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: #cancel culture #sexual misconduct

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Vintage continues publication of Bailey's Roth book after sexual assault allegations

Vintage says it will continue to publish Blake Bailey's Philip Roth biography in the UK following sexual assault allegations that have seen Bailey dropped by his agency and the book's shipment and promotion paused in the US. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-04-26 17:36:44 UTC ]
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World Book Day: Publishers Call for Canada’s Copyright Law To Be Fixed

Denouncing 'systemic exploitation of creators’ and publishers,’ Access Copyright cites more than C$150 million lost in unpaid royalties. The post World Book Day: Publishers Call for Canada’s Copyright Law To Be Fixed appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-04-25 22:48:58 UTC ]
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Bookselling Ireland calls for Taoiseach to make bookshops 'essential'

Bookselling Ireland has today (1st April) written to the Taoiseach to ask that bookshops be classed as "essential" retail and allowed to open, or be granted special dispensation to offer click and collect services. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-31 15:26:01 UTC ]
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Tuning into Radio You: A Conversation with Writer-Songwriter Ellen Adams, by Wendy Call

Interviews   Ellen Adams is a singer-songwriter and prose writer who splits her time between Seattle and Montreal. She has been a Lambda Literary Fellow for nonfiction and a Fulbright Fellow researching politically engaged contemporary art in Thailand.... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-03-29 13:25:33 UTC ]
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Joan Walsh Anglund, illustrator who distilled childhood to its essence, dies at 95

The author of more than 120 books, she earned the devotion of millions of readers with her sentimental depictions of little ones, their features often reduced to their all-seeing eyes. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-19 14:48:47 UTC ]
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Why are our debates about rights so toxic?

Law professor Jamal Greene blames a Supreme Court justice, and offers a solution. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-19 12:00:00 UTC ]
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NFL hands Amazon exclusive games, and Teen Vogue editor undone by teen rogue tweets: Friday Wake-Up Call

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters.  Touchdown for Amazon Good morning! Amazon executives are sure having a... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2021-03-19 10:00:00 UTC ]
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Looking back on a year of the pandemic, and WPP’s recovery of sorts: Friday Wake-Up Call

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[ Advertising Age | 2021-03-12 11:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp Australia papers labelled 'sexist' and 'toxic' by former staff photographer at media inquiry

Photographers told to provide images of attractive women and avoid ‘pigs in lipstick’The Weekly Beast: News Corp gives Kevin Rudd the silent treatmentA veteran News Corp Australia photographer has given devastating evidence to a parliamentary inquiry about the way the Murdoch newspapers treated... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-03-12 07:44:32 UTC ]
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Call for an Africa / African Diaspora Co-Editor for the Best Translations Anthology

News and Events Photo by Wendy Call Best Translations: An Annual Anthology an independent project endorsed by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) Call for an Africa / African Diaspora Co-Editor Deadline for Applications:... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-03-10 15:55:18 UTC ]
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18 books that capture the spirit and essence of living in D.C.

These works, recommended by local authors and bookstore owners, remind us just how special Washington is. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-04 15:43:50 UTC ]
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Review: Why do women stay with toxic men? A debut novel has some uncomfortable answers

Megan Nolan's "Acts of Desperation," about a woman in thrall to an older man, stands out from similar tales with an uncannily self-aware narrator. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-03-03 15:00:19 UTC ]
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Nine headed for board shake-up as former Fairfax director resigns

Patrick Allaway’s announcement comes a day after the company’s newspapers reported on an investigation into deputy chairman Nick FalloonThe Nine Entertainment board is facing another shake-up after the sudden resignation of a director just three months after the chief executive, Hugh Marks,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-03-02 06:44:21 UTC ]
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Netflix wins big at Golden Globes as ‘Queen’s Gambit’ keeps fueling chess sales: Monday Wake-Up Call

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[ Advertising Age | 2021-03-01 11:07:04 UTC ]
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The Bookseller calls for authors to pen 'ode to booksellers'

The Bookseller is calling for authors to pen an “ode to booksellers” as part of a celebration of the trade during a time when high-street bookshops are unable to open their doors.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-14 20:12:04 UTC ]
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James and Obreht join Anonymous Sex with Borough Press

Marlon James and Téa Obreht are among the authors penning erotic tales for Anonymous Sex, an anthology pre-empted by The Borough Press where the author of each story is kept a secret. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-12 03:48:22 UTC ]
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Lebanon: Calls for Investigation Follow Publisher Lokman Slim’s Murder

Leaders of Frankfurter Buchmesse and the Börsenverein, supported by the Independent Publishers Association, condemn the killing. The post Lebanon: Calls for Investigation Follow Publisher Lokman Slim’s Murder appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-08 05:43:34 UTC ]
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CILIP calls for National Library of Wales cuts to be abandoned

CILIP,  the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals, has called for planned cuts to the National Library of Wales to be abandoned, ahead of a debate in the Senedd today (3rd February). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-03 06:32:21 UTC ]
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Authors Guild calls for DoJ to block Bertelsmann's S&S purchase

The Authors Guild and other writers' groups in the US have written a letter to the Department of Justice to block Bertelsmann's takeover of Simon & Schuster. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-01 03:48:32 UTC ]
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A call for another Great Migration, this one in reverse

Charles M. Blow's "The Devil You Know" argues that African Americans should return to the South. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-01-29 07:15:37 UTC ]
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