Al Jazeera America held an all-hands on deck meeting this afternoon to discuss the lawsuit filed by former employee Matthew Luke. Network higher-ups say they plan to fight all charges, TVNewser has learned.
Luke is seeking $15 million after claiming he was fired after complaining about a hostile work environment and a manager, Osman Mahmud, who made “discriminatory, anti-Semitic and anti-American remarks.” Mahmud had a quick rise at AJAM, joining as a news editor in Oct. 2013, before moving up the ranks and being promoted svp of broadcast operations and technology in February of this year.
An insider tells us Mahmud’s promotion “seemed weird” until staffers learned of his connection to the director general of Al Jazeera. Our insider also says the feeling of rank and file is that even if Luke loses the suit, necessary internal changes may result.
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