The scandals of Epstein and Weinstein

The scandals surrounding financier Jeffrey Epstein and film mogul Harvey Weinstein have been well documented. But, in case you missed these huge news stories, Epstein’s involvement in sex trafficking and Weinstein’s abuses of power in the entertainment industry went uncovered for decades.

Two new podcasts explore how two female journalists helped expose the pair and bring the stories to light.

Broken: Jeffrey Epstein focuses on Epstein’s case and his connections to the rich and powerful.

Produced by Adam McKay, the Oscar-winning film-maker of The Big Short and Vice, the podcast features the investigative reporting of Julie K Brown from the Miami Herald.

The presenter is New Yorker writer Ariel Levy, who provides detailed and thoughtful research on the case, avoiding sensationalism.

The podcast was due to be released next year, but Epstein’s death in prison in August accelerated the story and the podcast is now set to cover the civil case against his estate.

Epstein’s victims feature heavily in the opening episodes – most of them abused by him as teenagers. Brown’s investigations into Epstein have been tenacious in the past three years, revealing secret plea deals and identifying 80 victims. It’s a gripping listen.

Meanwhile, two New York Times journalists, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey feature in a special two-part podcast on the ever popular The Daily. The pair are credited with breaking the Weinstein story and here they reveal how they managed to expose him.

In their recent book, She Said, they reveal how famous feminist lawyers Lisa Bloom and her mother Gloria Allred helped keep his secrets.

The Daily’s episodes explore the system of secret out-of-court settlements that silenced victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault. It’s a phenomenal investigation that helped forge the #MeToo movement.