NBC Releases All Former Employees from Their Non-Disclosure Agreements so They Can Bring Charges of Sexual Misconduct

[Screenshot from TheDC Shorts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW3_mWl0-K8]

On Friday, NBC made a big announcement.

Following the recent release of Catch and Kill — Ronan Farrow’s book accusing the Peacock of squashing stories and trying to cover up claims against Matt Lauer — NBCUniversal has said they’ll release all alleged victims of sexual shenanigans from their non-disclosure agreements.

As per a statement read by Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, all former employees will be released upon request.

Here’s the statement, in part:

Any former NBC News employee who believes that they cannot disclose their experience with sexual harassment as a result of a confidentiality or non-disparagement provision in their separation agreement should contact NBCUniversal and we will release them from that perceived obligation.

Rachel also clarified, oddly, that there was nothing in the NDA to start with that would legally prevent any whistleblowing where sexual misconduct is concerned.

Ronan’s charged the network of killing the Harvey Weinstein story (which he later took to The New Yorker) — please see here.

However, NBC says there was already a twelve-page report done on their handling of the Weinstein situation, and there will be no further review:

Over a year ago, NBC News released a twelve-page, transparent accounting of the Weinstein reporting. … Once again, we stand by it.

But some in the media are calling Hogwash: Several notable women — including Megyn Kelly, Linda Vester, Addie Zinone, Greta Van Susteren, Eleanor McManus and Gretchen Carlson — have signed a letter touting further investigation:

Certain network executives have enabled a corporate culture of widespread sexual harassment and abuse, and are still trying to cover it up today. [NBC parent company Comcast] must prove to its shareholders that it will pursue the truth on behalf of NBC staffers. If necessary, it should remove executives who have abused or silenced women.

NBC’s 2017 internal probe after Matt Lauer was fired found no “contrary evidence” that he’d done anything wrong prior to November 27th — 48 hours before he was fired.

As pointed out by The Daily Caller, reporter Sil Lai Abrams, who charges that NBC muted her rape allegation, took to Twitter Friday to give a tenth of a High Five to the network, with the remaining ninety percent still pending:

This is a start, but a distraction from the fact that NBC still needs to hire external investigators to do an internal review of the company. https://t.co/Ay8n441XAT

— Alecto AKA Sil Lai Abrams (@Sil_Lai) October 26, 2019