Trump’s name appears in the Epstein files over 30,000 times, yet the focus is on other popular names. (Detra Bell / Fourth Estate)
Honoring victims is telling the truth
BY EMMA G. SCHAIBLE, NEWS EDITOR
I was sitting in class when I overheard two girls claim that Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani education activist, was in the Epstein files. I was immediately taken aback. I turned on my computer, pulled up the Epstein files, and searched Malala’s name. There were 19 hits.
Needless to say, I was shocked. How could someone so prominent in the fight for women’s rights show up on a list that has done so much to hurt them?
I started reading. The first mention? A simple article from Intelligence Squared covering an event in 2017. The second was an announcement of Malala receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. More emails revealed that Epstein and his associates had joked about becoming the Executive Director of the Malala Fund.
It seemed like her name’s appearance was purely a consequence of her fame.
The Epstein files are a partially released collection of millions of documents, images, videos and emails detailing the life and activities of infamous child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Epstein Files Transparency Act passed in November 2025 resulted in the release of more than 3 million pages and thousands of videos, images and emails.
His emails have received the most attention.
The release of the Epstein files has spiked much online discussion, specifically on social media, which provides little to no fact-checking. From influencers acting like lawyers to biased news outlets cherry-picking the names that benefit their party, online discourse about the files has become a classic case of “you can’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
By blindly believing what people online are talking about without doing our own research, we risk mischaracterizing and criminalizing innocent people.
Malala joins a series of names mentioned in emails between Jefferey Epstein and his associates without evidence of a personal relationship. This list includes prominent women such as Emma Stone, Rihanna, Megan Rapinoe and many others. The truth is, anyone who was in a news headline from 2009 to 2019 is at risk of appearing in the Epstein files, purely because he had email subscriptions to major news outlets.
Jon Stewart, the Daily Show host, appears in the Epstein files as well. In an email to his executive producer, Barry Josephson, Epstein wrote “somebody like Jon Stewart could host/narrate the biographical part,” referencing an idea for an exclusive new stand up routine for Epstein to host.
Stewart acknowledged the mention in true Daily Show fashion.
“I am offended. Somebody like Jon Stewart? Or Jon Stewart? My point is, do I have the offer or is this an audition?” he said.
Some mentions, although not all, have faced consequences for their actions. Economist Larry Summer resigned from his tenured job as a professor at Harvard University following heightened scrutiny for socializing with Epstein. Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton have become central figures in the U.S. House Oversight Committee’s investigation.
King Charles III stripped his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of his remaining royal titles, including Prince and Duke of York, following the scrutiny of his ties to Epstein.
There are plenty of people in the Epstein files who committed the heinous crimes riddled throughout, but a mere mention should not indict the individual. By focusing too much on the names solely mentioned in newsletters, the attention is no longer on true criminals.
The greatest way to honor the victims in the Epstein files is to make sure they are not forgotten. However, we must be mindful of how we talk about anyone related to the Epstein files.
Coverage of the Epstein files is an important lesson to us all: we cannot believe everything we see on the internet. Make sure you do not perpetuate the spread of misinformation.
Read the Epstein files. Don’t read the Epstein files. But if you’re going to talk about sensitive topics, do your research.
