Emily Steel writes in a piece in Saturday’s New York Times that she uncovered at least four settlements by Vice Media “involving allegations of sexual harassment or defamation against Vice employees, including its current president,” as well as dozens of accounts of sexual misconduct.
At Vice, four settlements and more than two dozen accounts of sexual misconduct — @emilysteel’s investigation https://t.co/JFrruyCwOc
— jimrutenberg (@jimrutenberg) December 23, 2017
Vice reached a deal with freelance writer Jessica Hopper after its magazine changed her story to say that she agreed to have sex with the rapper Murs. During the interview, Murs did ask if they could have sex. But she said no and included that answer in her piece. pic.twitter.com/w53FY0JK28
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 23, 2017
Vice reached a $24,000 settlement with a journalist in its London office who claimed that a Vice producer had made racist and sexist statements to her, including asking about the color of her nipples and whether she slept with black men https://t.co/c3AbAQf6fu
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 23, 2017
Here’s an overview of her piece:
As Vice built itself from a fringe magazine into a nearly $6 billion global media company, its workplace was degrading and uncomfortable for women, current and former employees say. My story: https://t.co/Pj2G8ZJ6eo
— Emily Steel (@emilysteel) December 23, 2017
In my investigation, I uncovered four settlements connected to sexual harassment or defamation allegations against Vice employees, including its current president https://t.co/Pj2G8ZJ6eo
— Emily Steel (@emilysteel) December 23, 2017
In a statement, Vice co-founders Shane Smith and Suroosh Alvi said: a “boys club” culture at Vice had “fostered inappropriate behavior that permeated throughout the company.” https://t.co/Pj2G8ZJ6eo
— Emily Steel (@emilysteel) December 23, 2017
This reporting is based on interviews with more than 100 current and former Vice employees, some of whom broke confidentiality agreements to talk on the record.
— Emily Steel (@emilysteel) December 23, 2017
In a statement, Vice Media said that it had “failed as a company to create a safe and inclusive workplace” and acknowledged that it had allowed a detrimental “boy’s club” culture to flourish at the company.
One former Vice employee, Helena Donahue, wrote of her own experiences in a Twitter thread:
VICE took a year of my life from me. I quit journalism. I quit writing. A world like this was not safe for me. I felt like I was under water every day and no one could hear me scream, or they looked away. And—as my ex-colleagues know—I quite literally screamed about it. A lot. https://t.co/XKkYW3crtW
— helen chalamet (@helen) December 23, 2017
I’ve said this to several people over the years but VICE was my first big heartbreak. I could have become something, I had the gusto, I had the M.A. and 6 years of Russian studies. Instead I was consistently reminded I would never amount to anything, all the while being harassed
— helen chalamet (@helen) December 23, 2017
The pain Vice caused me is worse than any heartbreak I’ve experienced. The vast level of human especially woman-to-woman betrayal astounded & broke me. I was paranoid, cynical, & angry. Could have created a monster. Thank god I still believe in love & compassion above all things.
— helen chalamet (@helen) December 23, 2017
Vice’s excuse being “a boys club” is a phrase u hear from ur first fuckin day. The “non-traditional work environment” too. These were deeply engrained, depraved phrases masked as jokes 2 coerce u into silence. “Oh its just a boys club” or “welp, non-traditional work environment!”
— helen chalamet (@helen) December 23, 2017
So apparently Vice treats women like shit. Good to know. https://t.co/xffEWtBcF3
— Sarah (@SarahHydeWrites) December 23, 2017
https://twitter.com/nowwhylater/status/944693109543153664
Powerful testimony on a workplace horror show. Commendations for speaking out strongly. Another blow against, to use a cliche, an evil empire. https://t.co/wyWXhp7muZ
— Robert Gangi (@GangiFromProp) December 23, 2017
Boggles my mind that Millennials and others now in their 20s/30s can have great attitudes on race, religion and other things that divided past generations, yet so many still treat women as playthings. Why? https://t.co/8qOXMj0pFL
— Beau Dure (@duresport) December 23, 2017
And @VICE is apparently the current voice of progressivism. Fucking unbelievable!!! https://t.co/kgFuE0sNeN
— Knack of Flying (@knackofflying) December 23, 2017
Very believable, actually. Just look at the culture of sexual harassment that was allowed to thrive in both progressive Hollywood and at PBS.
Burn Vice to the ground. https://t.co/8lvrSLQUzu
— David Marcus (@BlueBoxDave) December 23, 2017
Related:
Another one: PBS suspends distribution of ‘Tavis Smiley’ over sexual misconduct allegations
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