Ashley Kim New Covenant Academy 10th Grade
Recently, the media has been ablaze with women allegedly confessing that Charlie Rose had sexually harassed them. The whole nation was caught by surprise, as he was crucial to CBS and an esteemed journalist. There was nothing but praise for him, before this objectionable event. “There is not a single person of note on the planet who does not know who he is,” said one CBS News executive who spoke on condition of anonymity. “His talent was so in the stratosphere.” Jonathan Klein, a former executive for CBS News and CNN, also praised his importance for CBS. He mentioned that Rose gave the weight, experience, intelligence, and trust to the brand.
However, the allegations of the eleven harassed women sounded quite different than that of Rose’s usual prestige. They claimed that they were subject to unwanted sexual advances, whispered sexual innuendoes, and touched inappropriately.
Soon after these reports, CBS’ news president David Rhodes fires Rose. Rhodes makes it clear that although Rose has provided so much, a safe working community is priority. His peers also comment on the issue, “There is no excuse for this alleged behavior,” O’Donnell says. “It is systematic and pervasive, and I’ve been doing a lot of listening and I’m going to continue to do that. This I know is true: Women cannot achieve equality in the workplace or in society until there is a reckoning and a taking of responsibility.” Along with O’Donnell, King, a longtime TV personality and also Rose’s long-time colleague speaks up on this issue. “We are all rocked by this, I really applaud the women that speak up despite the friendship. He doesn’t get a pass because I can’t stop thinking about the anguish of these women, what happened to their dignity, what happened to their bodies, what happened maybe to even their careers.” King also confesses that she couldn’t even sleep after hearing about the news.
Although these are all sickening to here, no one could ever deny the great influence of Rose’s work. 1.12 million more people started watching “CBS This Morning” after his arrival and he even took away viewers from other stations. His show also brought money too, racking up $106 million in ad revenue through September, up 14% over the same period last year.
Rose played a huge role for CBS, and his absence will definitely cause great damage. However, many are assuming that Anthony Mason will cover his spot. He is a versatile veteran correspondent and is currently in charge of the Saturday edition of “CBS This Morning.” He had filled in for Rose while he had his heart surgery and there had been no decline in ratings. “Anthony approximates a lot of Charlie’s skills,” Klein said. “He’s just not a household name.”
Although Rose’s actions affected the whole nation and the future of news reporting, moving on from this unpleasant event is the right thing to do. Like CBS’new president, Rhodes, who made an intelligent move in prioritizing a safe working environment. And as viewers, our best bet is to hope CBS recovers quickly from its loss and steps up to provide more reliable, faster news.
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Ashley Kim New Covenant Academy 10th Grade>