What will I learn about: how the collective courage of 87 women proved that sharing personal stories can dismantle even the most heavily protected and powerful systems of abuse?

Discover how the collective courage of 87 women proved that sharing personal stories can dismantle even the most heavily protected and powerful systems of abuse.

What will I learn about: Learn how investigative journalists overcame a lack of physical evidence by focusing on protecting future victims, a strategy that successfully convinced hesitant sources to step forward?

Learn how investigative journalists overcame a lack of physical evidence by focusing on protecting future victims, a strategy that successfully convinced hesitant sources to step forward.

What will I learn about: why powerful predators are able to hide in plain sight by using philanthropic acts and public feminist credentials to deflect suspicion from their crimes?

Understand why powerful predators are able to hide in plain sight by using philanthropic acts and public feminist credentials to deflect suspicion from their crimes.

What will I learn about: how non-disclosure agreements and the fear of career destruction were weaponized by Hollywood elites to isolate victims and bury public records?

Find out how non-disclosure agreements and the fear of career destruction were weaponized by Hollywood elites to isolate victims and bury public records.

What will I learn about: Recognize the crucial role of internal whistleblowers by seeing how insiders, unwilling to continue enabling a predator, provided the vital internal evidence needed to break the story?

Recognize the crucial role of internal whistleblowers by seeing how insiders, unwilling to continue enabling a predator, provided the vital internal evidence needed to break the story.

She Said

Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement

Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey

★ 4.8 / 5(43 ratings)

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Categories:

Society & Culture Biography & Memoir

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Have you ever wondered how two reporters convinced some of the world’s most famous women to risk everything and break decades of silence?
💡What’s the secret to dismantling a system of abuse that was protected for years by elite lawyers and high-stakes intimidation?
💡Are you curious about how a handful of determined journalists turned a wall of 'off-the-record' whispers into the most explosive news story of the decade?

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Key Takeaways from She Said

✓Discover how the collective courage of 87 women proved that sharing personal stories can dismantle even the most heavily protected and powerful systems of abuse.
✓Learn how investigative journalists overcame a lack of physical evidence by focusing on protecting future victims, a strategy that successfully convinced hesitant sources to step forward.
✓Understand why powerful predators are able to hide in plain sight by using philanthropic acts and public feminist credentials to deflect suspicion from their crimes.
✓Find out how non-disclosure agreements and the fear of career destruction were weaponized by Hollywood elites to isolate victims and bury public records.
✓Recognize the crucial role of internal whistleblowers by seeing how insiders, unwilling to continue enabling a predator, provided the vital internal evidence needed to break the story.

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from She Said

Mind Map

She Said

The Investigation Begins+

Uncovering the Pattern+

Weinstein's Defense Machine+

Finding Hard Evidence+

Publication & Immediate Fallout+

The #MeToo Era+

Legacy and Healing+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9

How did the New York Times investigation into Harvey Weinstein initially begin?

A. With an anonymous tip from a former Miramax employee.
B. With an email exchange between investigative reporter Jodi Kantor and actress Rose McGowan.
C. With a leaked internal memo from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
D. With a public press conference held by Ashley Judd and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Question 2 of 9

What legal mechanism did Kantor and Twohey discover was primarily used by Weinstein to keep his victims from speaking out?

A. Defamation lawsuits filed against the victims' families.
B. Federal civil rights injunctions that sealed court documents.
C. Strict confidentiality agreements attached to out-of-court cash settlements.
D. Union contracts that prevented actors from criticizing studio executives.

Question 3 of 9

Why was Laura Madden's account particularly vital to the journalists' investigation?

A. She was the only victim who possessed physical evidence of the assault.
B. She was the only victim who had never settled or signed a confidentiality agreement.
C. She was the author of an internal memo detailing Weinstein's history of abuses.
D. She was a high-profile actress whose name would guarantee front-page coverage.

Question 4 of 9

Which of the following tactics did Weinstein use in his attempt to derail the New York Times investigation?

A. He hired a private firm staffed by former Israeli intelligence agents to surveil the reporters and victims.
B. He successfully bribed the executive editor of the Times to delay the publication.
C. He filed a preemptive Supreme Court injunction to block the story from running.
D. He publicly confessed to minor offenses to distract from the more serious rape allegations.

Question 5 of 9

Why did Weinstein Company insiders, like accountant Irwin Reiter and Bob Weinstein, ultimately help the journalists?

A. They were secretly working for a rival Hollywood studio.
B. They were promised a share of the profits from the journalists' upcoming book.
C. They were disgusted by Weinstein's behavior and furious that his actions put the company at financial risk.
D. They felt deep remorse for directly participating in and facilitating Weinstein's assaults.

Question 6 of 9

Who was the first high-profile actress to finally agree to go on the record for the initial New York Times exposé?

A. Gwyneth Paltrow
B. Rose McGowan
C. Salma Hayek
D. Ashley Judd

Question 7 of 9

According to the text, what was one of the criticisms or shortcomings of the #MeToo movement as it expanded?

A. It focused too much on everyday abusers and ignored high-profile celebrities.
B. It often left out vulnerable, working-class women while focusing heavily on high-profile figures.
C. It relied entirely on the criminal justice system rather than changing public opinion.
D. It failed to gain any traction on social media platforms outside of Twitter.

Question 8 of 9

What motivated psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford to come forward with her allegations against Brett Kavanaugh?

A. She was approached by Kantor and Twohey to be part of a follow-up investigative article.
B. She felt a duty to act when she learned Kavanaugh might be appointed to the Supreme Court.
C. She wanted to file a civil lawsuit to receive a financial settlement for her trauma.
D. She was seeking publicity to promote her new academic book on gender violence.

Question 9 of 9

What was a key takeaway from the 2019 gathering of #MeToo survivors at Gwyneth Paltrow's house?

A. The movement had achieved all its legal goals and no further action was needed.
B. The women deeply regretted coming forward because the legal repercussions outweighed the benefits.
C. Sharing their stories brought massive life changes, and the fight to speak up is a continuous, ongoing process.
D. They needed to form a new political party to challenge systemic sexism in Washington.

She Said — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
2Harvey Weinstein's investigation started with a simple initial email exchange.
3Kantor and Twohey uncovered dozens of victims, but none agreed to go on record.
4Kantor and Twohey suspected numerous Weinstein victims were silenced by strict confidentiality agreements for years.
5Weinstein built a sizable team to derail and discredit Kantor and Twohey’s investigation.
6Weinstein’s business partners were willing to cooperate, largely to save their company from his reckless behavior overall.
7O’Connor’s memo sparked a frenzied few days of intensive work at the Times.
8After repelling last-minute legal threats from Weinstein, Kantor and Twohey’s explosive article published online that day.
9The Weinstein saga popularized #MeToo, an international conversation about sexual assault that traveled all the way to the Supreme Court.
10Ford delivered powerful testimony to the Senate, yet it didn’t halt Kavanaugh’s nomination in time.
11In January 2019, Kantor and Twohey convened many women central to #MeToo for one last collective interview in the Hamptons.

She Said Summary & Overview

On October 5, 2017, the New York Times ran an exposé detailing years of sexual misconduct by famed film producer Harvey Weinstein. She Said (2019) tells the story behind the story, tracing how two investigative journalists, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, uncovered one of the biggest news events of the decade and helped galvanize the #MeToo moment. Told by the journalists themselves, this book recounts how tenacious reporting can transform decades of abuse into a worldwide movement.

Who Should Listen to She Said?

Anyone interested in the story behind the #MeToo movement
People intrigued by the world of investigative journalism
Those seeking inspiration on how to fight abuses of power and other injustices

About the Author: Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey

Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey are Pulitzer-prize winning journalists best known for their in-depth reporting for the New York Times. Kantor has covered news and politics for major outlets and published the best-selling The Obamas (2012). Twohey’s investigative work has appeared in Reuters, the Chicago Tribune and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

She Said

If You're Curious About These Questions...

Listen to She Said — Free Audiobook

Key Takeaways from She Said

Learning Tools

Mind Map

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

She Said — Full Chapter Overview

She Said Summary & Overview

Who Should Listen to She Said?

About the Author: Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey

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