 |
| Harvey Weinstein, left, and Bill O’Reilly. |
Bill O’Reilly and Harvey Weinstein may have come from different ends of the political spectrum, but it turns out they have a lot in common.
They rose to positions of power around the same time and used their big, bullying voices to secure for themselves leading roles in American culture. Both men worked in industries that put up with gross behavior from male executives for decades, and both now stand accused of lording their status over women who have stepped forward to say that the men sexually harassed or otherwise abused them.
Mr. O’Reilly, late of Fox News, and Mr. Weinstein, late of the Weinstein Company, share something else. They kept their alleged misconduct under wraps with the help of the nondisclosure agreements included as part of the numerous out-of-court settlements that allowed them to admit to no wrongdoing.
The sums they paid their accusers bought them silence. A full, public airing did not come to be until those meddling reporters came along.
The report in The New York Times this weekend that Mr. O’Reilly paid $32 million in a single settlement with the former Fox News analyst Lis Wiehl in January brings to $45 million the amount that has been paid to six women who accused him of harassment.
