What is the main message of She Said?

She Said is a powerful book that exposes the culture of silence around sexual harassment and encourages speaking truth to power.

How long does it take to read She Said?

Reading She Said takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

Is She Said a good book? Is it worth reading?

She Said is a must-read that sheds light on the #MeToo movement and the importance of investigative journalism.

Who is the author of She Said?

She Said is written by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.

She Said Summary of Key Ideas and Review

Name: She Said
Rating: 4.8 (45 reviews)
Author: Jodi Kantor

Introduction

What’s in it for me? A behind-the-headlines account of one of the decade’s biggest news events.

For decades, Harvey Weinstein was the pinnacle of Hollywood success: a renowned producer of hit films and winner of countless awards, his influence stretched across the industry. Behind the glamour, however, was a dark pattern of abuse, exploitation and sexual harassment. It took the intrepid reporting of two investigative journalists to reveal the true face of this movie mogul.

These blinks uncover the story behind the headlines, from the perspective of the journalists who broke the news. You’ll learn how months of interviews and gumshoe reporting transformed rumors and allegations into a worldwide movement that couldn’t be silenced. This thrilling exposé weaves together stories of brave actresses, shady legal dealings and a Supreme Court battle, into a gripping account of the #MeToo era.

In these blinks, you’ll also discover

how a series of tweets set off a months-long investigation;
how a woman from Dublin played a key role in bringing Weinstein down; and
exactly what it takes to unearth three decades of misconduct and coverups.

Key idea 1 of 10

The investigation into Harvey Weinstein began with an email exchange.

The investigation began in May 2017 with a tentative email exchange between New York Times investigative reporter Jodi Kantor and actress Rose McGowan.

McGowan, an A-list film and television actress, was known for her outspoken Twitter feed documenting everyday sexism in the media industry. Kantor, who had worked at the Times for 14 years, had a track record of covering gender discrimination at major corporations like Starbucks and Amazon.

McGowan had recently tweeted a personal story about her rape at the hands of a Hollywood producer. She had not named names, but rumors hinted that the perpetrator was the media mogul, Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein, an industry powerhouse, was known for turning young talents, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Michelle Williams and Jennifer Lawrence, into superstars. He was also politically connected, raising money for prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton.

After some initial reluctance, McGowan told Kantor her full story, but only off-the-record. The details were shocking. According to McGowan, she met Weinstein in 1997 at the Sundance Film Festival, where he invited her to his hotel room under the pretext of talking business. After a brief exchange in the room, he forced himself on her without consent. Frightened and caught off guard, McGowan was unable to escape.

A few days later, McGowan received a message from the producer, hinting that the two could have a special arrangement. Disgusted with the offer, the actress hired a lawyer, who extracted a $100,000 settlement from Weinstein on the condition that the matter would be kept private.

Kantor had no reason to doubt the account, but such explosive allegations would have to be corroborated, otherwise the incident could easily become a case of “he said, she said.” With this in mind, she sought the advice of her editor, Rebecca Corbett, who suggested digging deeper before publishing anything.

Corbett also suggested enlisting the help of one of the Times’s newest reporters, Megan Twohey. Twohey, who joined the paper in February 2016, had already made waves reporting on numerous sexual assault allegations against then-presidential candidate, Donald Trump. The reporting had set off a media circus, and many of the women she interviewed experienced harassment for coming forward.

Kantor called Twohey, who was on maternity leave, and the two reporters discussed the challenge ahead. If they worked together, maybe they could find a way to expose the widespread harassment faced by so many women, as well as the system that protected the powerful men who committed it.

Key idea 2 of 10

Kantor and Twohey found dozens of victims, but no one willing to go on-the-record.

In June 2017, Jodi Kantor began corroborating Rose McGowan’s story by searching for other women who’d had similar experiences with Weinstein. The sensitive subject matter made the investigation difficult even for the seasoned reporter.

The first hurdle was getting in touch with actresses who had worked with Weinstein. The normal approach would be to contact their publicists or managers, but these gatekeepers were more interested in protecting their clients’ reputations or that of Weinstein himself. Another approach was to contact former Weinstein employees, but this, too, mostly led to dead ends. Some even suggested that Weinstein’s behavior was a “non-story,” just business as usual in Hollywood.

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Key idea 3 of 10

Kantor and Twohey suspected that many of Weinstein’s victims were silenced by strict confidentiality agreements.

Kantor and Twohey were at an impasse – Weinstein had clearly abused multiple women, but none felt safe enough to go on-the-record. To continue the investigation, they needed to pursue other avenues.

Twohey wanted concrete evidence. She reasoned that, given Weinstein’s serial offenses, there might be public records about his behavior. With the help of Grace Ashford, a young researcher at the Times, she tracked down a report from California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing. The report hinted at incidents at Weinstein’s company, Miramax, but the paperwork led nowhere. Another dead end.

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Key idea 4 of 10

Weinstein assembled a large team to derail and discredit Kantor and Twohey’s investigation.

On July 12, Kantor and Twohey met with Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the Times. He was impressed with their work, but advised the team to proceed with caution. Weinstein would fiercely defend his reputation – both reporters should assume they were being watched, and neither should talk to Weinstein off-the-record.

Baquet's intuition was correct. A few weeks later, Lanny Davis, a high-powered attorney and one of Weinstein’s close associates, contacted the Times. He wanted to meet the reporters, but only on background, meaning that the journalists could report what he said, but not disclose his name. Setting aside their skepticism, Kantor and Twohey, along with their editor, Rebecca Corbett, agreed to meet him.

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Key idea 5 of 10

Weinstein’s business partners were willing to cooperate, if only to save their company from Weinstein’s reckless behavior.

By September 2017, Kantor and Twohey had a problem. They had gathered copious evidence against Weinstein, but still not enough to publish. For the investigation to move forward the team needed information from Weinstein’s business partners. These officials, however, were more concerned about protecting their company than helping vulnerable women – at least at first.

Fortuitously, one senior executive was coming around: Irwin Reiter, a Weinstein Company accountant. Reiter had done Weinstein’s books since 1989 and hated the producer. In a series of meetings with Kantor, he gave his opinion on the case: Why was the Times so focused on events from the 90s when there were plenty of recent troubles? There was also the possibility that Weinstein misused company money to fund his reckless habits. Reiter was disgusted with how Weinstein treated women, but also furious that his actions put the company at risk.

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Key idea 6 of 10

O’Connor’s memo kicked off a frenzied few days of work at the Times.

Friday, September 29, 2017. With O’Connor’s damning memo in hand, Kantor and Twohey were finally ready to write. Drafting the story meant nailing down every last fact, conducting on-the-record interviews, and finally, contacting Weinstein for his response. The next few days would be a crucible.

The pair assessed what they had: ten credible stories of sexual misconduct dating from 1990 to 2015. These, along with O’Connor’s memo, and an on-the-record interview with the Irish production assistant Laura Madden, would be the backbone of their story. It was a compelling account, and possibly strong enough to make further sources go on the record. With this goal in mind, Twohey and Kantor set to work.

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Key idea 7 of 10

After fending off last-minute legal threats from Weinstein, Kantor and Twohey’s explosive article went to press.

October 4, 2017. With the 1 p.m. publication deadline just hours away, Kantor and Twohey reached out to Weinstein’s lawyers to inform them that Judd’s story would be part of the article. They also pressed again for an official response. The producer’s team, though, planned to make the process as slow as possible.

Finally, at 1:43 p.m. an email arrived. It contained an 18-page diatribe authored by Harder, Weinstein’s most aggressive attorney. In the document, the lawyer denied everything, and described Weinstein’s accusers as bitter, manipulative liars. He also attacked the Times itself, alleging that, by giving so little time for a response, the paper was abandoning its journalistic standards. It ended with a threat to sue the paper for millions in damages.

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Key idea 8 of 10

The Weinstein story popularized #MeToo, an international conversation about sexual assault that went all the way to the Supreme Court.

After Kantor and Twohey’s article ran in the Times, Weinstein faced real consequences. The producer became synonymous with sexual assault and was criminally charged for two instances of abuse. However, the true impact of the investigation reached far beyond the Weinstein Company boardroom.

The Weinstein story started a national conversation about sexual harassment and assault. As women watched a powerful man held to account, it seemed their own allegations would be taken seriously. The hashtag #MeToo, originally coined by civil rights activist Tarana Burke, caught fire on social media as women shared their experiences. Celebrities across industries were identified as abusers – comedian Louis C.K., Senator Al Franken, and chef Mario Batali all faced scrutiny.

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Key idea 9 of 10

Ford gave a powerful testimony to the Senate, but it couldn’t stop the Kavanaugh nomination.

That fall, Ford tried to put the incident behind her, but the Pandora’s box she’d opened by writing to Senator Feinstein could not be closed. Word spread about possible allegations against Kavanaugh, and on September 16, Ford’s identity was revealed in the Washington Post. Now Ford faced a choice: would she testify against the judge or not?

The stakes were incredibly high. The #MeToo movement was still making headlines, and many women and activists saw the Supreme Court nomination process as its most important test. On the other hand, Republican lawmakers were determined to confirm Kavanaugh. As both sides amassed support and took shots at each other in the media, Katz and her partners negotiated the terms of Ford’s testimony with the Judiciary Committee. Meanwhile, Ford was still uncertain about if she would come to Washington.

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Key idea 10 of 10

In January 2019, Kantor and Twohey gathered many women at the heart of the #MeToo movement for one final interview.

In the years after the publication of their groundbreaking article on Weinstein’s abuse, Kantor and Twohey continued to produce stories about sexual harassment and abuse. By January 2019, it was time to look back on the personal impact of their work. The two reporters planned a unique group interview with the women who had become the public face of the #MeToo movement.

For this story, 12 women gathered at Gwyneth Paltrow’s mansion in the Hamptons. Each attendee had been affected by sexual abuse, and many had come forward to tell their stories. Among the crowd were Weinstein accusers Ashley Judd, Zelda Perkins and Laura Madden; Kim Lawson, the McDonald’s worker profiled in subsequent articles; and Rachel Crooks, who had gone public about being forcibly kissed by President Trump.

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