FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2021
NAHJ disturbed by continued mistreatment of employees of color at CBS-owned and operated local stations
(Washington, D.C.) – The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is disturbed by the continued mistreatment of employees of color encountered at CBS-owned and operated local stations. Although the allegations emerged years ago, the recent LA Times investigation has shed light on existing complaints of misogyny and racism within CBS-owned and CBS-operated stations. Employees allege that a toxic work environment was cultivated by Peter Dunn, president of CBS Stations, and David Friend, senior vice president of news for CBS Stations and vice president of news at WCBS-TV New York. Any toxic behavior rooted in an organization’s leadership must be confronted and addressed. NAHJ stands with the National Association of Black Journalists and calls for those responsible for these workplace abuses to be held accountable.
Nearly a year ago, NAHJ’s leadership pressed CBS News about the dismissal of Eleanore Vega, who at the time was CBS west coast bureau chief and was a long-time champion of journalists of color within the company. Subsequently, multiple, independent complaints were brought to NAHJ’s attention by company employees about mistreatment. A meeting with Marva Smalls, executive vice president and global head of inclusion as well as other ViacomCBS leadership, emphasized concerns around the company’s lack of inclusion. Smalls communicated to NAHJ a network diversity report would be made public moving forward.
In June, NAHJ spoke up again to express outrage over the treatment of employees at CBS news, CBS news bureaus, and owned-and-operated local stations, including how complaints alleging toxic environments at its workplaces have been handled. Black and Brown employees have shared testimonials with NAHJ about the horrific treatment they have been subjected to while working at CBS-owned stations. Given the low level of representation of journalists of color at the senior-most levels of the company, and the significant layoffs affecting journalists of color, the association demands a change in the management of newsrooms to more accurately reflect the diversity of our communities.
The NAHJ leadership is calling on CBS to release association members from their nondisclosure agreements to share workplace experiences that provide the clarity needed in an investigation. A review of the network’s management culture is required to secure balanced representation across the board. NAHJ looks forward to hearing from ViacomCBS on the steps the company plans to take to address these issues.
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About the NAHJ
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists is the largest organization of Latino journalists in the United States and dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. The mission of NAHJ is to increase the number of Latinos in the newsrooms and to work toward fair and accurate representation of Latinos in the news media. Established in April 1984, NAHJ created a national voice and unified vision for all Hispanic journalists. NAHJ has over 3,200 members, including working journalists, journalism students, other media-related professionals, and journalism educators. For more information please visit NAHJ.org or follow on Twitter @NAHJ.
Media Contact:
BA Snyder
Veritas Group for NAHJ
512.630.6337
BA@TheVeritasWay.com