The Human Risk Podcast6 Huhti 2024

Zelda Perkins on Can't Buy My Silence

What prompted a courageous former employee of Harvey Weinstein to break her Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)?

On this episode I'm speaking to a campaigner who came to prominence as the individual who broke the silence surrounding the misconduct of Harvey Weinstein. Formerly an assistant to Weinstein, Zelda Perkins made headlines when she came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against him.

In the late 1990s, she signed an NDA, as part of a settlement which for years prevented her from speaking out about her experiences. However, motivated by the emergence of other allegations against Weinstein and the rise of the MeToo campaign, Zelda chose to break her silence and speak publicly about her experiences and the culture of secrecy enabled by NDAs
.
Her story has been pivotal in the global discussion about sexual harassment in the workplace, the misuse of power, and the legal and ethical implications of non-disclosure agreements. Zelda is the co founder of Can't Buy My Silence, a campaign group that is committed to end the misuse of NDAs to buy victims silence.

In our discussion, we discuss Zelda’s experiences, what motivated her to break the NDA, what drives her campaigning, and what it’s like to be at the heart of a new story.

You'll hear about the stresses and strains and her experience of something that nothing can really prepare you for. It's one of the most revealing discussions I've ever had on this show, with insights that are relevant to whistleblowing, transparency, campaigning, and the way organizations and society treat those who dare to speak up about injustice or wrongdoing.

Links

Zelda on Twitter/X

The Can’t Buy My Silence campaign, including resources for those being asked to sign NDAs or who are already subject to them.

The FT article Zelda mentions in our discussion: https://www.ft.com/content/1dc8a8ae-b7e0-11e7-8c12-5661783e5589

The NYTimes article Zelda refers to: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html

An interview Zelda gave to The Guardian newspaper: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/23/zelda-perkins-there-will-always-be-men-like-weinstein-all-i-can-do-is-try-to-change-the-system-that-enables-them

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