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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 6 december 2017
AP Exclusive: Top gossip editor accused of sexual misconduct

By JAKE PEARSON and JEFF In March the company watch or listen to graphic
HORWITZ purchased the glossy Us recordings of sex involving
Associated Press Weekly magazine for a re- celebrities despite there
NEW YORK (AP) — The top ported $100 million, signifi- being no professional ratio-
editor for the National En- cantly boosting its reader- nale for doing so, they said.
quirer, Us Weekly and other ship among women. A former senior editor said
major gossip publications Most of the former em- Howard wrongly claimed
openly described his sexual ployees spoke to the AP during a newsroom meet-
partners in the newsroom, on condition of anonymity ing that the woman had
discussed female employ- because they had signed had sex with a journalism
ees’ sex lives and forced nondisclosure agreements, source and praised her for
women to watch or listen sometimes as part of sever- it, saying she needed to
to pornographic material, ance packages. “do what you need” to get
former employees told The Two former employees, a story.
Associated Press. one a senior manager and The editor said, “He encour-
The behavior by Dylan another a reporter in the aged her to have sex with
Howard, currently the chief L.A. office, agreed to be people for information.”
content officer of Ameri- publicly identified to dis- The woman Howard was
can Media Inc., occurred Maxine “Max” Page, a former senior editor at RadarOnline, cuss Howard’s behavior. discussing confirmed these
while he was running the speaks to The Associated Press via a Skype, Tuesday, Dec. 5, “The behavior that Dylan and other incidents to the
company’s Los Angeles of- 2017, in New York. displayed and the way he AP but declined to be iden-
fice, according to men and Associated Press was and the way the com- tified.
women who worked there. The AP spoke with 12 for- A lawyer for American Me- pany dealt with it — I just Stracher, the company
Howard’s self-proclaimed mer employees who knew dia confirmed that an out- think that it has to be made lawyer, said no one in-
nickname was “Dildo,” a about the investigation side investigator was hired public because it’s com- terviewed by the outside
phallus-shaped sex toy, the into Howard’s behavior, to look into two employees’ pletely unacceptable,” investigator complained
former employees said. His though not all were aware claims about Howard’s be- said Maxine “Max” Page, a about Howard’s handling
conduct led to an inter- of every detail. The outside havior. He said the investi- former senior editor at Rad- of pornographic material.
nal inquiry in 2012 by an investigator hired to exam- gation did not show serious arOnline. She complained Stracher said there was
outside consultant, and ine complaints about How- wrongdoing. to the human resources de- nothing inherently inap-
former employees said he ard’s behavior also con- “It was determined that partment about Howard’s propriate about that in the
stopped working out of the firmed to the AP that he there was some, what behavior on behalf of two celebrity news business.
L.A. office after the inquiry. completed a report. you would call as, horsing female reporters. Stracher also said no one
Howard quit soon after the In a brief phone interview around outside the office, Howard made inappro- complained to the investi-
report was completed. The with the AP, Howard char- going to bars and things priate comments to and gator about Howard’s al-
company rehired him one acterized the ex-employ- that are not uncommon in about one of those wom- leged encouragement of a
year later with a promo- ees’ claims as “baseless.” the media business,” Cam en, Page and six other ex- reporter to sleep with news
tion that landed him in the American Media said in a Stracher said, “but none of employees said. sources.
company’s main office in statement Tuesday eve- it rose to the level of harass- Howard told employees in Another former reporter,
New York. It was not clear ning that Howard “has the ment that would require the newsroom he wanted Liz Crokin, said she was
whether Howard faced any full support of AMI and its termination.” to create a Facebook ac- also harassed by Howard,
discipline over the accusa- executives.” It said since American Media publishes count on behalf of the including once when he
tions. The AP is not aware of Howard was rehired, “he the National Enquirer, Rad- woman’s vagina, com- asked whether she was
any sexual harassment al- has continued to have the arOnline, Star and other mented on her sex life and “going to be walking the
legations involving Howard respect of his peers and gossip publications and forced her and other fe- streets tonight” on a day
since he was rehired. colleagues.” websites. male employees to either she wore heels to work.q

Obama, the chicken nugget guy,

among most retweeted in 2017

NEW YORK (AP) — What do fast food lover Carter Wilk- rescind Stephen Curry’s in-
a former U.S. president, LeB- erson , who begged peo- vitation to the White House
ron James and a guy who ple to retweet him so that to celebrate the Golden
really, really likes chicken he could get a year’s worth State Warrior’s NBA cham-
nuggets have in common? of free chicken nuggets pionship. Curry, and others
They all made the biggest from Wendy’s. He fell short on the team, said that he
splash on Twitter this year. of the 18-million retweet didn’t want to visit Trump in
Twitter on Tuesday re- bar set by the fast-food the White House.
leased its top trending chain, but Wendy’s gave While he did not make
people and topics for 2017, Wilkerson the nuggets any- the most retweeted list,
ranging from sports to poli- way for the effort. President Trump took the top spot for
tics to Korean boy bands. It Barack Obama , with 1.7 the most tweeted about In this Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, file photo, former U.S. President
was a year in which almost million retweets in August, elected world leader. He Barack Obama arrives on stage prior to delivering a speech in
Paris.
every sector of society was was second. Obama took also came in No. 1 for top Associated Press
mashed together or clash- three of the top 10 spots on tweeted U.S. elected of-
ing on social media, with the list. Cleveland Cava- ficials, with Vice President Trump’s inauguration day also in the sights of Twitter
the “Tweeter in Chief,” liers star Lebron James was Mike Pence and Speaker was the most viewed live users. The top three tweet-
President Donald Trump, seventh, with a tweet that of the House Paul Ryan tak- stream broadcast of the ed news outlets were Fox
leading the way. criticized President Donald ing second and third. PBS’ year. With the media in News , CNN and The New
The top retweet came from Trump over his decision to special live coverage of Trump’s crosshairs, it was York Times . q