I recently became captivated by the bestseller book, “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement.” The book is written by New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey who broke the story about allegations of Harvey Weinstein’s disturbing misconduct and which ended his prestigious Hollywood career.
The book presents an in-depth, candid and sometimes startling review of how two journalists along with the newspaper’s editorial leadership pursued and effectively reported this shocking story. What struck me more than the horrific allegations against Harvey Weinstein, is this firsthand account of the multitude of legal and PR tactics deployed by those defending the Hollywood titan in order to prevent or minimize the New York Times coverage. This book provides great insight for public relations practitioners who work in crisis or reputation management. For PR practitioners desiring to specialize in crisis and reputation work, “She Said” is a must-read. Kantor and Twohey have perhaps unwittingly provided an amazing example of what NOT to do when representing a client in crisis.
