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1. EXCLUSIVE: For the past six months I've been investigating a very powerful media executive you've never heard of: ABC News head of talent Barbara Fedida. What I uncovered is confidential settlements, racist and inappropriate statements, and more... https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
2. In the midst of fraught contract negotiations with GMA co-anchor @RobinRoberts, Fedida, according to three sources, said in a meeting: what more does Robin want? It's not like we're asking her to "pick cotton." https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
3. Fedida has a history of making insensitive, inappropriate, and at times racist remarks.
She referred to Sunny Hostin, a black former federal prosecutor and current co-host of the View and an ABC News legal analyst, as "low rent." https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
She referred to Sunny Hostin, a black former federal prosecutor and current co-host of the View and an ABC News legal analyst, as "low rent." https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
4. About @kendisgibson, who used to be an anchor at ABC News and is now at MSNBC, Fedida said that ABC News "spends more on toilet paper than we ever would on him." https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
5. There have been over a dozen HR complaints about Fedida and her conduct has led to millions in confidential settlements including at least one settlement involving allegations of racial discrimination. https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
6. For years, Fedida's conduct, not just when it comes to race & racism, has been widely discussed in the media business. People have wondered how she has managed to keep her job. She and others have managed to kill stories about her conduct in the past. https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
7. A bit about my reporting. For this story I spoke to 34 sources over the course of six months. I spoke to some of my sources dozens of times. My sources included talent and staff at ABC News and other people familiar with ABC News's business. https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
8. Fedida was the subject of a formal HR investigation conducted in 2016. People who are familiar with the investigation expected her to be fired after it but were shocked when all ABC News did was give her an executive coach for 6 months https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
9. ABC News has placed Barbara Fedida on administrative leave pending an investigation and sent me this statement in response to a list of 28 fact-checking questions.
Keep in mind, ABC is aware of her HR complaints and settlements
Link to my story: https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
Keep in mind, ABC is aware of her HR complaints and settlements
Link to my story: https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
10. Here is Barbara Fedida's statement which was sent to me by her attorney.
Link to my story: https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
Link to my story: https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
11. I've heard from so many former/current ABC News staff/talent in the past hour. A reminder: my DM's are open, my contact info is in my bio, & I consider all tips to be OTR unless you tell me otherwise
Same goes for people who have tips about other media orgs/executives etc
Same goes for people who have tips about other media orgs/executives etc
12. At a company holiday lunch several years ago, Fedida, according to sources who were there, went around the table and asked staffers whom they believed was the ABC News staffer/talent who would be most likely to be an active shooter. https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
13. Through my reporting for this story I learned that Fedida had not only referred to @Sunny Hostin as 'low rent', but that she had referred to at least one other woman (on-air talent as well) as 'low rent' https://twitter.com/itsgabrielleu/status/1271881406134620161?s=20
14. JUST IN: National Association of Black Journalists is calling on ABC to launch a transparent, external investigation into the allegations in my story. Additionally, they are calling on ABC to waive NDAs "for black employees & other employees of color"
https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
15. A name that kept coming up when I was speaking to my sources was Tanya Menton who serves as assistant general counsel at Disney company. She oversaw the negotiation of some of the settlements I mention in my story...whether they involved Fedida or not https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
16. But another thing Menton would do is handle some of the HR complaints against Barbara Fedida. So she was helping Fedida while also being responsible for looking into her HR complaints...sources repeatedly described Menton as an ally of Fedida. https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
17. How did this story start out? I've been working on it in earnest for 6 months..but it all got ignited by a voicemail left for me last March. The anonymous voicemail said: "Look into settlements involving Barbara Fedida that are handled by Tanya Menton" https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
18. Multiple sources have told me that Robin Roberts is understandably furious re this allegation below and the other allegations in my story. I'm told that Disney (parent company of ABC) executives are now scrambling to do damage control. https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1271828533929623554?s=20
19. GMA addressed my story this morning. They referred to what Barbara Fedida said about Robin Roberts (It's not like we're asking her to "pick cotton") as "racially charged"
Segment ended with: "We express our respect & affection for our friend and our colleague Robin Roberts."
Segment ended with: "We express our respect & affection for our friend and our colleague Robin Roberts."
20. Peter Rice, The Chairman of Walt Disney Television and the co-chairman of Disney Media Networks (the parent company of ABC and ABC News), sent this email to ABC news employees this morning re the allegations in my story.
21. What Peter Rice does not mention in his email to ABC News employees...
- Will the investigation be handled by an outside law firm?
- Will the results of the investigation be shared with ABC News employees?
The @NABJ has demanded both of these things https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1272515650162880513?s=20
- Will the investigation be handled by an outside law firm?
- Will the results of the investigation be shared with ABC News employees?
The @NABJ has demanded both of these things https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1272515650162880513?s=20
22. NEWS: On this morning's ABC News editorial call, ABC News president James Goldston said that Disney has retained an outside law firm to conduct the investigation into the allegations laid out in my story.
This per a source who was on the call. https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
This per a source who was on the call. https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
23. The View addressed the allegations in my reporting this morning
My reporting shows that Barbara Fedida referred to @Sunny Hostin as "low rent." Sunny is Black and Latina.
Here, Sunny addresses what was allegedly said about her, @RobinRoberts, @kendisgibson, and @marascampo
My reporting shows that Barbara Fedida referred to @Sunny Hostin as "low rent." Sunny is Black and Latina.
Here, Sunny addresses what was allegedly said about her, @RobinRoberts, @kendisgibson, and @marascampo
24. Senator @KamalaHarris weighs in on the growing controversy at ABC News over Barbara Fedida's conduct. https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1272634739892109313
25. NEWS: Iāve obtained the memo that black journalists sent to ABC execs in 2016 to demand more diversity and inclusion at the network
I mention in my story that the memo was derogatorily referred to as the āBlack Manifestoā by top ABC News executives.
https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
I mention in my story that the memo was derogatorily referred to as the āBlack Manifestoā by top ABC News executives.
https://bit.ly/2zxBjqA
