CBS suspends two top executives after LA Times report alleges racism and misogyny

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Peter Dunn, chairman of CBS television, and David Friend, senior vice president of news for the television stations, “have been placed on administrative leave, pending the results of a third-party investigation into issues that include those raised in a recent report in Los Angeles. The Times reports, “CBS said in a statement shared with CNN Business.

“CAS is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace where all voices are heard, complaints are investigated and appropriate action taken when necessary,” the statement continued. The company declined to give more details on the specific allegations.

On Sunday, The Times published an investigation by journalist Meg James into the culture of CBS television stations. Dunn manages CBS’s 28 television stations, which together employ 2,800 workers, since 2009, according to the article.

The Times investigation included allegations that Dunn disparaged black women and employees. Friend, who works closely with Dunn, was allegedly involved in the driving and was also charged with verbal abuse, according to the Times report.

In a statement to The Times Friend said CBS had “a solid track record” of hiring and supporting women and people of color.

“These comments I may have made about our employees or potential hires were based solely on performance or qualifications – not on anyone’s race or gender,” he said in the statement. Dunn declined to comment on the allegations to The Times.

CBS has been no stranger to the scandal in recent years. CBS chief executive Les Moonves left the company in 2018 amid a number of allegations of sexual misconduct brought against him. Moonves admitted to having consensual relationships with three of the women named in a New Yorker investigation, but insisted he had never abused his power and said he could only assume the allegations “are surfacing now for the first time, decades later, as part of a concerted effort by others to destroy my name, reputation and career.”

The Times reported that CBS hired two law firms to look into the sexual misconduct allegations, but some staff were concerned that investigators would fixate on Moonves and not pay enough attention to the other alleged abuses on the channels. television. CBS told The Times: “In response to a CBS investigation in early 2019, senior management at the time discussed the situation with Mr. Dunn, and the company received no complaints about his conduct during period since then. “

The National Association of Black Journalists met with ViacomCBS executives on Sunday to discuss the allegations.

“It is clear that there is a huge problem among the stations owned and operated by CBS, and for the culture of the company to be transformed, it has to start with the firing of Dunn and Friend,” the NABJ said in a statement.

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