Charlie Rose Latest to Fall in Harassment Scandal Ronn Torossian, CEO, 5WPR Yet another media giant has been felled after multiple allegations of sexual harassment piled up to sink his career. Other than Bill O’Reilly, who was fired from Fox after his accusers went public, the unceremonious end to Charlie Rose’s media career may have been the biggest headline yet. Both CBS and PBS parted ways with the popular news anchor after multiple women came forward with some very specific allegations against Rose. In a blunt statement, CBS said: Charlie Rose (Photo source: Twitter) “A short time ago we terminated Charlie Rose’s employment with CBS News, effective immediately… This followed the revelation yesterday of extremely disturbing and intolerable behavior said to have revolved around his PBS program. Despite Charlie’s important journalistic contribution to our news division, there is absolutely nothing more important, in this or any organization, than ensuring a safe, professional workplace — a supportive environment where people feel they can do their best work. We need to be such a place.” Let’s unpack that statement from Public a Relations perspective… First, it should be said that Rose produced his own program, which was then distributed on CBS and PBS networks. However, because the intricacies of this contract were not public knowledge, Rose was effectively a very public face for both networks. They needed to make a clean, public cut to demonstrate their independence from his brand. This is one step in the process Fox fumbled a bit with O’Reilly, and they are still taking hits over it. Next, the statement clearly condemns, without specifically describing, the behavior in question. This air of mystery keeps the focus on CBS making the decision, rather than on people parsing what he did or did not do. Keeping the focus where it should be is vital to any solid PR message. This also put CBS in the position of being able to be magnanimous, thanking Rose for his strong contribution to the network, without being accused of supporting the man who committed the “intolerable behavior.” Finally, CBS detailed what they expect to have in their workplace: a “safe, professional workplace” and a “supportive environment…” This was a strong and poignant stand for CBS, and, from a money perspective, not a simple decision. While, yes, it was the right call, they are still left with a big hole to fill. CBS this morning was built on the personality interplay between Rose and his co-hosts, Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell. Should the network choose to remake the show without Rose, and it succeeds, it could be a strong statement, not just about what should not be tolerated, but what is possible when those who abuse their power are left out of the equation for success. About the Author: 5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian is also author of “For Immediate Release.” .