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Variety TV Critic Reveals She Was Sexually Assaulted by Television Executive

Oct 19, 2017  •  Post A Comment

A television critic reveals in a column published Wednesday by Variety that she was sexually assaulted in 2014 by a television executive.

Maureen Ryan writes that the attack caused her to question whether she wanted to remain in the business.

“I look around at what occurred with Harvey Weinstein (and Cosby, and Ailes, and so on), and I have agonized over whether I made the right decision,” Ryan writes. “In the summer of 2015, I chose to stay, and to keep covering the art form I love as best as I can. But the last couple of weeks have been incredibly difficult, for assault survivors and everyone else. Part of the anguish I’ve felt comes from wondering if I’m feeding a monstrous beast that can’t be fixed.”

Ryan adds: “Harvey Weinstein, it is clear, is a monster, a sociopathic ogre, and I applaud the journalists who dragged the full scope of his reign of terror into the light of day, and survivors who have spoken out will have my heart forever. … But Harvey is not the whole story. There are many Harveys, with varying amounts of influence, at every level in this industry.”

Ryan goes into the obstacles assault survivors face in deciding whether to speak out.

“I can’t name my attacker for legal reasons,” she writes. “But I won’t be silent any more. A television executive assaulted me, and the specific power dynamics of this industry aid and abet men like him.”

We encourage readers to click on the link above to Variety to read Ryan’s full column.

One Comment

  1. Do you know how we found out about Harvey, Cosby and Ailes? Someone spoke up and pointed them out publicly. When people take a legal settlement and take the cash to be silent they are “feeding a monstrous beast”.

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