New report alleges NBC news chief Lack Lax on allegations of harassment – Variety



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New report alleges that NBC News president Andrew Lack has not acted decisively on allegations of sexual harassment, the latest claim that NBC Universal has not taken several revelations seriously in recent months on his internal culture and his management of stories related to the subject.

The story, published Friday in The Daily Beast, alleges that Lack did not react quickly to accusations of workers acting inappropriately. In 2004, the report stated that Lack had refused to address the inappropriate behavior of Music Director Charlie Walk while he was working in 2004 as President and CEO of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Walk was later charged with harassment by former employees.

The accusation comes after NBC News has been criticized several times in recent months for handling sensitive information related to sexual harassment. NBC News, citing reports that had not yet met its standards, refused to broadcast the stories of journalist Ronan Farrow and survey producer Rich McHugh, who revealed accusations of mendacious behavior by nabob Harvey Weinstein. Farrow would eventually report the report to the New Yorker, where he would win a Pulitzer Prize. NBC News faced a similar shame in the fall of 2016 when the Washington Post discovered the existence of a band of "Access Hollywood" – a show that is part of its parent company, NBCUniversal. – with a young Donald Trump women and grateful to have the feeling of having carte blanche to grab them by their genitals.

In a statement, NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke NBCUniversal told The Daily Beast that Lack "has my full support. We have worked closely together for over three years, during which I have seen him overseeing NBC News with great integrity, good judgment and a willingness to do what is right. I look forward to continuing to work with Andy and his continued success as a leader of NBC News. The company also stated that "Lack has no knowledge of the allegations against Charlie Walk over the past six years at Sony. If he did, he would have acted in minutes.

An NBCU spokesman said the company had no comment beyond the statement.

Lack makes a second visit to NBC News. When he was first named president of NBC News in 1993, it was after the division had suffered from a report on "Dateline" in which the producers had admitted to having mounted a pickup truck in a report on General Motors vans. GM in turn sued NBC for defamation. He revitalized news organization, expanding hours for "Today" and earning new grades.

His second tour of duty was more complex. Lack began just after former NBC Evening News anchor Brian Williams was involved in a controversy over the veracity of various anecdotes he had told during his public appearances and on the radio. NBC News appeared to be suppressing the fire for a while by installing Lester Holt in the evening newsroom and relaunching Williams as a nightly host on MSNBC. But the release of Matt Lauer last November after being cited for inappropriate sexual behavior, and the accusations that swirled around the Farrow report have clouded perceptions, while MSNBC programs and flagship programs of NBC News maintain the 25 and 54 .

A spokesman for NBC News noted that Lack had publicly described Lauer's behavior as "appalling" and said that Lack had "repeatedly praised the courage of the colleague who volunteered to protect his anonymity." is deeply saddened for the organization and for the women who have come forward, "said a spokesman for the network," and he said it in private surroundings around this building and in notes to the intention of the organization. It is obviously difficult for everyone here and especially for the women who had to endure what they did.

The report criticized Lack for including David Corvo, executive producer of "Dateline", in the review of Farrow's work. According to the report, Corvo was accused of sexually harassing a co-worker while NBC was part of General Electric. According to the report, this woman left after receiving a large sum under a separation agreement. "At a time when different people ran the news division and another company owned NBC, the company investigated a complaint and took effective action, including changing its reporting lines," said NBC. "The people who left more than ten years later and the compensation paid has nothing to do with the complaint".

The report also alleges that other instances of NBC News appear to be reluctant to face allegations of harassment or harassment under its own roof. The story presumed that Lack had long-standing friendships with Lauer and Tom Brokaw, two of NBC News' most famous personalities. Both were accused of undesirable behavior. Beast's report would have been upset by Megyn Kelly's coverage of the "MeToo" movement in her morning program, "Megyn Kelly Today," where she interviewed one of Lauer's accusers and presented articles on allegations against Brokaw.

NBCUniversal investigated the news division following the dismissal of Lauer. A report prepared by the company that was released in May and greeted with some skepticism, said the leaders at the company's "Today" show and NBC News had no knowledge of the star's inappropriate behavior before its dismissal in November.

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