Jeff Fager Out at '60 Minutes' – Variety

Jeff Fager, the longtime executive producer of "60 Minutes" and one of the major players in the television news industry, leaves the news magazine, CBS News said Wednesday. The company said that Fager "had violated the company's policy," but refused to elaborate.

He left one of the biggest names in journalism a few weeks before the kickoff of his 51st season on Sunday. September 30th

Fager has been under surveillance for months, as has CBS Corp., the parent company of CBS News. The press unit has been besieged by a series of allegations of sexual harassment and the company's culture since former "CBS This Morning" presenter Charlie Rose was fired after several charges of sexual misconduct . An article in the New Yorker by journalist Ronan Farrow, published in August, quoted interviews with 19 current and former employees of CBS who claimed Fager (photo above), the only second executive producer of "60 Minutes" and former president of the news division, turned a deaf ear to harassment cases even though three financial settlements to magazine employees were linked to allegations of discrimination or harassment. A report published in September by the magazine details an allegation of a woman who accused Fager of having tried it at a corporate event.

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"This action today is not directly related to the allegations made in the press articles, which continue to be the subject of an independent investigation. However, it has violated company policy and our commitment to respect these policies at all levels. Joe Ianniello fully supports this decision and the upcoming transition, "said CBS News President David Rhodes on Wednesday, referring to Joe Ianniello, acting CEO of CBS Corp.

In a statement, Fager said the reason for his departure was related to a communication between him and a staff member. "The decision of the company has nothing to do with the false allegations published in the New Yorker. Instead, they terminated my contract earlier because I sent a text message to one of our CBS reporters demanding that it be fair by covering the story, said Fager. "My language was tough and, despite the fact that journalists are receiving severe demands for fairness all the time, CBS did not like it. Such a rating should not result in termination after 36 years, but it has been. "

Fager withdraws from the program – one of the cornerstones of the CBS broadcast network schedule – while CBS Corp. fate of the departure of its CEO and longtime president, Leslie Moonves. Moonves was overthrown Sunday after news reports in the New Yorker made detailed allegations of sexual misconduct against him by several women over a 20-year period. Moonves acknowledged some of the encounters with women, but denied several accusations.

Bill Owens, a longtime Fager MP, will run the program for the moment, Rhodes said. But Rhodes and Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, executive vice president of CBS News who oversees the unit's day-to-day operations, will "start looking for a new executive producer of the program," he said. television. We are fortunate to have incredibly talented journalists in place who, we know, will continue to do our investigative work. The note suggests that CBS News is ready to look outside for a new director to oversee the program.

CBS can not afford a bad choice. "60 Minutes" is a flagship program whose fortune is tied to the long history of the company. The information magazine attracted an average of 11.5 million people last season and usually devotes most of the television season to the most watched television programs. The series peaked last season, adding Oprah Winfrey to her list of contributors and conducting a joint investigation with the Washington Post on the fact that Congress undermines efforts to stop the flow of opioids to the United States. The states that provoked the reprimand of President Trump's candidate to take the reins of the country's anti-drug action. Over the decades, "60 Minutes" has given viewers an aggressive stance, a firsthand look at the Vietnam War and the misdeeds of the tobacco industry. Entering the staff is considered a career for anyone in the TV news business.

Fager had his supporters on the show, which highlighted the number of women in the staff and on the air since he took over from legendary producer Don Hewitt in the program in 2004. He is also known for leading CBS. News to a news positioning. after being named president of the unit in 2011. Meanwhile, CBS traded Katie Couric to "CBS Evening News" for Scott Pelley and launched a new "CBS This Morning" that avoided the trap of competing broadcasts in the morning.