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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
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