TheWeinstein effect is a scandal in which famous or powerful figures – previously thought to be immune from most consequences due to their fame – are later accused ofsexual abuse,harassment, ormisconduct.[1] The term "Weinstein effect" came into use in October 2017, when media outlets began reporting on alleged sexual abuse perpetrated byfilm producerHarvey Weinstein.[2]
In July 2016,Fox News television hostGretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit against the station's chairmanRoger Ailes, which led to his removal and encouraged journalists to pursue rumors about Weinstein's conduct and political commentatorBill O'Reilly. Similar revelations anda lawsuit led to O'Reilly being fired in April 2017. Both Ailes (who died in May 2017) and O'Reilly denied any wrongdoing.[6]
Jim Rutenberg ofThe New York Times said the Weinstein scandal precipitated a "national reckoning" againstsexual harassment andassault in the United States,[9] which became known as the Weinstein effect.[6]USA Today wrote that 2017 was the year in which "sexual misconduct became a fireable offense".[6]
Women and men aired claims of sexual misconduct in workplaces across multiple industries, leading to the swift international condemnation or removal of many men in positions of power. OnTwitter, the#MeToo campaign also encouraged hundreds of thousands of people to share their stories.[6][10]
Examples of the Weinstein effect are numerous. Many notable people in entertainment and music have been implicated, including:
In the journalism industry, allegations led to the firing of editors, publishers, executives, and hosts, including high-profile television figures such asCharlie Rose,Mark Halperin, andMatt Lauer.[2] In politics, accusations of varying degrees of severity were made against U.S. House RepresentativeJohn Conyers (D-MI) and U.S. SenatorAl Franken (D-MN), both of whom resigned their seats in Congress, andRoy Moore (R-AL), who lost his2017 bid for election to theUnited States Senate.[2] Celebrity chefsMario Batali andJohn Besh were also removed.[2]
In technology, the Weinstein effect went underway whenIntel CEOBrian Krzanich was investigated after being accused of violating the company's anti-fraternization policy over a consensual relationship he engaged in with an employee. Regardless, although this incident was ultimately not counted as sexually violent, and with the #MeToo movement still in effect, Krzanich was ousted as Intel's CEO on June 21, 2018.[19][20][21]
Two supporters of the #MeToo movement were also accused.CBS chairman and CEOLeslie Moonves was one of Hollywood's most prominent supporters of the movement and a founding member of the "Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace", formed in late 2017 to "tackle the broad culture of abuse and power disparity".[22][23][3][4][24] On July 27, 2018, six women, including actressIlleana Douglas, accused him of sexually harassing them.[22] On August 19, 2018, an article published inThe New York Times detailed allegations thatAsia Argento sexually assaultedJimmy Bennett, a then-17-year-old actor and musician, in a California hotel in 2013, and arranged to pay $380,000 to her accuser.[25][26][5] Bennett was under California'sage of consent, which is 18 years of age, and says he was given alcohol under the age of 21.[5][27][28] Argento was a leading Weinstein accuser and prominent #MeToo movement leader.[5][27][28]
American journalists in conversation atNPR spoke of the allegations feeling like atipping point for societal treatment of sexual misconduct.[31] They distinguished the moment from prior sexual misconduct public debates by the public trust in the accusers, who in this case were celebrities familiar to the public, rather than the accusers in prior cases, in which the accusers were unknown and became famous for their testimony. Social media provides a platform for women to share their experiences and encouragement on a scale that had not existed during prior public debates.[31] The state of California is considering legislation to ban closed door sexual harassment settlements.[6]
Two columnists of theUSA Today expressed doubt that the trend of public opinion would hold, citing open, public cases with few consequences, such asR. Kelly (the column was made beforeSurviving R. Kelly aired and Kelly's subsequent arrest in early 2019) andDonald Trump.[6] The Weinstein effect also caused some to question the place ofBill Clinton within theDemocratic Party due to thesexual misconduct allegations against him.[32][33][34] JournalistJenny Nordberg published aNew York Times article in protest against the prosecution and conviction of actressCissi Wallin, one of the many accusers of journalistFredrik Virtanen, and her criticism of the difficulties the Me Too movement faces inSweden.
^Flanagan, Caitlin (November 2017)."Bill Clinton: A reckoning".TheAtlantic.com.Archived from the original on November 18, 2017. RetrievedNovember 19, 2017.
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