meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

Credibility and Converts: Revisiting Tara Reade and Jane Roe

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

New York Times Opinion

Journalism, New York Times, Ross Douthat, News, Society & Culture

4.07.2K Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2020

⏱️ 34 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As reporting on the sexual assault allegation against Joe Biden digs deeper into his accuser’s credibility, where does that leave the Democrats, the press and the #MeToo movement? The columnists debate Tara Reade and the court of public opinion around survivors and the accused. Then, what does Norma McCorvey’s "death bed" confession mean for the pro-choice and pro-life movements? For background reading on this episode, visit nytimes.com/theargument.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I'm Michelle Goldberg.

0:01.6

I'm Ross Douthet.

0:03.0

I'm Frank Bruney, and this is the argument.

0:11.2

Several weeks ago, Ross Michelle and I discussed the case of Tara Reeve.

0:15.1

She, of course, accused Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her more than a quarter century ago

0:20.2

when she worked in his Senate office.

0:22.3

We discussed the difficulty of reconciling liberalism and feminism.

0:26.9

We talked about how one balances the importance of hearing her out

0:31.3

and continuing to grant Joe Biden some presumption of innocence.

0:35.0

Since then, there have been developments that raise new questions about her credibility.

0:40.8

And they've also raised the question of whether she's done damage to the MeToo movement.

0:47.0

Ross and Michelle and I will also take a fresh look at Norma McCorvey,

0:50.8

better known as Jane Rowe, as in Rowe V-Wade.

0:54.8

She was approached by a hero, then switched sides, then it seems switched sides again.

1:01.7

So what exactly happened?

1:04.0

We'll also hear a recommendation from Michelle.

1:07.0

But first, Tara Reeve.

1:15.7

Michelle, I want to get your take on it, but first let's make sure our listeners understand

1:19.5

what we're talking about when we say recent reporting, recent revelations.

1:23.0

Can you take them through some of the questions that have emerged about Tara Reeve in the last week?

1:28.0

So when this story first broke, journalists from mainstream outlets, I think we're in a pretty

1:33.6

difficult situation because a lot of them had tried to report out these allegations,

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from New York Times Opinion, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of New York Times Opinion and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.