#MeToo, 4 years in: ‘I’d like to think now, we are believed’

By JOCELYN NOVECK and MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The #MeToo reckoning hits its four-year mark this week, and Charlotte Bennett credits the movement for creating the conditions that emboldened her to come forward with her story of sexual harassment by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. She says, “I’d like to think that now, we are believed.” A new poll shows that Bennett is not alone in feeling a shift in attitudes. Just over half of Americans — 54% — say they personally are more likely to speak out if they’re a victim of sexual misconduct, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. And 58% say they would speak out if they witnessed it.