The Borneo Post (Sabah)

Star newsman Matt Lauer fired over sexual misconduct claims

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WASHINGTON: Star news anchor Matt Lauer has been sacked over allegation­s of sexual misconduct, US broadcaste­r NBC said on Wednesday, in the latest fall from grace of a power player in the media and entertainm­ent industry.

The 59-year-old, known to millions as host of morning show “Today” for more than 20 years, led coverage of numerous major news events, from the Sept 11 attacks to presidenti­al campaigns and the Olympics.

Co-host Savannah Guthrie announced Lauer’s terminatio­n on air as their programme began, calling it “a sad morning here at ‘Today’ and at NBC News.”

The network said it fired Lauer after receiving a detailed account from a colleague of what it called inappropri­ate sexual behaviour on the job.

But Hollywood trade weekly Variety published an investigat­ion resulting from dozens of interviews with current and former colleagues over two months, suggesting it was part of a much larger pattern of behaviour.

Instances of Lauer’s alleged misconduct detailed by the magazine included an occasion when he gave a mortified colleague a sex toy with an explicit note, and another in which he exposed himself in his office to another staffer.

Three unidentifi­ed women had come forward, according to the report, with stories of Lauer’s sexual harassment that had been corroborat­ed by friends or colleagues.

Lauer joins the ranks of numerous other film, TV and media giants brought down in a groundswel­l of outrage that began in October with a flood of sexual assault and harassment allegation­s against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

The scandal has reached Washington, where several lawmakers stand accused of inappropri­ate behaviour, and nearly every day seems to bring another stunning case involving a well-known public figure.

In a memo to staff, NBC chairman Andrew Lack said that on Monday night, the network received a detailed complaint accusing Lauer of inappropri­ate behaviour.

“It represente­d, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment,” Lack wrote.

NBC said it was provided with evidence suggesting this may not have been an isolated incident.

Veteran journalist Katie Couric, who was Lauer’s co-host for years, said in 2012 during an interview with the showbiz gossip outlet TMZ that “Matt pinches me on the ass a lot,” although she laughed after making the remark.

Variety cited two of Lauer’s accusers who said the executive had a button under his desk that allowed him to lock his door from the inside without getting up, ensuring no one could walk in on him.

According to multiple accounts the magazine said it had independen­tly verified, Lauer would also invite female NBC employees to his hotel room late at night while covering the Olympics.

Variety, however, says several women had found their complaints to network executives falling on deaf ears.

President Donald Trump, himself accused of harassment by more than a dozen women, seized on the Lauer news.

“Wow,” he said on Twitter, adding that executives at NBC and its parent company Comcast should be fired for “putting out so much Fake News.”

Trump was embarrasse­d in the final stretch of last year’s presidenti­al campaign by the release of audio in which he is heard boasting that his fame allowed him to grab women’s genitals and get away with it.

At the time, he acknowledg­ed the veracity of the so-called “Access Hollywood” tape and apologised publicly. But he has since suggested that the voice on the tape was not his, the New York Times reported.

Lauer’s sacking comes a week after CBS fired Charlie Rose, one of America’s most respected TV journalist­s, after eight women told The Washington Post he had made unwanted sexual advances toward them.

Rival television giant Fox News has long been rocked by allegation­s that its late former chairman Roger Ailes and exstar presenter Bill O’Reilly, who was fired this year, settled multiple cases of sexual harassment brought by female colleagues.

Former Fox anchor Megyn Kelly, who has said she was sexually harassed at that network and now hosts an NBC show that airs right after “Today,” struck a firm tone in defence of harassment victims.

Kelly acknowledg­ed the possible distress of Lauer’s colleagues over his sacking but added that “what we don’t see is the pain on the faces of those who found the courage to come forward, and it is a terrifying thing to do.”

National Public Radio, which already lost a senior executive earlier this month over sexual misconduct allegation­s, said its chief news editor, David Sweeney, had left the company after being accused of sexual harassment.

And on an ignominiou­s day for the media, writer and longtime radio host Garrison Keillor, also saw his ties with Minnesota Public Radio severed over what it called inappropri­ate behaviour with a co-worker.

The 75-year-old Keillor said in an email to the Minneapoli­s Star Tribune that he had inadverten­tly “put my hand on a woman’s bare back” and later offered an apology that was accepted. — AFP

It represente­d, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment. Andrew Lack, NBC chairman

 ??  ?? Trump speaks with host Lauer before an interview on NBC’s ‘Today’ show in New York, US on Apr 21, 2016. — Reuters file photo
Trump speaks with host Lauer before an interview on NBC’s ‘Today’ show in New York, US on Apr 21, 2016. — Reuters file photo

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