Megan Twohey: Breaking the Weinstein Story
Sexual harassment and assault have been an issue in our human society since the dawn of time. However, it remained an invisible and stigmatised issue for ages, because victims were scared to speak up or met with unbelief when they did. In this way, sexual harassment and assault has been able to continue: you cannot solve a problem you cannot see.
A little over two years ago, New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and her colleague Jodi Kantor broke that silence by exposing Harvey Weinstein. This was huge in Hollywood but it set a movement in motion that went far beyond the film industry: #metoo. Women and men around the world started sharing what had happened to them on social media. What started as a simple hashtag, ended up leading to mass firings and debate in many countries throughout the world.
In this interview with Megan Twohey, we will dive into her investigative journalism that led to Weinstein’s downfall. How did they find his trail, despite all his efforts to cover up what he was doing? How was he enabled by people and the system around him? And how did Megan and Jodi convince women to speak up against someone that powerful, knowing the repercussions this would have to their lives?
Then, we will zoom out and take a look at the #metoo movement in general and what it has achieved. Has too much changed or not enough? Did the call out culture of #metoo radicalise and does it no longer respect “innocent until proven guilty”? And have changes to the system that enabled the abuse of Weinstein, and so many others, actually been made?