Vice Media has suspended two senior executives—president Andrew Creighton and chief digital officer Mike Germano—following a New York Times report last month detailing sexual harassment allegations against them. (Variety)
Allegations against Germano will be reviewed by an external investigator, COO Sarah Broderick said in a memo to staff. The claim against Creighton was already looked into by an outside firm and was found to lack merit, but board members will examine it as a further step, she said. (Bloomberg)
The NYT exposé detailed Vice’s history as a “toxic environment” for women. That story included two specific incidents regarding encounters between Germano and women who worked with him, both of whom spoke to the Times on the record. In a statement, the executive acknowledged his behavior toward one of these women had been “inappropriate.” (AgencySpy)
The memo also included steps Vice is taking to address the reports about a toxic workplace culture for women within the company. That includes the hiring of a new head of HR, Susan Tohyama, and new requirements that all Vice employees participate in mandatory sexual harassment training. (THR)
Former Vice CIO Jesse Knight also appears to be leaving the company, as his company email reportedly has an auto-reply that reads, “After an amazing 16 years at Vice, I have decided to move into the non-profit world.” Though, spokespeople for the company have said his departure is unrelated to the misconduct scandal. (Mediaite)