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Article snippet: Because of the stories that have come out over the last week concerning the complaints about the movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, including two deeply reported New York Times investigative stories and an 8,000-word report from The New Yorker, readers now know all about his alleged pattern of sexual misconduct that victimized numerous women stretching back decades. And many of them are asking on social media why the story didn’t come out sooner. As I wrote last week, the answer lies in the power Mr. Weinstein had to mint stars and make millions for his investors and production partners, not to mention the interdependence (some might say codependence) of the entertainment and news industries. There is also another dynamic at play, involving something akin to a protection racket. This is the network of aggressive public relations flacks and lawyers who guard the secrets of those who employ them and keep their misdeeds out of public view. The racket is a formidable opponent for anyone who is trying to expose the truth. It uses everything at its disposal to wear down reporters or break their wills, either by wooing them with invitations to premieres, access to stars and, in some cases, possible book and movie deals. If the charm offensive doesn’t work, it may resort to smears and legal action. Any news organization that goes up against the protection racket has to be ready for a fight and has to have enough confidence in its reporting to face down a possible lawsuit. At ... Link to the full article to read more