Craig Blankenhorn/CBS(NEW YORK) — CBS News has suspended veteran journalist Charlie Rose after eight women accused him of sexual misconduct in interviews with The Washington Post.
“Charlie Rose is suspended immediately while we look into this matter. These allegations are extremely disturbing and we take them very seriously,” CBS News said in a statement.
Five women told Post that Rose, an anchor for CBS This Morning, groped them; two said that he walked naked in front of them; and one accused Rose of firing her after he allegedly touched her inappropriately and made sexually charged remarks to her.
The newspaper reported that Rose’s accusers either worked with or aspired to work with him on his PBS show, Charlie Rose, from the late 1990s to 2011. At the time of the alleged incidents, the women ranged in age from 21 to 37, according to the newspaper.
Rose issued an apology to the Post and later, he shared it on Twitter.
“In my 45 years in journalism, I have prided myself on being an advocate for the careers of the women with whom I have worked,” he said in a statement to the newspaper. “Nevertheless, in the past few days, claims have been made about my behavior toward some former female colleagues.
“It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken,” he continued. “I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will too. All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives.
PBS says it has reportedly suspended the distribution of Rose’s show in light of the claims.
Bloomberg also says it has suspended broadcasts of Charlie Rose.
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