EXCLUSIVE: ‘How do you look yourself in the eye’: Harvey Weinstein told NY Times reporters they lacked honor and integrity in last ditch effort to kill sexual misconduct expose, reveals transcript
- Harvey Weinstein attempted to kill the New York Times expose detailing his alleged sexual misconduct by questioning the values of reporters
- ‘If you mess up and you don’t tell the truth and you write just to write. How do you look yourself in the eye? I don’t understand it,’ asked Weinstein
- Weinstein revealed that he dreamed of being a journalist as as child, adding: I read every book on The New York Times, every book about journalism’
- he also claimed to read ‘every newspaper and magazine’
- I’m not a saint … but you’re journalists, and when you were kids you wanted to grow up to tell the right story, to tell the truth,’ said Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein tried to kill The New York Times expose about his alleged history of sexual misconduct by questioning the values of the two reporters and editor who were working on the piece, a never-before-seen transcript reveals.
He did not stop there either, with the accused rapist and serial harasser then offering to help Times’ reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey with their story, if they would just delay publishing the piece.
‘If you’re honorable there’s no deadline, you’re not in any jeopardy of another article. This to me, and I’m going to say this nicely, get the facts right,’ said Weinstein according to a transcript of the call obtained by DailyMail.com,.
‘Get the fact right. We’ll help you get the facts right.’
In the end, the soon-to-be Pulitzer Prize-winners did not delay the publication of their piece, which ran in the Times two days after their call with Weinstein.
Finl plea: Harvey Weinstein (left) attempted to kill the New York Times expose detailing his alleged sexual misconduct by questioning the values of reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey (left)
Weinstein also spoke of his love for journalism during his diatribe, declaring: ‘If I wasn’t making movies I would have been a journalist. I read every book on The New York Times, every book about journalism and I read every newspaper and magazine.’
He said that the journalists who impressed him most ‘are the ones who ‘go out of their way to be fair,’ then broke out a quote he attributed to the ‘great editor’ James Fallows.
‘All journalist should experience someone writing a nasty article about them and they will understand what compassion is,’ said Weinstein.
And with those musings out of the way, Weinstein launched into one final plea.
‘I’m not a saint, but I’m not the sinner you think I am,’ he said to the Times staffers.
‘And I’m telling you this right now: There will be, I believe, many good things that Charles [Harder] will help you and guide you with as fair as possible.’
He continued: ‘And remember what I said, I’m not a saint … but you’re journalists, and when you were kids you wanted to grow up to tell the right story, to tell the truth. You weren’t about deadlines, you wanted to tell the truth.
‘If you mess up and you don’t tell the truth and you write just to write. How do you look yourself in the eye? I don’t understand it.’