CBS is home to the latest fatality in the post-Harvey Weinstein era, as CEO Leslie Moonves faces charges of sexual misconduct. This comes after an expose from journalist Ronan Farrow – the same reporter who broke the story on Weinstein, which opened up the floodgates of sexual harassment claims finally being made public.
Unlike most CEOs facing such accusations, Moonves will retain his position as CEO during the investigation, rather than immediately face pressure to resign. Given that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, this is appropriate.
In a statement, CBS said “All allegations of personal misconduct are to be taken seriously. The Independent Directors of CBS have committed to investigating claims that violate the Company’s clear policies in that regard. Upon the conclusion of that investigation, which involves recently reported allegations that go back several decades, the Board will promptly review the findings and take appropriate action.”
CBS added: “The timing of this report comes in the midst of the Company’s very public legal dispute. While that litigation process continues, the CBS management team has the full support of the independent board members. Along with that team, we will continue to focus on creating value for our shareowners.”
The legal battle mentioned has been between CBS and the Redstone family, which has a controlling interest in the network. The non-family shareholders would like independence. I’m unsure why CBS mentioned that legal battle in their statement, as it almost seems like they’re arguing that the sexual harassment allegations are to discredit their side in that legal battle.
To be more specific as to the nature of the allegations, Moonves is accused of unwanted kissing and touching.
Meanwhile, CBS doesn’t give the same benefit of the doubt to anyone. In fact, if you search for “Donald Trump sexual misconduct” allegations, you get a full seven pages of stories on their website.
Furthermore, back in February, they had Rachel Crooks on the network as she was simultaneously running for office and accusing President Trump of sexual harassment. She ended up winning her race in May, in large part because of the free media attention her claims got her. That’s about when the mainstream media coverage of her ends, so I guess both sides ended up getting what they wanted. Networks like CBS got to air unsubstantiated allegations against the President, while Crooks got advertising for her campaign.
Meanwhile, they should’ve kept a keener eye on the happenings at their own network. Charlie Rose went undetected for 20 years, racking up 27 sexual harassment allegations on the way, and the network did nothing until they were made public. And you won’t see seven pages worth of stories on that on CBS’ website.
