For a generation Fox News has stood alone at the top of the conservative-media food chain. It’s the great validator. It grants a person access to power, recognition in Red America, and — most alluring to the idealistic — the opportunity to perhaps even make a difference. To become Fox News Famous is to be somebody in American politics.

When it comes to Harvey Weinstein, he could conceivably grant fame and influence far beyond the political subculture. Fox News Famous is nothing compared to Oscar Famous. To be Oscar Famous is to be world-famous. It’s to live beyond the span of your life. It’s to imprint upon the American culture an enduring work of art, one that your name is forever attached to, one that — again, this is most alluring to the idealistic — can actually change things.

And so, what happens? Ambitious people make easy choices. They see something wrong, but they say nothing. After all, why should they come forward? They’re not the victim. Why does it fall upon them to risk their careers? Let someone else tell the hard truth and accept the rage and scorn.