Classic Reissue: The Weinstein in the Room

Harvey Weinstein is, was, and always will be a bully.

In the aftermath of Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction being overturned in New York last month, it felt apt to revisit this piece I wrote about three years ago.

The New Yorker. "Beauty and the Beast." December 8, 2002. Ken Auletta.

(Read the profile here.)

Reading any and all articles about Harvey Weinstein published before October 2017 is a very surreal experience. It’s near-impossible to look at them independently of everything we know now about the disgraced mogul who is currently serving a 23-year jail sentence for sexual assault and rape. You can’t see them for how they were presented at the time or offer any kind of optimistic perspective that these writers were simply calling it like they saw it. We know far too much about how Weinstein bullied and intimidated the press, offering stories to friendly sources and spending lots of money on ad campaigns during the Oscar seasons he helped to redefine in his image. You consider what the journalist had to go through when dealing with their subject and the agenda of the man in question. What was agreed upon before they hit record? Who did he browbeat into getting his way with specific points or tone? What did the journalist omit, either through choice, editorial guidance, or Weinstein’s own wrath? Were they safe when in the room with him, alone?