When #MeToo Went on Trial

The Daily

The New York Times

Daily News, News

4.4 • 102.8K Ratings

🗓️ 4 October 2019

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The investigation of Harvey Weinstein that helped give rise to the #MeToo movement had seemed, for a moment, to unite the country in redefining the rules around sex and power. But as a backlash emerged, the Supreme Court confirmation of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh became a kind of national trial of the movement. On the one-year anniversary of Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation, we look at new reporting on the story of the woman at the center of it — Dr. Christine Blasey Ford — and the journey that led to her searing testimony in Washington. Guests: Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, investigative reporters for The New York Times and the authors of “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement.” For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background coverage: Last month, several Democratic presidential candidates called for the impeachment of Justice Kavanaugh after The Times published new information about allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Megan, Jody, take us back to this moment a year ago.
0:03.6	Where is the country?
0:05.7	Let's actually go back a little earlier than that.
0:08.6	Let's go back to the summer of 2018.
0:11.3	Bill Cosby, comedian, actor, the man once dubbed America's Dad.
0:16.4	Tonight, the 80-year-old is convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault.
0:23.5	Kevin Spacey is being investigated by Scotland Yard for three new cases of sexual assault.
0:29.2	That new trouble for disgraced celebrity chef Mario Vitaleo.
0:32.3	Obviously, these allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault,
0:35.4	a lot of things are in motion here.
0:37.1	It's been months and months since the Weinstein story broke, and
0:41.6	me too has become this global phenomenon.
0:46.5	This is somebody, this happened to me too.
0:49.4	Me too has been the phrase has been used consistently about this case.
0:53.2	It happened to them too and in front of me.
0:54.8	But there's also a lot of controversy and a kind of sense of mounting unfairness.
1:00.0	A real backlash is accumulating.
1:02.0	Actress Catherine De Nueh denounced the movement because she believes
1:05.6	people who did not deserve to be condemned are facing the same consequences as sex offenders.
1:11.3	Because if you try and make a pass at someone, try and indicate that you're interested,
1:16.1	put maybe a hand on a knee.
1:18.4	You could be accused of sexual harassment.
	...

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