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Distant reading case study "Jeffrey Epstein" ​

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To use this case study in your classroom presentations, you can download csv data tables and txt files for several of the videos and podcasts mentioned below. If emojis or special characters appear distorted in Voyant Tools, you may need to use a different character encoding. Read more about it under data cleaning.

Analysing networks of exploitation ​

Jeffrey Edward Epstein was an American financier and sex offender, who died in prison in 2019. The Epstein abuse cases made international news because Epstein, supported by his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, build a high-profile network of rich and famous men exploiting vulnerable women, above all young girls and women from difficult backgrounds. Feminist analysis of how the Epstein case was discussed in 2019 when reporting peaked can help us understand how societal structures of power and privilege enable such exploitation. We can also reflect on the role of female collaborators in male predatory behaviour. Above all, the Epstein scandal still makes headlines now, and the full scope of the abuse network has not yet been uncovered.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who died by suicide in 2025, accused many international stars and political leaders of involvement in Epstein's circle in various interviews she gave during her lifetime, but also in her autobiography Nobody's Girl, which was posthumously published. Through her unfaltering testimonies, Virginia Roberts Giuffre also contributed to the public downfall of Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, both of whom were close friends of Epstein's and Maxwell's.

Reactions to interviews and documentaries on YouTube ​

The first source to analyse in the Epstein case are viewer reactions to the various interviews and documentaries on YouTube. In addition to interviews with Epstein's victims such as Virginia Roberts Giuffre, YouTube features the infamous BBC Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew, in which the member of the British Royal Family unsuccessfully tried to refute allegations that Roberts Giuffre and other underage girls had been trafficked to him for sex. Most shockingly for viewers, Prince Andrew showed no sympathy with Epstein's victims and played down his actions repeatedly, calling them "unbecoming" instead of openly labelling them as crimes. The interview turned public opinion in Britain against the Prince and forced the Royal Family to remove him from important functions.

Exposing Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking empire | 60 Minutes Australia

The 60 Minutes Australia interview with Roberts Giuffre originally aired in 2019 but has now been re-posted by the TV station. 765,358 viewers watched it in just three days and left over 3000 comments.

Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal: The Newsnight Interview - BBC News

The interview with Prince Andrew had 56,626 comments by November 2025.

Both data sets can be used individually or in comparison to better understand the public outcry about abuse that remains unreported and unpunished for too long. In addition, the two data sets can give insights into YouTube users' opinions about power imbalances and gender roles.

Podcast reviews ​

One internationally successful podcast on the Epstein case was Devil in the Darkness, released in autumn 2019 (a360media, 2019–2021). In 2023, Monika Barget has scraped reviews of this podcast as a training data set to practice distant reading and feminist theory / intersectional theory. Please note that more reviews may have been added in the meantime. In addition, Monika has scraped reviews for the Epstein Chronicles podcast (Capucci, 2021-present) and for the podcast The Mysterious Mr. Epstein (Wondery, n.d.). These datasets offer insights into listeners' attitudes towards masculinity, issues of privilege, justice, and morality. The podcast data sets are comparatively small and can be used in comparison with each other or as a combined data set.

Questions for data analysis ​

In your data analysis, you can try and follow the steps outlined in Skills 2.1. Voyant Tools and Skills 2.2. Case Study. You may also want to discuss the following questions:

  • What do listeners / viewers think about power structures behind the exploitation of vulnerable individuals, particularly women?
  • In what ways does the media's portrayal of the Epstein case reflect, reinforce, or challenge societal attitudes towards victims of sexual violence?
  • What role does intersectionality play in understanding the reactions to the Epstein case? What other elements beyond gender matter?
  • What do listeners think about the role of law enforcement and the judicial system in preventing abuse and punishing abusers?
  • What implications does the Epstein case have for feminist activism and advocacy regarding sexual violence and trafficking?

Please make sure to use several different tools in Voyant. If you need help with the analysis workflow, consult the advice in the ==Skills== menu. You can also scrape your own additional data for comparative analysis.

Cited Works and Further Readings ​