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PEOPLE & ARTS Saturday 28 april 2018
Tom Brokaw 'hurt and unmoored' by sex harassment allegations
By DAVID BAUDER "suffered years of humilia- "Our highest priority is to en-
NEW YORK (AP) — Tom tion and isolation" from the sure we have a workplace
Brokaw denied sexual mis- incidents. environment where every-
conduct charges and told Brokaw said he never one feels safe and protect-
friends in a late-night email sought an affair, and that ed," Lack said.
that he felt "ambushed Vester had approached The Post reported that it
and then perp walked" him for advice. He said that had talked to 12 current
in the media as an ava- he "may have leaned over or former NBC staffers who
tar of male misogyny and for a perfunctory good said they were sexually ha-
stripped of his honor and night kiss" on the cheek in rassed at the network but
achievement. London. did not report it to anyone.
The 78-year-old broadcast As for the hotel room visit, Former "Today" anchor Ann
journalist penned an emo- Brokaw said "I should not Curry told the newspaper
tional response to accusa- have gone but I emphati- that she complained to
tions that he had made cally did not verbally and NBC management on be-
unwanted advances on a physically attack her and half of a woman who al-
former colleague, writing suggest an affair in lan- leged improper behavior
that "it is 4:00 a.m. on the guage right out of pulp by Lauer.
first day of my new life as fiction." "I am angry, hurt While some women will talk
an accused predator in the and unmoored from what In this Nov. 24, 2014, file photo, journalist Tom Brokaw is intro- to internal investigators,
duced before being awarded the Presidential Medal of Free-
universe of American jour- I thought would be the fi- dom during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in others won't for fear of put-
nalism." The letter was first nal passage of my life and Washington. ting their jobs in jeopardy,
reported in the Hollywood career, a mix of written and Associated Press said Jennifer Drobac, an In-
Reporter and confirmed by broadcast journalism, phi- diana University law profes-
The Associated Press. lanthropy and participa- phone and say, 'I'd like to a man of tremendous de- sor and an expert on sexual
Brokaw, meanwhile, with- tion in environmental and talk. I have issues from those cency and integrity." harassment issues.
drew on Friday as a com- social causes that have al- two meetings 20 years Vester has said she came "NBC is a sophisticated
mencement speaker at ways given extra meaning ago?' Brokaw wrote. "In- forward in part because company," Drobac said,
Connecticut's Sacred Heart to my life," he wrote. stead she became a char- of NBC's failure to hire out- "and yet its response is a
University next month, say- "Instead I am facing a long acter assassin. Strip away side investigators to look bit backward." A compa-
ing his appearance would list of grievances from a all the hyperbole and what into workplace issues at the ny might want to keep its
be a distraction. former colleague who left has she achieved? What company. Following the probe internal because it
The Washington Post and NBC News angry that she was her goal? Hard to be- firing of "Today" show host doesn't want to spend the
Variety reported the charg- had failed in her pursuit of lieve it wasn't much more Matt Lauer in November for money to go outside, or be-
es by Linda Vester, a former stardom," he wrote. "She Look at Me than Me:Too." an inappropriate relation- cause it doesn't believe the
NBC News and Fox News has unleashed a torrent of In response, Vester's law- ship, parent company NBC problem is serious enough
Channel correspondent. unsubstantiated criticism yer, Ari Wilkenfeld, said she Universal directed its in- to warrant it, she said. Ex-
She said Brokaw went to and attacks on me more stands by her allegations, house counsel, Kimberley ecutives may also fear that
her New York hotel room than 20 years after I opened "which speak for them- Harris, to investigate. outsiders could discover a
once in the mid-1990s, pro- the door for her and a new selves." In a letter to staff on Friday, cultural problem that could
posed an affair and tried to job at Fox News." NBC had no comment on NBC News Chairman Andy put the company at a lia-
forcibly kiss her. She said he Brokaw, who described Brokaw's letter. Lack said hundreds of peo- bility in the future, she said.
tried to kiss her one other the stories about him as a A group of 65 women in the ple have been interviewed She also wondered if peo-
time at her apartment in "drive-by shooting," said industry — including Maria for Harris' assessment. He ple conducting the in-
London and once grabbed that he had called the late Shriver, Rachel Maddow, said that more than 1,600 vestigation haven't been
her from behind and tick- Fox News CEO Roger Ailes Andrea Mitchell and Kelly NBC News employees have distracted by other du-
led her on her waist. on her behalf and that O'Donnell — signed a letter received mandatory work- ties since it has been five
She told Variety that de- Vester got a job there. supporting Brokaw, saying place training, and there's months since Lauer was
spite not being at fault, she "She couldn't pick up the that "we know him to be still more to be done. fired.q
Here we go again: ABBA records first new songs in 35 years
LONDON (AP) — Mamma "Waterloo" and had a se- the group's holograms in
Mia! The members of ABBA quin-spangled string of hits a December TV special
announced Friday that including "Dancing Queen" broadcast by the BBC and
they have recorded new and "Take a Chance on NBC. There was no word on
material for the first time in Me" before splitting up in when the second track will
35 years. 1982. be released.
The Swedish pop super- The band's statement said Ulvaeus revealed earlier
group said it had recorded the members reunited to this month that digitally
two new songs, including plan a virtual tour featur- created virtual band mem-
one titled "I Still Have Faith ing digital avatars, and de- bers — "Abbatars" — would
in You." cided to go back into the perform in a television show
The news was announced studio. in 2018, followed by a tour
in an Instagram statement ABBA said "it was like time in 2019 or 2020. The band
from Benny Andersson, had stood still and that we members have performed
Bjorn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid had only been away on a together just once since In this Feb. 9, 1974 file photo Swedish pop group Abba, from
Lyngstad and Agnetha short holiday. An extremely the 1980s, at a private par- left: Benny Andersson, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Faltskog
Faltskog. joyous experience!" ty in 2016, and have long and Bjorn Ulvaeus posing after winning the Swedish branch of
ABBA won the 1974 Euro- "I Still Have Faith In You" is said they will never tour live the Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo".
Associated Press
vision Song Contest with due to be performed by together again.q