Report: Three women flagged Rose’s behavior
NEW YORK — With 27 more women accusing former news anchor Charlie Rose of sexual misconduct, a report Thursday calls into question CBS News’ claims that his behavior was a surprise before he was fired last November.
The Washington Post said that on least three occasions prior to that, women report- ed discomfort about Rose’s actions to superiors. Rose was fired as “CBS This Morning” anchor and PBS canceled his interview show after an earlier Post report on women who said he groped them, made lewd remarks or walked naked around them.
In one new allegation, a former research assistant said Rose exposed his penis and touched her breasts when they worked at NBC News’ Washington bureau in 1976.
The Post said Rose, 76, told the newspaper in an email that its story was inaccurate and unfair.
Some of the women told the Post they feared reporting bad behavior because the network was more concerned about the male TV personalities. “I had been there long enough to know that it was just the way things went,” said Sophie Gayter, 27, who said Rose groped her. “People said what they wanted to you. People did what they wanted to you.”
CBS News said it could not confirm or corroborate many of the stories told by The Post.
“We continue to look for ways to improve our workplace and this period of reflection and action has been important to all of us,” the network said.
For many years, Rose did his PBS interview show at the same time he worked for CBS, and the Post story also examined his behavior there. In 2003, a then-20-year-old intern was brought by Rose on a trip to California, where she alleged that he squeezed her breast while on a car ride.