Will Lauer’s swift firing and his own apology douse the PR firestorm?
NBC axed the ‘Today’ co-host soon after a staffer alleged sexual misconduct. Still, questions linger about how much the network already knew, given other news outlets’ reporting.
The urgency to respond to sexual harassment allegations is growing, not fading.
NBC fired longtime host and TV personality Matt Lauer following a claim of sexual harassment by an employee. The accusations seemed shocking and credible enough to prompt the network to act quickly, and Lauer’s removal was announced Wednesday, live on air by co-host Savannah Guthrie.
A day later, Lauer has apologized.
In a statement read on the air at the top of the program by Lauer’s shaken co-host, Savannah Guthrie, [NBC News Chairman Andy] Lack said the abrupt termination was prompted by a “detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer.”
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