NPR's Head Of News Resigns Following Harassment Allegations

[DonViejo]

Source: NPR





November 1, 201712:13 PM ET

MERRIT KENNEDY

NPR's senior vice president for news, Michael Oreskes, has resigned following allegations of sexual harassment from several women.

"This morning I asked Mike Oreskes for his resignation because of inappropriate behavior," NPR CEO Jarl Mohn wrote in an email to NPR staff on Wednesday. "I have received his resignation, effective immediately."

In a statement, Oreskes said, "I am deeply sorry to the people I hurt. My behavior was wrong and inexcusable, and I accept full responsibility."

Oreskes was placed on leave Tuesday night following a report in The Washington Post about allegations by two women that they had been harassed in the late 1990s. As NPR's David Folkenflik reported: "They included similar accounts of unwanted and unexpected kisses during business meetings."

Read more: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/11/01/561363158/nprs-head-of-news-resigns-following-harassment-allegations

[hibbing]

1. Gross

Unwanted and unexpected kisses during business meetings, wtf? I mean gawd, how gross.

Peace

[Moostache]

4. I am sickened by the prevalence of this behavior throughout society...

It is not just media and Hollywood companies where this kind of unacceptable shit behavior is going on...it is endemic to our society in general and for the men out there who think this is overblown and not really as serious as people say, as a man let me be the first to disabuse you of that position.

It is NEVER OK to kiss someone without their consent. EVER.
It is NEVER OK to grab someone in a sexual or non-sexual way. EVER.
It is NEVER OK to make lewd or suggestive comments to someone. EVER.

These are not "accidents" or "misunderstandings" or "not what was intended's".
These are CRIMES. Period.

Men who fail to recognize that simple fact are not worthy of respect or honor.

I have met thousands of people in my life - professionally and personally. Among them were beautiful, attractive people and others that were not as genetically blessed (like me!). Some of them were tantalizingly dressed and decked out to the nines and others were met while on an exercise mat or gym and flush or profusely sweating. But NONE of them were EVER grabbed, kissed, cornered or made to feel that I had some kind of "rights" over them due to my gender or standing or position.

Anyone who excuses this kind of systemic injustice is an affront to humanity and worthy of ridicule, scorn and needs to re-assess their place in the world and how they interact with other humans.

[TygrBright]

2. Show 'em how it's done, NPR...

Here's something to point out to all the RWNJ doing the schadenfreude shuffle about "the Liberals" in media and entertainment being outed as creeps:

Because the media and entertainment industries do, indeed, have a high percentage of liberal, progressive individuals connected with them, increasingly working their way into positions of power, it becomes POSSIBLE for the damage propagated by a misogynistic, patriarchal culture to be exposed and rectified.

Yeah, the "liberal" industries are taking this hit, because they do, in fact, "know better" about the disgusting nature of what's being exposed, and the damage it has done to them and everyone involved with them.

They're willing to hear accusers, give those damaged and vicitimized a voice, make an effort to overcome denial, pay the costs, absorb the pain of change. It takes "Liberals" to do this.

To be willing to hear the charges.

To be willing to support the victims.

To be willing to fight the denial.

To be willing to pay the costs.

To be willing to talk about solutions.

To be willing to build the tools for change.

To be willing to undertake the pain of transformation.

And only AFTER these "liberal-dominated" industries have led the way and shown the pain, will we finally see the entrenched conservative-dominated leadership of other industries: Finance, Law, etc., grow some spine, crawl out from under their denial-blankies, and consider doing the right thing publicly.

So.

Yeah.

You go, NPR management.

You show 'em how to own up, take responsibility, apologize properly, and deal with consequences, Mr. Oreskes.

We are all tasked with evolving.

We are all supposed to become better human beings.

Some of us are more willing to do so.

appreciatively,
Bright

[robbob]

8. Thanks Tygr for taking the time to write that

I’ve been wanting for a while to point out the difference between left and right wing responses to this flurry of revelations of sexually inappropriate behaviour and harassment.

Repulsive repugs lie, deny, bribe and cover up. “Liberals” clean house, apologize, and try to eradicate such behaviour in the work place.

So don’t let them frame it as a “both sides do it” issue. The abhorrent behaviour is sadly all too common from both sides of the political spectrum. The reaction to such behaviour from the left and the right could not be more different.

[lagomorph777]

3. Is that guy the one who slanted NPR to the right recently?

I had to quit listening; it was bad for my blood pressure.

[Nitram]

5. I haven't noticed a rightward slant on NPR. Not even a little one.

They do make an effort to hear both sides, but I never see them throw interview softballs.

[Blackjackdavey]

6. I guess you had to be there

, maybe you were, but after 9/11 there was a noticeable, jarring, lurch to the right. Prior to then NPR was genuinely a left wing version of fox "news." Since then, they seem to just parrot Reuters and to stay safe. Making an effort to air both sides by necessity requires the validation of some very invalid shit.

[Nitram]

7. I was there. Still am.

I still consider them one of the most reliable sources of news and analysis available, along with the Washington Post and the BBC.

[Evergreen Emerald]

9. Agreed.

There is no real media anymore.