Apologies that took a long time to arrive. The editor and general manager of the British daily The Guardian apologized to reporters and other female employees who said they were sexually assaulted or harassed by one of its former star reporters. The editorial staff has also announced that it will strengthen its procedures for dealing with such accusations.
THE New York Times reported on Monday that the editor of the daily newspapers The Guardian And The ObserverKatherine Viner, had written to apologize to several women who accused a former columnist of the group, Nick Cohen, of having touched them without their consent or of having made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature.
“I want to apologize […] for the way your complaint was handled”
“I want to apologize for the sexual harassment you experienced from a member of theObserve and for the manner in which your complaint was handled,” according to statements reproduced in the New York Times.
“Our editor and our managing director have written to all those who have spoken publicly on this issue or who have contacted GNM”, the media group comprising the Guardian and theObservea GNM spokesperson confirmed to AFP on Tuesday.
“I am infinitely relieved”
He adds that “for the past year we have been working with Howlett Brown, a consultancy specializing in corporate culture and independent investigations”, which has recommended, among other things, that future allegations of sexual harassment should be investigated by third parties and not by group leaders.
“I have received apologies from Kath Viner, the editor, and Anna Bateson, the executive director of Guardian News and Media. I am infinitely relieved,” journalist Lucy Siegle tweeted on Monday. According to the New York Timesshe accused Nick Cohen of having grabbed her by the buttocks years ago and criticized the left-wing daily for having supported the columnist instead of ensuring that she put an end to such acts.
A series of harassment or sexual assault cases
Jean Hannah Edelstein, a writer, also quoted in the article by New York Timesalso said on Twitter “happy to have received a word of apology from the media group” and the fact that he “admitted that the harassment makes external investigations necessary”.
The United Kingdom is currently the scene of a series of cases of harassment or sexual assault in several prominent organizations. The hedge fund founded by the wealthy investor Crispin Odey and the employers’ union CBI are particularly concerned, a file in which the Guardian has been at the forefront of revelations.