{"id":122875,"date":"2018-07-27T13:42:11","date_gmt":"2018-07-27T21:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=122875"},"modified":"2018-07-27T13:42:11","modified_gmt":"2018-07-27T21:42:11","slug":"les-moonves-and-cbs-face-allegations-of-sexual-misconduct-six-women-accuse-the-c-e-o-of-harassment-and-intimidation-and-dozens-more-describe-abuse-at-his-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=122875","title":{"rendered":"Les Moonves and CBS Face Allegations of Sexual Misconduct: Six women accuse the C.E.O. of harassment and intimidation, and dozens more describe abuse at his company"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ronan Harrow writes for the New Yorker<\/a>:<\/p>\n

For more than twenty years, Leslie Moonves has been one of the most powerful media executives in America. As the chairman and C.E.O. of CBS Corporation, he oversees shows ranging from \u201c60 Minutes\u201d to \u201cThe Big Bang Theory.\u201d His portfolio includes the premium cable channel Showtime, the publishing house Simon & Schuster, and a streaming service, CBS All Access. Moonves, who is sixty-eight, has a reputation for canny hiring and project selection. The Wall Street Journal recently called him a \u201cTV programming wizard\u201d; the Hollywood Reporter dubbed him a \u201cWall Street Hero.\u201d In the tumultuous field of network television, he has enjoyed rare longevity as a leader. Last year, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, he earned nearly seventy million dollars, making him one of the highest-paid corporate executives in the world.<\/p>\n

In recent months, Moonves has become a prominent voice in Hollywood\u2019s #MeToo movement. In December, he helped found the Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace, which is chaired by Anita Hill. \u201cIt\u2019s a watershed moment,\u201d Moonves said at a conference in November. \u201cI think it\u2019s important that a company\u2019s culture will not allow for this. And that\u2019s the thing that\u2019s far-reaching. There\u2019s a lot we\u2019re learning. There\u2019s a lot we didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Moonves\u2019s private actions belie his public statements. Six women who had professional dealings with him told me that, between the nineteen-eighties and the late aughts, Moonves sexually harassed them. Four described forcible touching or kissing during business meetings, in what they said appeared to be a practiced routine. Two told me that Moonves physically intimidated them or threatened to derail their careers. All said that he became cold or hostile after they rejected his advances, and that they believed their careers suffered as a result. \u201cWhat happened to me was a sexual assault, and then I was fired for not participating,\u201d the actress and writer Illeana Douglas told me. All the women said they still feared that speaking out would lead to retaliation from Moonves, who is known in the industry for his ability to make or break careers. \u201cHe has gotten away with it for decades,\u201d the writer Janet Jones, who alleges that she had to shove Moonves off her after he forcibly kissed her at a work meeting, told me. \u201cAnd it\u2019s just not O.K.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thirty current and former employees of CBS told me that such behavior extended from Moonves to important parts of the corporation, including CBS News and \u201c60 Minutes,\u201d one of the network\u2019s most esteemed programs. During Moonves\u2019s tenure, men at CBS News who were accused of sexual misconduct were promoted, even as the company paid settlements to women with complaints. It isn\u2019t clear whether Moonves himself knew of the allegations, but he has a reputation for being closely involved in management decisions across the network. Some of the allegations, such as those against the former anchor Charlie Rose, as reported by the Washington Post, have already become public. Other claims are being reported here for the first time. Nineteen current and former employees told me that Jeff Fager, the former chairman of CBS News and the current executive producer of \u201c60 Minutes,\u201d allowed harassment in the division. \u201cIt\u2019s top down, this culture of older men who have all this power and you are nothing,\u201d one veteran producer told me. \u201cThe company is shielding lots of bad behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ronan Harrow writes for the New Yorker: For more than twenty years, Leslie Moonves has been one of the most powerful media executives in America. As the chairman and C.E.O. of CBS Corporation, he oversees shows ranging from \u201c60 Minutes\u201d … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abuse"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t