Me Too reporter Jodi Kantor opens the 7th Congress of Journalists of Catalonia

BarcelonaAt the 7th Congress of Journalists of Catalonia, investigative reporter Jodi Kantor delivered the first presentation. She works for New York Times and co-author of the book She said: the journalistic investigation that uncovered Harvey Weinstein's abuses and fueled the #MeToo movementJodi Kantor, along with her colleague Megan Twohey, produced the series of reports that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. She traveled to Barcelona to discuss her investigation and defend the importance of the work of information professionals. The dean of the College of Journalists, Joan Maria Morros, opened the Congress with a minute of silence "in memory of the professionals who have lost their lives" in the line of duty. Their investigation, targeting one of Hollywood's most powerful figures, sparked a movement in which many women were heard, igniting a global conversation about abuse. The journalist, who was born in New York, is still surprised by the impact the work continues to have eight years after its publication. But one of the questions she posed during her presentation at the CaixaForum auditorium was: "If the story were published now, would it have the same impact?" She confesses that she doesn't have the answer and doesn't know if it would have a greater or lesser impact, but she does affirm that social media, like the old Twitter, helped many people begin to tell their own stories. "What was once a public square for debate is now a political tool," Kantor stated, referring to the fact that since Elon Musk acquired the platform, this forum has moved to other social networks, but only partially.

The reporter also explained how Weinstein tried to stop the journalists' work on different occasions and through different means, but he didn't succeed. "He did horrible things to try to silence us. He offered us $400,000 if our story wasn't published in the New York Times"He hired people from the military to stop us from getting ahead, and we even suffered a smear campaign," the journalist lamented. During their search for witnesses, they realized that this behavior had been constant for many years, and they even conducted interviews in hotels that the famous film producer used to extract details from the victims' accounts of abuse.

During her talk, Jodi Kantor encouraged all journalists to continue investigating these stories that need to be told: "What's at stake is very important; it affects everyone and goes far beyond that. This is about the progress and well-being of women and people." Finally, she recounted the personal cost of undertaking such a difficult story: "Of course I had a hard time, of course I cried with the stories the victims told me, but the day Harvey Weinstein's arrest was confirmed... It was the best day for me." sentenced to twenty-three years in prison for sexual assault against Miriam Haley and for the rape of Jessica Mann, to which sixteen more years were added in 2022 for the rape of Italian actress Evgeniya Chernyshova, in Los Angeles.

"Journalists are more necessary than ever." This is the motto chosen for the 7th Congress of Journalists of Catalonia, held this Friday and Saturday at the CaixaForum in Barcelona. The dean of the College expressed his confidence that "journalism has a bright future ahead." President Salvador Illa, for his part, took advantage of the Congress to announce that the Catalan Government will draft the law for the Catalan News Agency (ACN). "We will begin the process of creating a legal framework that guarantees the institutional stability and professional autonomy of the ACN," he said. He also wanted to express that "the Government is committed to showing full respect for journalism" and that criticism is "necessary and good," but that "we must distinguish between information and opinion." One of the reasons for holding this Congress is the updating of the profession's Code of Ethics. These changes are the result of a long process of study, collective reflection, and a shared conviction: the need to equip journalism with ethical tools to confront the new threats that put it at risk. When the last Congress of Journalists of Catalonia was held in 2016, many of the weaknesses that are evident today were not yet apparent. In that same year, Oxford University defined the concept of post-truthThis refers to a situation where beliefs and emotions prevail over the reality of the facts. One of the gaps that has become most evident is the power of digital platforms and their impunity in spreading lies, as well as the denial of scientific evidence, which manifested itself shamelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic, just as it did during the emergency.