Peter Dunn, president of CBS television stations, and David Friend, senior vice president of news for television stations, “have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a third-party investigation into issues involving those in a recent Los Angeles Times reported, “CBS said in a statement shared with CNN Business.
“CBS is committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace where all voices are heard, demands are investigated and, where necessary, appropriate action is taken,” the statement said. The company did not want to elaborate on the specific allegations.
The Times on Sunday published an investigation led by media reporter Meg James on the culture at CBS ‘TV stations. According to the article, Dunn has managed CBS ’28 TV stations since 2009, which together employ 2,800 workers.
The Times’ investigation included allegations that Dunn despised female and black employees. Friend, who works closely with Dunn, allegedly participated in the behavior and was also accused of verbal abuse, according to The Times’ report.
In a statement to The Times, Friend, said CBS had a ‘strong record’ of hiring and supporting women and coloreds.
“These remarks I may have made about our employees or prospective hires were based solely on performance or qualifications – not on someone’s race or gender,” he said in the statement. Dunn declined to comment to The Times on the allegations.
The Times reported that CBS had hired two law firms to investigate the allegations of sexual misconduct, but some staff members were concerned about the investigators investigating Moonves and did not pay enough attention to other alleged abuses at the TV stations. CBS told The Times: “In response to a CBS investigation in early 2019, the senior management at the time addressed the situation with Mr Dunn, and the company has not received any complaints about his behavior since.”
The National Association of Black Journalists met with ViacomCBS executives on Sunday to discuss the allegations.