People are angry female reporters who sparked the #MeToo movement are being ignored
This weekend, The Sunday Times ran a profile on Ronan Farrow describing him as “The man who took down Weinstein.”
However, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey are the reporters who broke the story, which then went on to spark the #MeToo movement.
Back in October, The New York Times published a piece written by Kantor and Twohey exposing Harvey Weinstein for his countless acts of sexual harassment over the course of many years.
Less than a week later, Farrow published a story on newyorker.com that featured personal accounts from many women who experienced sexual assault and harassment at the hands of the film executive.
Both articles were pivotal in the fight against sexual harassment, leading to a surge in women and men coming forward to tell their stories and support other victims, uniting under the hashtag #MeToo.
However, The Sunday Times singled Farrow out in their feature.
Interesting to see the two female journos who actually broke the story being written out of history already pic.twitter.com/06LzCf2Q5Y
— Barbara Speed (@bspeed8) December 10, 2017
There’s no denying that Farrow played a crucial role in exposing Weinstein’s misconducts.
But some argue that to place him on a pedestal above the two female reporters who published the first exposé on the story is unjust.
Less than a week ago, Recode named Kantor, Twohey and Farrow number three on the Recode 100, a list celebrating people who made an impact in tech and business this year.
They wrote: “The post-Weinstein era exists largely because of three journalists.”
Not just "The man who took down Weinstein", but "The MAN who took down WEINSTEIN". Weird choice of emphasis.
— Dunoid (@_Dunoid) December 10, 2017
Well that didn't take long!
Holy @#^@#%^#$ did we learn nothing from this whole fiasco?
Women just can't catch a break against the dudebros.— Becca Patterson (@Mreauow) December 10, 2017
Don't participate, actively or passively, in writing Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey out of history. When you see stories like this, repeat their names. Keep speaking up!
— Patrick Durusau (@patrickDurusau) December 10, 2017
As can be expected, many people are furious that Twohey and Farrow have been dismissed by The Sunday Times for their momentous work.
One user wrote: “Well that didn’t take long!
“Women just can’t catch a break against dudebros.”
Another took this as an opportunity for a call to action, writing: “Don’t participate, actively or passively in writing Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey out of history.
“When you see stories like this, repeat their names. Keep speaking up!”
Since The Sunday Times profile on Farrow has caused outrage, it's been noticed that the title of the online article differs from the one in print.
While the article is named: “The man who took down Weinstein” in the print magazine, the title of the feature reads “The man who helped bring down Harvey Weinstein” online.
One user pointed out that Farrow himself has been very supportive of Kantor and Twohey’s work, writing: “It’s sad, because Ronan has been repeatedly trying to center them in statements and on Twitter.
“Almost every time I’ve seen him accept a compliment, he mentions them. And then this headline. Yikes”
The Independent has contacted The Sunday Times for comment.