CBS suspended two of its top local TV executives on Monday night for allegedly cultivating a “hostile” workplace that was reportedly raised by the Los Angeles Times this past weekend.
Peter Dunn and David Friend, two heads of his TV station group, allegedly “cultivated a hostile work environment that discourages female executives and attempts to hire and retain black journalists,” the LA Times reported.
In a statement late Monday, the company said Dunn, the president of CBS television stations, and Friend, the senior vice president of news for the stations, are being placed on administrative leave “pending the outcome of a third-party investigation.”
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The main entrance to the CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) headquarters in New York City on January 10, 2020. (Photo by Erik McGregor / LightRocket via Getty Images)
“CBS is committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace where all voices are heard, demands are investigated and appropriate action is taken where necessary,” the statement said.
CBS did not immediately respond to a Fox News email.
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) reportedly met with CBS officials Sunday night “about disturbing revelations and allegations by the LA Times about the racism and toxic work environment at the company, specifically the CBS television stations.”
The NABJ calls it a ‘major problem among CBS stations owned and operated’ and insists that both Dunn and Friend be fired.
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The organization said issues raised in the Times report were consistent with the multiple workplaces voiced by CBS employees, which had been brought to the attention of NABJ and CBS executives during two meetings over the past 18 months.
Dunn, who has been with CBS since 2002, was also president and general manager of CBS ‘Philadelphia stations KYW and WPSG. Since 2005, he has served as president and general manager of WCBS-TV, the flagship company in New York.
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Friend has been serving as news director at WCBS-TV, the company’s flagship in New York, since June 2006.
He said in a statement to the LA Times that comments he made about employees or hopeful work “are based solely on performance or qualifications – not on someone’s race or gender.”
“I believe I – and our stations – have a good record of employing, supporting and placing women and BIPOC journalists in important roles as anchors, reporters and news directors,” he said.