Charlie Rose’s November ouster is reportedly still reverberating at CBS, where executives are said to be nervous about “a looming Washington Post investigation.”
In a Monday article that cited three unnamed sources, Page Six reported that “top network execs who worked on Rose’s shows are panicking that they’ll be accused of turning a blind eye to his sexual misconduct.” Rose was fired in November after eight women accused him of making disturbing, unwanted sexual advances on them in a damning Washington Post report.
“There are a lot of executives looking around corners, hoping they’re not named in the story,” a source described as an “industry insider” told Page Six. “[CBS is] trying to suppress [the story] by using the NDAs.” Another source said executives have been warning staffers they believe have spoken to the Post that their nondisclosure agreements will be enforced.
It’s only logical that people would want to protect themselves from negative publicity, but the #MeToo movement has exposed a lot of bad behavior at top media outlets, revealing in many cases the layers of protection that stars enjoy. The original Post article reported that “rumors about Rose’s behavior have circulated for years,” making it plausible people at CBS did indeed turn a blind eye, or worse, when allegations about their former anchor surfaced in the past.
If that’s the case, Rose’s enablers should be exposed and dealt with — but unfortunately that’s an end to which those NDAs could prove to be a serious obstacle.
