The Las Vegas Review-Journal killed reports about casino mogul Steve Wynn's sexual misconduct in 1998
Casino mogul Steve Wynn, 76, allegedly engaged in a "decades-long pattern of sexual misconduct," The Wall Street Journal wrote last month, with its report leading to Wynn's resignation as the Republican National Committee finance chair. On Monday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal admitted that it also worked on a story about Wynn's sexual misconduct, but kept it from being published … in 1998.
"After killing the article, the newspaper ordered the reporter who wrote it to delete it from the newspaper's computer system," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. But "I always wanted to tell these women's stories," said former courts reporter Carri Geer, who is now the publication's metro editor. "That's why I saved this file for 20 years."
The Review-Journal's 1998 story centered on 11 waitresses at Wynn's Mirage hotel and casino, who brought a lawsuit against their employer after Wynn allegedly told them they did not look good in their uniforms. Some of the women additionally said they were pressured to "accommodate customers sexually," and one server claimed Wynn pressured her into having sex with him after she told him she was a new grandmother.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The report was held after Wynn's lawyers paid for the newspaper to administer lie-detector tests to two of the women accusers. The results indicated that one woman was apparently being truthful, while the second, Cynthia Simmons, failed the test. Simmons had accused Mirage of pressuring her to have sex with customers, and she told the Review-Journal she "was under emotional distress" before the polygraph test. "I couldn't even sleep the night before," she said.
Simmons also expressed her disappointment that the reports about Wynn were silenced by the paper. "I'm shocked anyone thought it was a secret," she said of the allegations. "We all knew this was going on, but nobody spoke up because they were afraid."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
'Elevating Earth Day into a national holiday is not radical — it's practical'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
UAW scores historic win in South at VW plant
Speed Read Volkswagen workers in Tennessee have voted to join the United Auto Workers union
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 22, 2024
Cartoons Monday's cartoons - dystopian laughs, WNBA salaries, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published