STATEMENT: Women’s Group Reacts to Former CBS Miami Investigative Reporter’s Gender and Age Discrimination Suit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, September 20, 2018
CONTACT: Yasmina Dardari | yasmina@unbendablemedia.com | (407) 922-8149
STATEMENT: Women’s Group Reacts to Former CBS Miami Investigative Reporter’s Gender and Age Discrimination Suit
Terminated After Years of Experiencing Discrimination and Bullying, Miami Journalist Michele Gillen Is Suing the Network for Retaliation
MIAMI, FLORIDA — Last week, the Hollywood Reporter broke the story that a Florida Federal court greenlit a retaliation and gender and age discrimination lawsuit against CBS and CBS Miami from Michele Gillen, Emmy award-winning former chief investigative reporter for CBS Miami and the only woman on the station’s investigative team. Gillen worked at CBS for two decades before being terminated in 2016, according to her suit, which was filed Friday in Florida federal court.
In response, Shaunna Thomas, Executive Director and Co-founder of UltraViolet, a leading national women’s group, issued the following statement:
“CBS can no longer hide from the truth it has been attempting to cover up for decades: The network is a deeply hostile place for women. Not one week after former CEO Les Moonves stepped down from the network for preying on his employees for decades, the network finds itself accused of yet another case of sexism. While Michele Gillen was producing award-winning works of investigative journalism for the network, she suffered through health-wrecking bullying and sexism that management and CBS HQ not only made no attempts to address, but actively tried to silence her until illegally retaliating and firing her. CBS’s attempt to discredit her accusations with artfully crafted PR statements shows they haven’t learn a single thing about handling sexism and abuse after the Moonves scandal.
“It is clear the problem at the network is greater than Les Moonves. The CBS board has been complicit in allowing too many brilliant women at CBS and affiliates across the country to have their careers derailed after suffering through a Mad Men-era toxic workplace rife with sexual abuse and gender discrimination. We believe Michele Gillen, and stand by her pursuit of justice for the irreparable harm she endured at CBS.“
For more information, or for interview with an UltraViolet spokesperson, please contact Yasmina Dardari at (407) 922-8149 or by email at yasmina@unbendablemedia.com.
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UltraViolet is an online community of over 1,000,000 women and men who want to take collective action to expose and fight sexism in the public sector, private sector and the media. Find out more at WeAreUltraViolet.org.