Ronan Farrow on Weinstein: We’re Seeing ‘Vastly Overdue Change’ in the Legal System, in Culture, with NDAs

RUSH TRANSCRIPT CAMEROTA Disgraced ░░░░░░░░ mogul Harvey Weinstein is ░░░░░░░░ hospitalized He was complaining ░░░░░░░░ chest pain after he ░░░░░░░░ convicted yesterday on rape ░░░░░░░░ sexual assault charges Weinstein ░░░░░░░░ up to 25 years ░░░░░░░░ prison when he is ░░░░░░░░ next month Joining us ░░░░░░░░ is Ronan Farrow He ░░░░░░░░ a Pulitzer Prize for ░░░░░░░░ investigative reporting that exposed ░░░░░░░░ against Weinstein which helped ░░░░░░░░ the me too movement ░░░░░░░░ what a day that ░░░░░░░░ yesterday It didn t ░░░░░░░░ didn t always look ░░░░░░░░ though it was going ░░░░░░░░ go that way And ░░░░░░░░ did you think when ░░░░░░░░ heard that he had ░░░░░░░░ convicted FARROW This was ░░░░░░░░ challenging case on many ░░░░░░░░ Legally culturally You are ░░░░░░░░ with allegations where there ░░░░░░░░ not a lot of ░░░░░░░░ evidence attached Where sometimes ░░░░░░░░ witnesses had reported this ░░░░░░░░ time after the alleged ░░░░░░░░ and where you re ░░░░░░░░ sure at this moment ░░░░░░░░ transformation whether a jury ░░░░░░░░ going to believe women ░░░░░░░░ these kinds of claims ░░░░░░░░ they spent a long ░░░░░░░░ They sent back a ░░░░░░░░ of requests for clarification ░░░░░░░░ that jury where it ░░░░░░░░ like it wasn t ░░░░░░░░ they understood the instructions ░░░░░░░░ a lot of the ░░░░░░░░ who accused Weinstein of ░░░░░░░░ crimes were bracing for ░░░░░░░░ happened year after year ░░░░░░░░ year which was no ░░░░░░░░ BERMAN This is really ░░░░░░░░ legal and cultural pivot ░░░░░░░░ As you mark here ░░░░░░░░ speaking this does open ░░░░░░░░ door to more cases ░░░░░░░░ brought that don t ░░░░░░░░ have slam dunk forensic ░░░░░░░░ where you are taking ░░░░░░░░ word of a woman ░░░░░░░░ might have a complicated ░░░░░░░░ that she was in ░░░░░░░░ relationship but she was ░░░░░░░░ raped So legally it ░░░░░░░░ interesting Also culturally You ░░░░░░░░ have more women willing ░░░░░░░░ come forward to tell ░░░░░░░░ stories FARROW And more ░░░░░░░░ on prosecutors to bring ░░░░░░░░ kind of cases even ░░░░░░░░ it means going up ░░░░░░░░ a powerful set of ░░░░░░░░ Great example in this ░░░░░░░░ Cyrus Vance Jr The ░░░░░░░░ district attorney He shut ░░░░░░░░ an effort to charge ░░░░░░░░ even though they had ░░░░░░░░ taped confession from a ░░░░░░░░ sting of him admitting ░░░░░░░░ an assault They dropped ░░░░░░░░ effort to assault him ░░░░░░░░ you have Cyrus Vance ░░░░░░░░ this conviction and saying ░░░░░░░░ doesn t matter which ░░░░░░░░ woman reports immediately or ░░░░░░░░ after it s a ░░░░░░░░ It s serious You ░░░░░░░░ a real transformation in ░░░░░░░░ leadership figures in the ░░░░░░░░ justice system have to ░░░░░░░░ around this CAMEROTA Harvey ░░░░░░░░ was no ordinary defendant ░░░░░░░░ He was one of ░░░░░░░░ most powerful men in ░░░░░░░░ at one time There ░░░░░░░░ so many young women ░░░░░░░░ whose names we ll ░░░░░░░░ know women whose names ░░░░░░░░ didn t know and ░░░░░░░░ actresses who had to ░░░░░░░░ through his gauntlet And ░░░░░░░░ I thought it was ░░░░░░░░ interesting The former CEO ░░░░░░░░ Focus Features wrote this ░░░░░░░░ Weinstein is the one ░░░░░░░░ to jail but the ░░░░░░░░ film business all of ░░░░░░░░ who sustained and benefited ░░░░░░░░ the hierarchies of power ░░░░░░░░ allowed his crimes to ░░░░░░░░ and victims to multiply ░░░░░░░░ is we who were ░░░░░░░░ guilty today Just the ░░░░░░░░ wave or I guess ░░░░░░░░ repercussions of this conviction ░░░░░░░░ does it tell you ░░░░░░░░ how Hollywood has behaved ░░░░░░░░ going forward FARROW I ░░░░░░░░ three hours yesterday with ░░░░░░░░ McGowan one of the ░░░░░░░░ women to go on ░░░░░░░░ record in my reporting ░░░░░░░░ who made noise about ░░░░░░░░ very early on and ░░░░░░░░ a lot of blowback ░░░░░░░░ it And there was ░░░░░░░░ interesting conversation about coming ░░░░░░░░ circle and what her ░░░░░░░░ like the life of ░░░░░░░░ many of these sources ░░░░░░░░ been like in the ░░░░░░░░ few years And very ░░░░░░░░ what you hear from ░░░░░░░░ and others is there ░░░░░░░░ a lot of statements ░░░░░░░░ how much we need ░░░░░░░░ how much those hierarchies ░░░░░░░░ power need to be ░░░░░░░░ But is there anything ░░░░░░░░ than statements You know ░░░░░░░░ and so many other ░░░░░░░░ who have spoken these ░░░░░░░░ are not being flooded ░░░░░░░░ requests for work are ░░░░░░░░ being thronged by the ░░░░░░░░ from the industry that ░░░░░░░░ might expect to follow ░░░░░░░░ from those statements So ░░░░░░░░ s a long way ░░░░░░░░ go CAMEROTA Fair But ░░░░░░░░ t we say the ░░░░░░░░ has changed today Can ░░░░░░░░ we say that men ░░░░░░░░ on notice Are people ░░░░░░░░ behaving the way that ░░░░░░░░ Weinstein was FARROW That ░░░░░░░░ the theme of the ░░░░░░░░ I mentioned which will ░░░░░░░░ a bonus episode on ░░░░░░░░ Catch and Kill podcast ░░░░░░░░ goes out this week ░░░░░░░░ there s a plug ░░░░░░░░ you But in all ░░░░░░░░ I think that s ░░░░░░░░ question mark And I ░░░░░░░░ yes absolutely we are ░░░░░░░░ vastly overdue change in ░░░░░░░░ legal system in the ░░░░░░░░ in the way companies ░░░░░░░░ nondisclosure agreements in the ░░░░░░░░ media companies are willing ░░░░░░░░ not willing to cover ░░░░░░░░ these kinds of crimes ░░░░░░░░ they have evidence of ░░░░░░░░ That is all a ░░░░░░░░ to many of the ░░░░░░░░ who suffered at the ░░░░░░░░ of Harvey Weinstein who ░░░░░░░░ these allegations But there ░░░░░░░░ a long way to ░░░░░░░░ is my point BERMAN ░░░░░░░░ was going to say ░░░░░░░░ happens next Is this ░░░░░░░░ universal There s a ░░░░░░░░ that the film industry ░░░░░░░░ have changed but what ░░░░░░░░ the news business where ░░░░░░░░ are these outstanding allegations ░░░░░░░░ well FARROW Yeah Both ░░░░░░░░ sort of within our ░░░░░░░░ house in the media ░░░░░░░░ I think everyone needs ░░░░░░░░ look at Do we ░░░░░░░░ people in elevated positions ░░░░░░░░ power where we could ░░░░░░░░ more to hold them ░░░░░░░░ rather than sweeping things ░░░░░░░░ the rug and keeping ░░░░░░░░ in those jobs so ░░░░░░░░ potentially continue to get ░░░░░░░░ And also in terms ░░░░░░░░ what we do to ░░░░░░░░ these kinds of crimes ░░░░░░░░ s hard for news ░░░░░░░░ to go up against ░░░░░░░░ It takes guts It ░░░░░░░░ a willingness to assess ░░░░░░░░ how do we do ░░░░░░░░ safely from a legal ░░░░░░░░ but also not just ░░░░░░░░ on lawyers to shut ░░░░░░░░ thing down And we ░░░░░░░░ to depend on in ░░░░░░░░ major media companies that ░░░░░░░░ embedded in larger corporate ░░░░░░░░ CNN all the major ░░░░░░░░ have parent companies to ░░░░░░░░ sure there s a ░░░░░░░░ so you don t ░░░░░░░░ to the boss s ░░░░░░░░ s boss getting a ░░░░░░░░ from someone like Harvey ░░░░░░░░ It has happened so ░░░░░░░░ times over the years ░░░░░░░░ this story got shut ░░░░░░░░ And then you know ░░░░░░░░ news organization that has ░░░░░░░░ follow those orders I ░░░░░░░░ we never see that ░░░░░░░░ CAMEROTA You lived it ░░░░░░░░ lived it You experienced ░░░░░░░░ it was like to ░░░░░░░░ the scoop to have ░░░░░░░░ victims coming forward and ░░░░░░░░ have it all be ░░░░░░░░ down It s all ░░░░░░░░ Catch and kill Everybody ░░░░░░░░ read that book What ░░░░░░░░ moment yesterday it was ░░░░░░░░ One of the most ░░░░░░░░ things is when it ░░░░░░░░ happened instead of taking ░░░░░░░░ credit Ronan said the ░░░░░░░░ came to the women ░░░░░░░░ had the courage to ░░░░░░░░ forward FARROW Sources were ░░░░░░░░ brave in going to ░░░░░░░░ and up ending their ░░░░░░░░ to shine a light ░░░░░░░░ this Where the criminal ░░░░░░░░ system failed to do ░░░░░░░░ And then in taking ░░░░░░░░ step and talking to ░░░░░░░░ CAMEROTA We ll talk ░░░░░░░░ one we ll talk ░░░░░░░░ one of those very ░░░░░░░░ coming up just moments ░░░░░░░░ now.”