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Les Moonves and CBS Face Alligations of Sexual Misconduct Six Women Accuse the C.E.O

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Les Moonves and CBS Face Alligations of Sexual Misconduct Six Women Accuse the C.E.O FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2018 Les Moonves and CBS face alligations of sexual misconduct Six women accuse the C.E.O. of harassment and intimidation, and dozens more describe abuse at his company. For more than twenty years, Leslie Moonves told me that such behavior extended from has been one of the most powerful media Moonves to important parts of the corpora- executives in America. As the chairman and tion, including CBS News and “60 Minutes,” C.E.O. of CBS Corporation, he oversees shows one of the network’s most esteemed programs. ranging from “60 Minutes” to “The Big Bang During Moonves’s tenure, men at CBS News Theory.” His portfolio includes the premium who were accused of sexual misconduct were cable channel Showtime, the publishing house promoted, even as the company paid settle- Simon & Schuster, and a streaming service, ments to women with complaints. It isn’t clear CBS All Access. Moonves, who is sixty-eight, whether Moonves himself knew of the allega- has a reputation for canny hiring and project tions, but he has a reputation for being closely selection. The Wall Street Journal recently involved in management decisions across the called him a “TV programming wizard”; the network. Some of the allegations, such as those Hollywood Reporter dubbed him a “Wall against the former anchor Charlie Rose, as Street Hero.” In the tumultuous field of net- reported by the Washington Post, have already work television, he has enjoyed rare longevity become public. Other claims are being report- as a leader. Last year, according to filings with ed here for the first time. Nineteen current and the Securities and Exchange Commission, he former employees told me that Jeff Fager, the earned nearly seventy million dollars, making former chairman of CBS News and the current him one of the highest-paid corporate execu- executive producer of “60 Minutes,” allowed tives in the world. harassment in the division. “It’s top down, this In recent months, Moonves has become a culture of older men who have all this power prominent voice in Hollywood’s #MeToo and you are nothing,” one veteran producer movement. In December, he helped found the told me. “The company is shielding lots of bad Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harass- b e h av i or.” ment and Advancing Equality in the Work- In a statement, Moonves said, “Throughout place, which is chaired by Anita Hill. “It’s a my time at CBS, we have promoted a culture of fight with its former parent company, Viacom, harassment at a company as large as CBS gen- watershed moment,” Moonves said at a confer- respect and opportunity for all employees, and which acquired CBS in 1999 and spun it off erally depends on reform at the highest levels. ence in November. “I think it’s important that a have consistently found success elevating wom- as a separate entity seven years later. A hold- “This sort of conduct is tied to over-all climate company’s culture will not allow for this. And en to top executive positions across our com- ing company founded by the mogul Sumner and oftentimes to how women are seen or that’s the thing that’s far-reaching. There’s a lot pany. I recognize that there were times decades Redstone still owns a majority stake in both valued within an entire organization,” Fatima we’re learning. There’s a lot we didn’t know.” ago when I may have made some women un- Viacom and CBS, and Redstone’s daughter and Goss Graves, the president and C.E.O. of the But Moonves’s private actions belie his public comfortable by making advances. Those were heir, Shari Redstone, has sought to reunite the National Women’s Law Center, said. “And statements. Six women who had professional mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I businesses. Moonves has resisted the move, there’s no question that the head of the organi- dealings with him told me that, between the always understood and respected—and abided and in May Redstone’s holding company and zation sets the tone for the entire organization.” nineteen-eighties and the late aughts, Moonves by the principle—that ‘no’ means ‘no,’ and I CBS filed lawsuits against each other. All of the For the women who have made claims against sexually harassed them. Four described forcible have never misused my position to harm or women making allegations against Moonves Les Moonves, his public stance as a supporter touching or kissing during business meetings, hinder anyone’s career. This is a time when we began speaking to me before the current of the #MeToo movement and his role in the in what they said appeared to be a practiced all are appropriately focused on how we help lawsuits, in independent interviews carried out Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harass- routine. Two told me that Moonves physically improve our society, and we at CBS are com- during the past eight months. All said that they ment and Advancing Equality in the Work- intimidated them or threatened to derail their mitted to being part of the solution.” According were not motivated by any allegiance in the place have been unnerving. Janet Jones told careers. All said that he became cold or hos- to CBS, there have been no misconduct claims corporate battle. But several felt that this was me that, when she heard that he was on the tile after they rejected his advances, and that and no settlements against Moonves during his an opportunity to examine a workplace culture commission, “I thought, Oh, for God’s sake, they believed their careers suffered as a result. twenty-four years at the network. A statement that many of the women in this story described he has no shame.” The commission is made “What happened to me was a sexual assault, from the company said, “CBS is very mindful as toxic. up of, and funded by, industry leaders, and its and then I was fired for not participating,” the of all workplace issues and takes each report of CBS is not the only network to face complaints members are not vetted. Illeana Douglas knew actress and writer Illeana Douglas told me. All misconduct very seriously. We do not believe, of sexual harassment in recent years. In No- people who were associated with the commis- the women said they still feared that speaking however, that the picture of our company vember, Matt Lauer, a co-host of “Today,” on sion, and considered telling them her story, out would lead to retaliation from Moonves, created in The New Yorker represents a larger NBC, was fired after being accused of sexual until she saw that Moonves was also a member. who is known in the industry for his ability to organization that does its best to treat its tens misconduct. Roger Ailes, the chairman and “I don’t think that the fox should be guarding make or break careers. “He has gotten away of thousands of employees with dignity and re- C.E.O. of Fox News, and the Fox anchor Bill the henhouse,” she said. with it for decades,” the writer Janet Jones, who spect. We are seeing vigorous discourse in our O’Reilly both resigned after allegations were alleges that she had to shove Moonves off her country about equality, inclusion, and safety in made against them. The actions of Ailes and • Ronan Farrow is a contributing writer to The New after he forcibly kissed her at a work meeting, the workplace, and CBS is committed to being O’Reilly have resulted in at least sixty-five mil- Yorker and the author of the book “War on Peace: told me. “And it’s just not O.K.” part of the solution to those important issues.” lion dollars in sexual-harassment settlements. The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American The allegations are surfacing at a time when Experts told me that addressing patterns of Influence.” His reporting for The New Yorker won the Thirty current and former employees of CBS CBS is engaged in an increasingly acrimonious 2018 Pulitzer Prize for public service..
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