More ESPN sexual harassment "findings" have arisen,
according to Tom Hoffarth of the L.A. DAILY NEWS, who writes
that "ESPN: The Uncensored History" author and N.Y. Times
writer Mike Freeman (see THE DAILY, 3/21) "confirmed that
two more male employees have been punished for inappropriate
behavior toward female employees" including one on-air
anchor who was suspended for a week. The other employee, a
"well-regarded producer and one of the most senior people"
at the network, was suspended for one month after what
Freeman "discovered was his seventh offense" (L.A. DAILY
NEWS, 8/11). In Baltimore, Milton Kent writes, "Try as it
might, ESPN just doesn't seem to be able to get away from
the nasty issue of sexual harassment." Kent adds that the
anchor's suspension resulted from "offensive language toward
a female production assistant" and notes that "not long
after the suspensions, ESPN management issued a memo
ordering employees to attend a mandatory sexual harassment
awareness seminar, though the company continually holds such
sessions throughout the calendar year" (Baltimore SUN,
8/11). Keith Olbermann said of the suspensions on the
WinStar Radio Network: "If only ESPN had responded to
Michael Freeman's 'Uncensored History' book by saying 'yes,
we've had a sexual harassment problem, we won't tolerate it
and we're working hard on it,' rather than claiming
Freeman's stories were many years old and that I was the
source of them, when I wasn't. That would make them look a
little less stupid when Freeman's revised edition comes out
by the end of the year and includes around a dozen stories
from this year including a senior producer given a month-
long suspension and an anchor sat down for a week for
sending pornography, uninvited, to women. Eight years ago?
That happened about eight days ago" (WinStar Radio, 8/10).
