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Megan Twohey

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Megan Twohey
Portrait of Megan Twohey at the 2018 Pulitzer Prizes
Twohey at the 2018 Pulitzer Prizes
Born
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Alma materGeorgetown University
OccupationJournalist
Awards2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service (named contributor)

Megan Twohey (/ˈtuːi/ TOO-ee)[1] is an American journalist with The New York Times. She has written investigative reports for Reuters, the Chicago Tribune, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.[2] Twohey's investigative reports have exposed exploitative doctors, revealed untested rape kits, and uncovered a secret underground network of abandoned unwanted adopted children.[3] Her investigative reports have led to criminal convictions and helped prompt new laws aimed at protecting vulnerable people and children.[4]

On October 5, 2017, Twohey and fellow New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor published a report about Harvey Weinstein detailing decades of sexual abuse allegations, and more than 80 women publicly accused Weinstein of sexually abusing or assaulting them.[5] This led to Weinstein's firing and helped to ignite the viral #MeToo movement started by the American activist Tarana Burke.[5][6] That work was honored in 2018, when The New York Times was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.[7] Kantor and Twohey won the George Polk award and were named to Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people of the year. Twohey and Kantor subsequently authored a book which chronicled their report about Weinstein, titled She Said. The book was published in 2019, and adapted into a film of the same name in 2022. In addition to winning the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, Twohey was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting in 2014.[2][8]

Biography

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Twohey is from Evanston, Illinois.[2] She went to Evanston Township High School, and graduated from Georgetown University in 1998.[9] Twohey's parents were both involved in news media; her mother Mary Jane Twohey was a television news producer and her father John Twohey was an editor for the Chicago Tribune. Twohey initially joined The New York Times in 2016 to investigate Donald Trump's tax history, possible business ties to Russia, and his past treatment of women.[10] Twohey is currently a regular contributor for The New York Times.[2]

Investigative reports

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Untested rape kits

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In 2009, Twohey reported in the Chicago Tribune that several suburban police departments around Chicago were not submitting all rape kits for testing.[11] In the following year, Illinois became the first U.S. state to require every rape kit be tested, and many other states in the U.S. followed soon after.[12][13]

Predatory doctors

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From 2010 to 2011, Twohey published a series of articles in the Chicago Tribune detailing cases of doctors who had been convicted of violent felonies or sex crimes and were still practicing and abusing patients.[14] Her reporting has been credited for leading to new legislation and policies in Illinois aimed at protecting patients, for example requiring background checks for healthcare providers.[15][16]

Abandoned children

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In 2013, Twohey published an investigative report in Reuters News that detailed how some people in the United States were using the internet to find places to abandon their adopted children.[17] Several segments of this story were broadcast on the Nightly News and the Today Show on NBC.[4] She received a Sydney Award and the Michael Kelly Award for her work revealing these underground networks.[4][18] Twohey was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for this work.[8]

Donald Trump

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In 2016, Twohey and Michael Barbaro published several investigative pieces to The New York Times about sexual misconduct by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.[19][10] She continued to report on the incidents into 2017.[20] Trump threatened to sue The New York Times if they did not take down the articles.[21] The articles stayed up.[22]

Weinstein sexual abuse

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Book signing at Evanston Township High School

On October 5, 2017, Twohey and Jodi Kantor co-wrote a New York Times exposé on sexual misconduct by Harvey Weinstein. Twohey said they were encouraged to investigate untold stories, and that Dean Baquet, executive editor, and Rebecca Corbett, head of investigative projects, had supported them even though Weinstein had threatened to sue The New York Times.[23] Twohey and Kantor had two in-person meetings with Weinstein. Twohey, Kantor, and Corbett also had multiple conversations with Weinstein's lawyers and publicists.[24] A follow-up piece with fellow reporter Ellen Gabler added more allegations and expanded the Weinstein timeline.[25] Twohey said it was an emotional experience when she began seeing friends and family using the #MeToo on her social media feed in the aftermath of the Weinstein allegations.[26] Jezebel announced in 2018 Twohey and Kantor were publishing an international book, set to be published in Spring 2019, based on their investigation that would reveal more about what happened.[27] They received a Sidney Award for their exposé. They were also given L.A. Press Club's Inaugural Impact Award and the McGill Medal for Journalistic Courage from the Grady College of Journalism.[28][29] The New York Times won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for Twohey's and Jodi Kantor's reporting, sharing the award with Ronan Farrow at The New Yorker,[30] as well as the 2018 Gerald Loeb Award for Investigative business journalism.[31]

She Said

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Main articles: She Said (book) and She Said (film)

Twohey and Kantor authored a book which chronicled their exposé into Weinstein and the structures of power that enabled him, titled She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement, which was published by Penguin Books in September 2019.[32] In 2022, the book was adapted into a film of the same name. The film is directed by Maria Schrader from a screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz. Twohey is played by Carey Mulligan.[33]

Suicide forum investigation

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In December 2021, Twohey and Gabriel Dance published an investigative report in The New York Times about an American web forum dedicated to discussing and encouraging suicide.[34] The report identified the founders of the suicide forum as Lamarcus Small and Diego Joaquín Galante and confirmed the deaths of 45 participants of the forum.[34][35] As part of the report, Twohey and Dance consulted established reporters and suicide and medical experts, to find ways to limit the potential for suicide contagion.[34] Twohey stated that the overall lack of awareness over the site pushed them to name it in their report, but that the decision was among the "biggest ethical issues that we had ever dealt with",[34] and also stated that the hope of the report was “to bring about more accountability than anything else.”[36] Twohey's report was later cited in a letter from members of the U.S. House of Representatives to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking the attorney general what action could be taken against the site.[35]

Transgender healthcare

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In November 2022, The New York Times published a piece co-written by Twohey about the concerns some medical professionals have about the possible consequences of transgender adolescents taking puberty blockers, related to bone density, infertility, and mental health.[37] Erin Rook of LGBTQ Nation called the reporting "reckless" and provided the perspectives of three transgender activists and health experts who disputed the analysis, including one who was interviewed for the New York Times article.[38] In Rook's article, Dr. AJ Eckert (director of the gender-affirming care program for Anchor Health in Connecticut and a teacher at Quinnipiac University's School of Medicine) called the Times' piece "another hit piece against trans people".[38] Eckert also wrote an article published by Science-Based Medicine, in which he said "the reporting ignored evidence and important context to weave a narrative portraying puberty blockers as far more risky than they actually are".[39]

A statement issued by the executive committee of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the board of its U.S. affiliate said the reporting "furthers the atmosphere of misinformation and subjectivity that has grown to surround the area of gender affirming medical interventions for transgender youth", and accused the authors of "[coming] up short in their interpretation and application of available data".[40] On social media, lawyer and transgender rights activist Chase Strangio of the ACLU pointed to the piece as an example of how "rhetoric found in major news outlets fuels anti-trans violence", according to the geek culture website The Mary Sue.[41] A writer for Slate magazine said the New York Times piece "does not seem to trust [the] medical consensus view".[42] Fox News said the report "sparked jeers from critics on social media mocking their newfound nuanced coverage of puberty blockers" and was "also blasted by progressives".[43] In an op-ed published by Teen Vogue, the chief medical officer of the Los Angeles LGBT Center said the New York Times' authors "[failed] to meaningfully investigate the most compelling reason why medical providers consider puberty blockers in trans and gender diverse youth: These medications save lives."[44]

Personal life

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Her father John Twohey is a journalist, who was Chicago Times magazine editorial director in 1989.[45][46][47] He joined the Chicago Tribune in 1977, after serving for five years as design director of The Washington Post. Earlier in his career, he served as press secretary for Sargent Shriver's 1972 Democratic vice presidential run and for Senator Fred R. Harris (D-Okla.).[48] Megan's mother Mary Jane Twohey worked as a Congressional aide and as a news producer at WETA-TV in Washington, D.C. before serving for many years as a spokesperson and media-relations manager for Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Twohey's husband, Jim Rutman, is a literary agent.[49][50][51]

References

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  1. ^ Twohey, Megan (September 15, 2020). "A Deadly Tinderbox". The Daily (Podcast). The New York Times. Event occurs at 0:00. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Megan Twohey". The New York Times. January 12, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  3. ^ GmbH, finanzen.net. "CJF to present Special Citation to New York Times reporters who broke Harvey Weinstein story". markets.businessinsider.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "Megan Twohey | The Michael Kelly Award". www.kellyaward.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "NYT reporters on breaking Harvey Weinstein story, #MeToo "reckoning"". NBC News. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  6. ^ Kantor, Jodi; Twohey, Megan (October 5, 2017). "Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  7. ^ LaForme, Ren (April 16, 2018). "Here are the winners of the 2018 Pulitzer Prizes". Poynter. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Finalist: Megan Twohey of Reuters". www.pulitzer.org. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "Alumni US | Georgetown University, Washington D.C. Metro Area". alumnius.net. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  10. ^ a b Twohey, Megan; Barbaro, Michael (October 12, 2016). "Two Women Say Donald Trump Touched Them Inappropriately". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  11. ^ Twohey, Megan. "Dozens of rape kits not submitted for testing by Chicago suburban police departments". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  12. ^ Megan Twohey. "Illinois to test every rape kit". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "Illinois | ENDTHEBACKLOG". www.endthebacklog.org. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  14. ^ "Doctors operate unchecked". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  15. ^ Twohey, Megan (March 2, 2011). "Legislation puts medical licenses of sex offenders in cross hairs". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  16. ^ "Sex offenders barred from health care". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  17. ^ "Reuters Investigates - The Child Exchange". Reuters. September 9, 2013. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  18. ^ "Megan Twohey Wins October Sidney for Exposing America's Underground Market for Adopted Children". Hillman Foundation. October 9, 2013. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  19. ^ Barbaro, Michael; Twohey, Megan (May 14, 2016). "Crossing the Line: How Donald Trump Behaved With Women in Private". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  20. ^ Twohey, Megan (November 1, 2017). "Trump's Female Accusers Feel Forgotten. A Lawsuit May Change That". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  21. ^ "The New York Times's Lawyer Responds to Donald Trump". The New York Times. October 13, 2016. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  22. ^ Rappeport, Alan (October 13, 2016). "Donald Trump Threatens to Sue The Times Over Article on Unwanted Advances". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  23. ^ Symonds, Alexandria (October 15, 2017). "How to Break a Sexual Harassment Story". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  24. ^ "How These Two Women Finally Exposed Harvey Weinstein". Marie Claire. October 23, 2017. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  25. ^ Astor, Maggie (December 7, 2017). "2 Times Reporters Will Write Book on Sexual Abuse Scandals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  26. ^ Lang, Brent (December 13, 2017). "How New York Times Reporters Broke Hollywood's Biggest Sexual Harassment Story". Variety. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  27. ^ Cills, Hazel. "Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, Who Broke the Weinstein Story, Will Publish Book Internationally". Jezebel. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  28. ^ "Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey win November Sidney for exposing Weinstein harassment & Hollywood complicity". Hillman Foundation. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  29. ^ "The New York Times reporters receive 2018 McGill Medal for Journalistic Courage - Grady College". Grady College. March 6, 2018. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  30. ^ "The New York Times, for reporting led by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, and The New Yorker, for reporting by Ronan Farrow". www.pulitzer.org. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  31. ^ "UCLA Anderson School of Management Announces 2018 Gerald Loeb Award Winners". PR Newswire. June 25, 2018. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  32. ^ Kantor, Jodi; Twohey, Megan (September 10, 2019). She Said: Breaking the sexual harassment story that helped ignite a movement. [S.l.]: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0525560340. OCLC 1090752916.
  33. ^ Ford, Rebecca (October 10, 2022). "The "Sacred Duty" of She Said". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  34. ^ a b c d Allen, Barbara (December 16, 2021). "How The New York Times handled life-or-death ethical issues while reporting on a popular suicide website". Poynter. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  35. ^ a b "Disturbing website encourages vulnerable users to die by suicide. What's being done about it?". KVPR | Valley Public Radio. January 18, 2022. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  36. ^ "Disturbing website encourages vulnerable users to die by suicide. What's being done about it?". KVPR | Valley Public Radio. January 18, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  37. ^ Megan, Twohey; Jewett, Christina (November 14, 2022). "They Paused Puberty, but Is There a Cost?". The New York Times.
  38. ^ a b Rook, Erin (November 18, 2022). "Commentary: Reckless NY Times reporting fuels disinformation about trans youth". LGBTQ Nation.
  39. ^ Eckert, AJ (December 4, 2022). "What the New York Times gets wrong about puberty blockers for transgender youth". Science-Based Medicine. New England Skeptical Society.
  40. ^ "USPATH and WPATH Respond to NY Times Article "They Paused Puberty, But Is There a Cost?" published on November 14, 2022" (PDF). World Professional Association for Transgender Health. November 22, 2022.
  41. ^ Glassman, Julia (November 23, 2022). "Leading Trans Rights Lawyer Explains Why NYT's 'Fixation With Trans People' Leads to 'Shootings and Bomb Threats'". The Mary Sue.
  42. ^ Urquhart, Evan (November 17, 2022). "The NYT's Big Piece on Puberty Blockers Mucked Up the Most Important Point About Them". Slate.
  43. ^ Wulfsohn, Joseph A. (November 15, 2022). "New York Times story on puberty blockers fuels critics amid trans debate: 'Decade late on this story'". Fox News.
  44. ^ Duffy, Kaiyti (November 29, 2022). "Recent Anti-Trans Articles Miss the Point of Gender-Affirming Care". Teen Vogue.
  45. ^ Miner, Michael (May 5, 1988). "'Chicago Times' Reaches for the Cutting Edge; Nicole Drieske Goes Public; Harry Golden". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023. John Twohey, a former editor of the Chicago Tribune Magazine
  46. ^ "Bylines". American Journalism Review - Archives. January–February 1992. Retrieved January 31, 2023. The Chicago Tribune shuffles its staff to improve arts coverage under Associate M.E. John Twohey.
  47. ^ Miner, Michael (October 5, 1989). "A Reporter on the Heart Beat; Return to the Tribune". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  48. ^ "Tribune Media Services Exec John Twohey to Step Down". Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  49. ^ "Jim Rutman". Poets & Writers. June 11, 2010. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  50. ^ Malatesta, Mark (January 20, 2022). "Jim Rutman Literary Agent Sterling Lord Literistic". literary-agents. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  51. ^ "Our Team". Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023. He has been with SLL since 1998.
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