She Said Book Summary

Book Summary

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Brief Summary

New York Times journalists Kantor and Twohey broke the story of influential Hollywood media mogul Harvey Weinstein’s pattern of inappropriate sexual behavior, abuse, and cover-ups that dated back to the 1990s. After months of investigation, Kantor and Twohey published the story and exposed his predatory behavior. Following publication, Weinstein was criminally charged, and the story led to even more powerful men being held accountable for their sexual misbehavior. The story mobilized women around the world to share their own stories about sexual abuse and launched the start of the #MeToo movement.

About the Author

Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey are New York Times investigative journalists and the co-authors of She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement. New York Public Library, NPR, and The New York Times ranked the book as one of 2019’s best books of the year.

Kantor and Twohey won the George Polk award, a Sydney Award, and the McGill Medal for Journalistic Courage from the Grady College of Journalism. They were named on Time’s list of 100 most influential people of the year in 2017. The New York Times won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for Kantor's and Twohey's reporting on the Weinstein story.

Twohey is married to literary agent Jim Rutman and lives in Brooklyn with her daughter. Kantor lives with her husband, Ron Lieber, in Brooklyn.

Topics

Politics

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Key Insights

Harvey Weinstein, one of the most renowned and influential Hollywood producers and co-founder of Miramax, was exposed by two New York Times reporters, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, to be a serial sexual abuser. He used his position of power to sexually harass and exploit young women in Hollywood for years.

After receiving an email from actress Rose McGowan recounting a sexual assault at the hands of Weinstein, the journalists began investigating the story, uncovering a pattern of ongoing sexual abuse and cover-ups that went back to the 1990s. Kantor and Twohey corroborated the story with evidence and personal accounts from Weinstein’s business partners, former employees, and other Hollywood actresses. The article was published in October 2017, despite Weinstein’s attempts to smear his accusers and kill the story.

The breaking of the Weinstein story launched the nationwide #MeToo movement. Many more women came forward to speak out about their experience with sexual abuse and hold their abusers accountable.

Perhaps the most high-profile case to come out of the #MeToo movement was the Brett Kavanaugh case. Kavanaugh was President Trump’s pick for Supreme Court nominee when Christine Blasey Ford alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh in 1982. She testified to her experience at Kavanaugh’s nomination hearings, but despite her testimony, Kavanaugh was still appointed to the Supreme Court.

The Email That Started Everything

In May 2017, actress Rose McGowan sent an email to New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor. McGowan was known for calling out sexism in show business, and she had recently recounted a story on her Twitter about having been raped by a big-name producer, although she did not specify who.

Off the record, McGowan told Kantor the whole story. She recounted the details of meeting Hollywood bigwig Harvey Weinstein at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. He invited her back to his hotel under the pretense of a business meeting, but when she arrived later that night, he instead trapped her and forced himself on her. Afterward, he propositioned her for a “special arrangement.” McGowan, disgusted, refused the offer and hired a lawyer. He was able to win a $100,000 settlement from Weinstein, but only on the condition that the entire incident be kept private.

After speaking to her editor, Rebecca Corbett, to decide how to proceed with the story, Kantor and Corbett decided to bring in another Times investigative reporter, Megan Twohey, to help dig into the story. Weinstein was both an influential media mogul and very politically connected. He actively fundraised for the Democratic party, including for important candidates like Hillary Clinton. Because of Weinstein’s power and influence, any accusations against him would have to be extensively corroborated before any story could be published.

The Problem of Corroboration

Kantor and Twohey began a further investigation into McGowan’s story, but corroborating the accusations proved exceptionally difficult due to the subject matter. They tried getting in touch with other women who had similar unsavory encounters with Weinstein, but many other actresses and former employees of Weinstein were reluctant to come forward. Some refused out of...