NBC has revealed it will no longer hold former employees to nondisclosure agreements they had signed after several former employees came forward with sexual harassment allegations.
In a statement read by MSNBC host Rachel Maddow on Friday night, NBC announced former employees will be released from any previously signed agreement to speak on issues related to sexual harassment.
“Any former NBC News employee who believes that they cannot disclose their experience with sexual harassment as a result of a confidentiality or nondisparagement provision in their separation agreement should contact NBCUniversal, and we will release them from that perceived obligation,” NBC said in the statement.
After announcing the policy change, Maddow invited former NBC reporter Ronan Farrow to speak on the issue. Farrow’s book, Catch and Kill, featured multiple stories of women who were allegedly sexually assaulted by former Today host Matt Lauer. In the book, he alleged that NDAs were used to silence victims from speaking out against Lauer after leaving the company.
Farrow commended NBC’s decision, saying, “It is new, and NBC executives deserve praise for that.”
He explained that more women will come forward against NBC as a result of this decision.
“I have spoken to multiple women who knew I was talking about this more and expressed agony over the fact that they are constrained by these agreements,” Farrow said, claiming the decision was “significant” because he believes the NDAs were used to silence women with payouts.
“The fact they’re ending that and releasing these women is significant and should be a model for other companies,” he said.
NBC has denied much of Farrow’s reporting and claimed he had “an axe to grind” and distorted stories reported in his book.
