Essence Denies Toxic Workplace Allegations After Anonymous Call for Resignations

As it marks its 50th anniversary this month amid a multi-weekend, virtual edition of its annual music and culture festival, Essence finds itself on the defensive, refuting allegations of a toxic work environment rife with corporate bullying, intimidation and pay inequity made in an anonymous letter released Sunday, which called for the resignations of several of the magazine's executives. Purportedly written by current and/or former staffers who said they withheld their identities for fear of retaliation, the letter, titled "The Truth About Essence," accused CEO and owner Richelieu Dennis and other senior executives of fostering an "extremely unhealthy work culture" at the publication, which they said upheld a "longstanding pattern of gross mistreatment and abuse of its Black female employees," which make up over 80% of Essence's workforce. "The testimonies on Twitter and Instagram by a mighty chorus of brave Black women uncovered the racial bias and discrimination in America’s white-owned mass media organizations. This led to resignations followed by recent corporate promises to do better," the letter stated. "But Black women at Essence have been forced to remain silent. We fear cannibalizing the public narrative for Black Lives Matter and civil rights 2.0. We also fear losing our jobs or being banished from Black cultural spaces." The letter detailed a litany of alleged transgressions by management, including "tactical bullying" and "malignant and histrionic... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-06-30 17:51:48 UTC ]
News tagged with: #business days #cancel culture #sexual misconduct

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Essence Denies Toxic Workplace Allegations After Anonymous Call for Resignations

As it marks its 50th anniversary this month amid a multi-weekend, virtual edition of its annual music and culture festival, Essence finds itself on the defensive, refuting allegations of a toxic work environment rife with corporate bullying, intimidation and pay inequity made in an anonymous... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-06-30 17:51:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #business days #cancel culture #sexual misconduct


Keep winding up in a toxic workplace? Here’s how to break the cycle

You may have subconsciously built up a tolerance for bad bosses and toxic colleagues, this executive coach says. It’s time for healthy change. Have you ever left a toxic workplace only to have the “bad luck” of finding yourself in the same situation shortly thereafter? Do you constantly make... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-05-08 03:45:00 UTC ]
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Was ‘60 Minutes’ TV’s Most Toxic Workplace?

“Ticking Clock,” a new memoir by Ira Rosen, a former producer for the show, recounts the newsmagazine’s pathbreaking journalism and its culture of harassment and abuse. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2021-02-16 10:00:05 UTC ]
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On Capitol Hill, an anonymous bookseller called out Amazon.

If you tuned into yesterday’s historic House Judiciary Subcommittee antitrust hearing, during which the top executives of some of the world’s largest tech companies tried convincing politicians that they weren’t monopolies, you may have heard a bookseller chime in during Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-07-30 19:54:55 UTC ]
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Hearst Magazines President Resigns After Allegations of Inappropriate Behavior

Troy Young, president of Hearst Magazines, resigned today after a damning New York Times profile detailed inappropriate workplace behavior. Young reportedly made rude, sexually offensive jokes and fostered what employees described as a toxic culture among Hearst Magazines' brands, including... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2020-07-24 00:32:53 UTC ]
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Brownstein Resigns From CBLDF Following Renewed Allegations

Charles Brownstein, executive director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund since 2002, has resigned from his position effective immediately following the resurfacing of allegations of sexual assault. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Refinery29 EIC Steps Down After Former Staffers Allege “Toxic” Culture

[caption id="attachment_103803" align="alignright" width="164"] Christene Barberich[/caption] Refinery29 co-founder Christene Barberich is stepping down from her role as global editor-in-chief of the 15 year-old women's lifestyle site to make way for a replacement, she revealed on Instagram... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-06-08 17:01:08 UTC ]
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Three West Hollywood council members urge mayor to resign amid harassment allegations

Three of West Hollywood’s five City Council members on Tuesday called for Mayor John Duran to resign amid allegations that he sexually harassed fellow members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. In similar statements posted to their individual Facebook pages, Lindsey Horvath, Lauren Meister... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Diaz denies all allegations against him in first media interview

Junot Diaz has conducted his first media interview since allegations of sexual impropriety against him surfaced, with the author saying he was “shocked” by the accusations whilst maintaining his innocence. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes calls government antitrust allegations 'ridiculous'

Time Warner Inc.’s chief executive testified Wednesday that the government’s assertions that AT&T Inc. wanted to buy the company to use its programming as leverage over distributors “makes no sense” because it would limit viewership. “I think it’s ridiculous. It’s not how this works,” Jeff... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ted Cruz wants to see his book on bestseller lists, denies bulk-buy allegations

Sen. Ted Cruz's memoir "A Time for Truth: Reigniting the Promise of America" has sold 12,000 copies, reports Time magazine, and is ranked at No. 16 on Amazon's list of bestselling books. Readers interested in the Texas Republican's autobiography can find it at most bookstores, but there's one... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google Calls Murdoch's Piracy Allegations 'Nonsense'

News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch is talking nonsense, according to Google. Murdoch, a Twitter user for only the past several weeks, used the service to fire a barrage of accusations Saturday night against President Obama and Google. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-01-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #president obama


Wylie denies calling for investigation into HarperCollins

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Fri, 22/07/2011 - 09:01 Literary agent Andrew Wylie has moved to defuse the row between him and HarperCollins, denying reports he is calling for an investigation of the publisher in the wake of wider controversy surrounding its parent NewsCorp. Wylie... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2018: ABA Calls for Invoicing Overhaul; Bookseller Calls for 'Action' Against Spicer

ABA CEO Oren Teicher announced the organization's investment in Batch and called for bookseller support. Booksellers pushed for a boycott of Sean Spicer at BookExpo and increased awareness of gentrification in bookselling. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sean spicer #invoicing overhaul #bookseller calls


NUJ backs Impress, calling Ipso a 'pointless so-called regulator'

Union believes alternative regulator is more compliant with Leveson reportThe National Union of Journalists has endorsed Impress, the regulator created as an alternative to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso).In so doing, the NUJ has labelled Ipso, which was set up by the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #overwhelming majority #magazine publishers


Calling Call Me Ishmael

As chronicled in the Kickstarter video above, the Call Me Ishmael (CMI) project is ingeniously simple: People dial in to 774-325-0503, leave a message about a favorite book, and CMI produces the simplest YouTube video in the world, showing a manual typewriter typing the caller’s words. That’s... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2015-11-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The IAB Calls Ad Blocking 'Highway Robbery' and Ramps Up Its Call to Arms

Scott Cunningham, svp at the Interactive Advertising Bureau and general manager of the IAB Tech Lab, told Adweek after a press conference today that he's been privy to ad-blocking data from major publishers that have recently begun using software that detects ad blocking. Pressed to characterize... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hundreds of KidLit authors are calling out the SCBWI for its Gaza silence.

Over 500 members of the KidLit community—including Sabaa Tahir, Angie Thomas, and Jason Reynolds—have signed an open letter to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, calling for the organization to break its silence on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has so far claimed the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-04 19:00:45 UTC ]
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Winter Institute 2024: Bookselling Activists Call for Words and Deeds

At the ABA Community Forum, held at Winter Institute 2024 in Cincinnati on February 14, a developing coalition of booksellers spoke on behalf of Palestinians under fire in Gaza and advocated for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘I Heard Her Call My Name,’ by Lucy Sante

Lucy Sante recounts the trials and joys of her gender transition in the memoir “I Heard Her Call My Name.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-02-03 10:14:55 UTC ]
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