presenting Muslims as terrorists has existed for decades. However, today, some media reinforces, challenges or equally challenges and reinforces this stereotype. And one of the media that equally reinforces and challenges this stereotype is The New York Times. The New York Times, originally, The New York Daily Times was founded by two people: Henry Jarvis Raymond, a journalist and politician, and George Jones, a former banker, on September 18, 1851(David 3). In 1857, the start of the Civil War, “the ‘Daily’ had been dropped from the title (David 46). Since then, The New York Times had won “2 Pulitzers, bringing its total wins to 127” (The New York Times Company). After observing five articles of The New York Times, I have found that the stereotype, of Muslims are Terrorists seems to be both equally reinforced and challenged to different degrees. This is shown through articles regarding events on Muslims.

From the past 5 weeks of researching my stereotype through 5 different articles in The New York Times, it can be seen that The New York Times equally reinforces, and challenges Muslims are terrorist stereotypes through the different events regarding Muslims. The articles that reinforced the idea that Muslims are terrorist are ‘A DAY OF TERROR: THE TIES; In U.S., Echoes of Rift Of Muslims and Jews’ by Laurie Goodstein, ‘A DAY OF TERROR: THE MILITANT; America the Vulnerable Meets a Ruthless Enemy’ by John F. Burns., and “In Paris Knife Attack, Police Ask How They Missed a Killer in Their Midst” by Adam Nossiter. From these articles, it can be shown that the reinforcement of the stereotype is through events regarding attacks conducted by Muslims. The first two articles, ‘A DAY OF TERROR: THE TIES; In U.S., Echoes of Rift Of Muslims and Jews’ by Laurie Goodstein and ‘A DAY OF TERROR: THE MILITANT; America the Vulnerable Meets a Ruthless Enemy’ by John F. Burns., shows the aftermath of the four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group. In the article ‘A DAY OF TERROR: THE TIES; In U.S., Echoes of Rift Of Muslims and Jews’ by Laurie Goodstein, a national religion correspondent for The New York Times, Goodstein stated that the Muslims community has been targeted by people around the world. Some examples of this are stated in the article, “Muslim women in headscarves are advised to stay indoors. Mosques and Muslim schools in Los Angeles were shut down, and Muslim leaders in Michigan and other states reported receiving telephone threats” (Goodstein). This shows that with the event of 9/11, people’s belief of Muslims being terrorists is being reinforced and getting stronger with every event. In addition to this article, the article ‘A DAY OF TERROR: THE MILITANT; America the Vulnerable Meets a Ruthless Enemy’ by John F. Burns., a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, also reinforces this belief. In Burns’ article, it is shown that Burns is trying to incite fear towards the reader. For example, in his article, Burns stated: “On the tape, Mr. bin Laden read a chilling poem with themes that have a powerful resonance among Muslims with the grievances against America.” This shows that Burns is trying to make readers subconsciously associate the Muslim community to Bin Laden by using the phrase “resonance among Muslims” (Burns). Last but not least, the event of the Paris knife attack also reinforces the idea of Muslims being terrorists. In the article “In Paris Knife Attack, Police Ask How They Missed a Killer in Their Midst” by Adam Nossiter, a Paris bureau chief at The New York Times, Nossiter stated that Mickaël H., an Islam converter, had murdered 4 people by stabbing (Nossiter). This incident reinforces the idea of Islam being a dangerous religion by using Mickaël H. as evidence. Although all these articles show the reinforcement of the idea of Muslims as terrorists, there are also articles that challenge this idea.

The article that challenges this idea is ‘The Muslims Are Coming’ by Wajahat Ali, and ‘Mar-a-Lago Won’t Host Anti-Muslim Group’s Gala, Trump Organization Says’ by Mariel Padilla. Both of these articles challenge this idea by presenting Muslims as people that are not a threat to our country. For example, in the article ‘The Muslims Are Coming’ by Wajahat Ali, a New York Times contributing op-ed writer, Ali explains the influx of Muslims coming to America and running for political positions in the U.S. Wajahat. Ali also explains that this influx of Muslims had led people to be feared. This is shown in the article when Ali stated,

‘for some Americans — those who support a travel ban, a wall along the Mexican border and increased restrictions on refugees, all while holding on to the ridiculous belief that the world’s 1.8 billion Muslim hate America, despite the fact that it’s home to nearly 3.5 million of us — that statement probably inspires fear’ (Ali).

However, this fear have also caused many Muslims to enter the political position because they want ‘people [to] recognize I am someone who is a public servant working to create a better society, who just happens to be a Muslim refugee’ stated by Ms. Omar a member of U.S. House of Representative from Minnesota (Ali). This article shows that there are still people that believe that Muslims who are coming into the U.S. are terrorists and should be kicked out, and because of this fact, many Muslims are stepping out and running for political positions around the U.S. some include Rashida Tlaib of Detroit, a former state representative and a daughter of Palestinian immigrants, and Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American and refugee from Kenya.

In addition to this article, the article ‘Mar-a-Lago Won’t Host Anti-Muslim Group’s Gala, Trump Organization Says’ by Mariel Padilla, a reporter based in New York, shows the Anti-Muslim Group, ACT for America, being denied access to hold their annual gala at Mar-a-Logo. This shows that one of the largest Anti-Muslim group that is known for its history of “Islamophobia and associations with white supremacist and racist organizations” being rejected, proves to show that people are starting to believe that not all Muslims are terrorists (Padilla).

Although these past 5 weeks of analyzing 5 articles regarding The New York Times is not a large sample, it is enough to present an argument arguing The New York Times reinforcing and challenging the stereotype of Muslim are terrorists. However, future research will need to be conducted to solidify this argument.

Work Cited

1. Ali, Wajahat. “The Muslims Are Coming.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Oct. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/opinion/election-muslim-candidates-politics.html?searchResultPosition=11. Accessed Date 14 Oct. 2019.
2. Burns, John F. “America the Vulnerable Meets a Ruthless Enemy.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2001, https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/us/a-day-of-terror-the-militant-america-the-vulnerable-meets-a-ruthless-enemy.html. Accessed Date 23 Sept. 2019.
3. Davis, Elmer. History of The New York Times 1851-1921. The New York Times, 1921. Accessed Date 28 Oct. 2019
4. Goodstein, Laurie. “In U.S., Echoes of Rift Of Muslims and Jews.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2001, https://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/us/a-day-of-terror-the-ties-in-us-echoes-of-rift-of-muslims-and-jews.html. Accessed Date 23 Sept. 2019.
5. Nossiter, Adam. “In Paris Knife Attack, Police Ask How They Missed a Killer in Their Midst.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Oct. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/05/world/europe/paris-knife-attack.html?module=inline. Accessed Date 21 Oct. 2019.
6. “Our Journalism.” The New York Times Company, 3 May 2019, https://www.nytco.com/press/our-journalism/. Accessed Date 28 Oct. 2019.
7. Padilla, Mariel. “Mar-a-Lago Won’t Host Anti-Muslim Group’s Gala, Trump Organization Says.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Oct. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/05/us/anti-muslim-mar-a-lago.html?searchResultPosition=1. Accessed Date 10 Oct. 2019.
8. Wright, Robert. “Islamophobia and Homophobia.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Oct. 2010, https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/islamophobia-and-homophobia/?searchResultPosition=3. Accessed Date 4 Oct. 2019.

Representation of #MeToo Movement in New York Times: Analytical Essay

Introduction

The abuse of power has been a long discussed topic. Harvey Weinstein currently 66 years old, previous CEO of the Weinstein production company was accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment after decades of allegations. According to the BBC news and website, his actions were made public after an article was published by the New York Times “detailing decades of allegations of sexual harassment against Harvey Weinstein…Among the accusations are that he forced women to massage him and watch him naked. He also promised to help advance their careers in return for sexual favors”. This paper analyses the articles by the New York Times and the New Yorker detailing the accusations and its effects that it had on empowering women to come forward about their harassers mostly under the hashtag #MeToo. I will also discuss how the #MeToo movement was created in 2006 by Tarana Burke which helped give a voice to women who survived sexual violence, helped take down Harvey Weinstein and other men in power who use their position to harass female employees and coworkers. This paper will also focus on the allegations that Harvey Weinstein faces and his response, the creation of the Me-Too movement which empowered women to help fight sexual harassment and violence in the workplace, and non-disclosure agreement used by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to abuse their victims.

The New York Times published a story on October 5th 2017 detailing decades of allegations against Harvey Weinstein, two women came to the newspaper to share their stories. The first woman Ashley Judd claims that she was expecting to have a breakfast business meeting with Harvey but was instead sent to his room where he appeared in a bathrobe and asked if she could massage him or watch him shower. The other, Emily Nestor who was working for one day as a temporary employee, claims that Harvey invited her to the same hotel and offered to help boost her career in exchange of sexual advances. These aren’t the only women that have the same narrative against Harvey Weinstein, there is a consistency where plenty of other women who claim that they were invited to what they thought was a meeting or party at first, but were surprised to be sent to his room where he appeared in a bathrobe and asked for a massage, he would often ask women to watch him shower, masturbate in front of them, grab them and forced them to do sexual acts even if they don’t give consent. All the women that came forward say that they have said “no” many times but he would still force himself onto them, they claim that he is intimidating, big, fat, and most importantly have a lot of power over their careers. Some female employees that used to work at his company claim that they were removed from project, fired, or faced some damage in their careers after declining Harvey’s sexual favors. According to the New York times, Harvey Weinstein reached a settlement with at least eight women where he was accused of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact. In 2015, According to the New Yorker, Harvey Weinstein met with Ambra Battilana Gutierrez who was 22 years old and was a finalist in Miss Italy modelling contest at a party where he complimented her and sent a letter to her agency the next day asking for a meeting with her. She gathered her portfolio and went to a private meeting with him, she claims that he was looking at her breast and made a comment asking if they were real, he then grabbed her breasts. She claims to have felt petrified and went to the New York Police Department’s Special Victims Division where they gave her a wire and asked her to meet with Harvey again in order to catch him on tape for harassment, because he had given her tickets to “Finding Neverland” which is a musical that he was producing. The next day, she went and met with Harvey at a bar while the police were giving her instructions, at the end he asked her to join him to his bedroom but she stood in the hallway and asked him why he grabbed her breasts the other day? To which he replies. “Oh, please, I’m sorry, just come on in,” Weinstein says. “I’m used to that. Come on. Please.” “You’re used to that?” Gutierrez asks, sounding incredulous. “Yes,” Weinstein says. He adds, “I won’t do it again.” The conversation is currently online and available to the public but still the D.A’s office didn’t prosecute him then. One of the reasons is that Harvey Weinstein has an impressive legal team according to Asia Argento, an actress who also claims to have been harassed by Harvey. She claims that they had a project together and was asked by one of the producers to come at a party, but she entered to a hotel room to only find Harvey Weinstein. Yet again, he had a bathrobe on and gave her lotion in order to massage him, after starting to massage him, he grabbed her skirt up and performed oral sex to her even if she repeatedly said “no”. She claims to have surrendered because he was terrifying and had a lot of clout over her. She later on became a movie director and released a movie called “Scarlet Diva” in 2000, one of the scenes contain a man luring her to a hotel and asking her to give him a massage. A lot of people made the connection and sympathized with her. There are still countless other allegations with almost the same narrative, Lisa bloom who is a lawyer advising for Harvey said in a statement that “he denies many of the accusations as patently false.” According to Mark Gill, former president of Miramax which is one of Weinstein’s company, claims that former and current employees whether assistant or executives knew about Harvey’s misconduct but only few ever confronted him.

According to the guardian news website, the stories that the New York Times and the New Yorker published prompted thousands of women to come forward with their accounts of sexual harassment and assault against a wide variety of perpetrators under the hashtag #MeToo. One of the reasons that the Harvey Weinstein case made headlines was that countless women published their stories under the hashtags and made national buzz. The movement had an impact on the industry where dozens of men were fired or resigned from their positions, it has inspired women to speak up against their harassers from all across the globe. It has created a community where women could share their sexual assault stories, it even started the conversation about sexual violence and raised attention on laws used by companies to hide these misbehaviors in non-disclosure agreements. Non-disclosure agreements are used by harassers like Harvey Weinstein to harass multiple victims. They are mostly used when transformed to a settlement where Harvey pays his victims for compensation and for their silence against claims of sexual assault.

According to the MeToo official website, the movement was first created back in 2006 by Tarana Burke, the purpose was to help black women and girls from low wealth communities. Their vision is to create facilities where survivors can find healing, also find brave women to speak up in the name of the movement to empower other girls who fear the society view.

The work of Tarana can be linked to hooks, where particularly black women were oppressed and faced issues with race, so both hooks and Tarana faced issues with race and gender from particularly white men. They used the help of first world feminism to help other who’s voice isn’t loud enough. According to Deborah Tannen, the male figure is unmarked and the female is marked, this is to show that most of the times women face sexual assault because they catch the attention of men, the male gaze. Also, according to Cirkensena and Cuklanz, Women are being perceived to be more body than mind and more as objects than subjects.

Shockingly, The New York Times says that many women praise Harvey in the workplace, they claim to have not experience any sort of harassment, he is respected by many claiming that he helped a lot of people and gave great advices with no sight of trouble. However, other employees in interviews raise one common question: how did Harvey Weinstein pail allegations during these last three decades? having multiple women come some at the same hotel and having a pattern of harassment which wasn’t raised until now.

The reason is that “It wasn’t a secret to the inner circle,” said Kathy DeClesis, Bob Weinstein’s assistant in the early 1990s. She witnessed a young woman coming out of Harvey’s company after having an encounter with him and later on receiving a settlement from him, according to several employees.

According to the BBC news, Weinstein issued an apology recognizing that he’s actions “has caused a lot of pain and I sincerely apologize for it”. Still, he disputes the allegations saying he harassed female employees over the three decades. According to the New Yorker, Weinstein had an interview with the New York Post saying “I’ve got to deal with my personality, I’ve got to work on my temper, I have got to dig deep. I know a lot of people would like me to go into a facility, and I may well just do that—I will go anywhere I can learn more about myself.” He also claims that he was giving compliments to people that mistook it as being sexual, he is working to channel his anger and claims that he won’t do it again.

It was too late for Harvey Weinstein, because of the allegations and the articles published by both the New York Times and New Yorker. The BBC says that after the allegations Harvey took a leave of absence from his company and later been sacked from the company’s board. After more allegations started pouring and Hollywood A-listers started claiming they were harassed by Weinstein, many important organizations removed ties with him. Like the Bafta, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who are behind the Oscars along with other major organizations. Many companies that he had business with removed their deals, and according to the BBC, the Weinstein company had a deal for a possibility to sell that failed through.

It was clear that Harvey’s actions had severe consequences on both him and his company, Since the recording that was taken of him with Gutierrez, the miss Italy finalist, law enforcement agents could have accused Harvey of sexual abuse in the third degree which is punishable by law by a maximum of three months in jail. However, according to the New Yorker, Gutierrez past started to appear on the tabloids where she witnessed a bribe a got involved in a case that is still ongoing. Another case before it, she accused an Italian businessman of sexual assault but later denied to corporate with the authorities. Therefore, the police hesitated to prosecute Harvey even if they had enough evidence about him, because of Gutierrez statements in the past which complicated the case for the Manhattan District Attorney. Ultimately, they decided to not file charges.

Based on multiple sources, most women that are harassed by Harvey Weinstein, their ages range between 20 and 40, when their asked why haven’t you charged him in the past, most say that they were no witnesses and that Harvey’s presence alone terrified them, he also had the power to tarnish their careers.

2 years after this incident with Gutierrez, the articles from the New York Times and News and New Yorkers came out unveiling multiple allegations mentioned above, according to the Guardian, Harvey Weinstein is set to face trial in January 2020 after multiple allegations of rape and sexual assault to which he pleads not guilty. More than 80 Women have since alleged Harvey of sexual misconduct for a period of four decades.

Harvey Weinstein have caused a lot of pain for a lot of women, the allegations that he faced have caused him his career and his high status in Hollywood. This Weinstein case gained national attention, and created an effect where multiple men in Hollywood resigned or got fired because of sexual harassment allegations. This event empowered other women to share their stories of sexual assault with the hashtag #MeToo. It also caused national awareness about how the U.S deals with sexual misconduct in the workplace and the use of power, which Weinstein has in the film industry and his strong connections, to discourage his victims from pursuing legal charges and use non-disclosure on employees to not risk accusations. The New York Times and New Yorker are responsible for raising awareness about sexual abuse and empowering other women to stand up and face their harassers.

References:

1. Kantor, Jodi, and Megan Twohey. “Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Oct. 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html.
2. Gupta, Alisha Haridasani. “Weinstein’s Accusers Near a $25 Million Settlement. He Pays the Victims Zero.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Dec. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/13/us/weinstein-sexual-misconduct-settlement.html.
3. Farrow, Ronan. “From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers Tell Their Stories.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2019, https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/from-aggressive-overtures-to-sexual-assault-harvey-weinsteins-accusers-tell-their-stories.
4. “Harvey Weinstein Timeline: How the Scandal Unfolded.” BBC News, BBC, 12 Dec. 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41594672.
5. Perraudin, Frances. “#MeToo Two Years on: Weinstein Allegations ‘Tip of Iceberg’, Say Accusers.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 14 Oct. 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/14/metoo-two-years-weinstein-allegations-tip-of-iceberg-accusers-zelda-perkins-rosanna-arquette.
6. Me Too Movement, https://metoomvmt.org/about/.