Author: John Koblin / Source: New York Times
CBS entered a new stage of turmoil on Wednesday with the ouster of the longtime executive producer of “60 Minutes,” its flagship news brand, amid a cascading scandal over sexual misconduct that days ago ended the career of the network’s chief executive, Leslie Moonves.
Jeff Fager, who was only the second person in 50 years to oversee “60 Minutes,” was fired for sending a text message that threatened the career of a CBS reporter, Jericka Duncan, who was looking into allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him and Mr.
Moonves.The president of CBS News, David Rhodes, told staff that Mr. Fager’s departure was “not directly related” to those allegations of sexual harassment, which Mr. Fager has denied. But the network said the producer had violated company policy.
It would be hard to overstate Mr. Fager’s power inside CBS’s news division, where he succeeded the legendary producer Don Hewitt in overseeing “60 Minutes.” Some members of the show’s staff were livid on Wednesday during a contentious meeting with Mr. Rhodes at the show’s Manhattan office.
“I think it’s a terrible day for CBS News,” Sharyn Alfonsi, a “60 Minutes” correspondent, said in an interview before the specific contents of Mr. Fager’s text message were known. “I think it is awful. I don’t understand how you get fired over a text message.”
CBS has enlisted two law firms to investigate its workplace environment, including accusations published by The New Yorker and The Washington Post that Mr. Fager touched female colleagues in ways that made them feel uncomfortable and allowed a culture of harassment to fester at “60 Minutes.”
In his own statement, Mr. Fager, 63, called those allegations “false,” but he also admitted to sending a “harsh” message to a CBS reporter “demanding that she be fair in covering the story.
” He added: “CBS did not like it. One such note should not result in termination after 36 years, but it did.”CBS News had put together a team, including Ms. Duncan, to report out the allegations against Mr. Moonves and others. On Sunday, Mr. Fager replied to an inquiry from Ms. Duncan by warning her to “be careful.”
“There are people who lost their jobs trying to harm me, and if you pass on these damaging claims without your own reporting to back them up that will become a serious problem,” Mr. Fager wrote in a text message, which CBS News aired on Wednesday’s “Evening News” in a segment reported by Ms. Duncan.
The exit of two towering figures within 72 hours — Mr. Moonves and Mr. Fager had been at the network for decades — was especially jarring for CBS, the so-called Tiffany network, which has been a model of stability in the tumultuous waters of broadcast TV. Announcing the departure of a top executive in 2015, Mr. Moonves described “an easy and smooth transition — which is what we like here.”
The network’s clubby, old-school vibe had been sustained by high ratings and marquee shows like “60 Minutes,” whose loyal audience helped make CBS the most-watched broadcast network…
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