Female staffers at NBC claim they felt pressured to sign the “women’s letter” defending Tom Brokaw against sexual harassment allegations, reports Page Six. Two women have come forward to voice allegations against the famed journalist: Linda Vester, Brokaw’s former colleague, who claims that he “groped and assaulted her” in the 90s; and an anonymous assistant who alleges he made unwanted advances. Since these claims were made public, more than 115 women signed a letter hailing Brokaw as “a man of tremendous decency and integrity.” Among the notable names backing Brokaw are Rachel Maddow, Mika Brzezinski, Andrea Mitchell and Maria Shriver, reports Page Six. Brokaw has denied the claims, and likened Vester’s statement to a “drive by shooting.”
But one NBC News staffer told Page Six: “We felt forced to sign the letter supporting Brokaw. We had no choice, particularly the lower level staffers. The letter was being handed around the office and the unspoken threat was that if your name was not on it, there would be some repercussion down the road. Execs are watching to see who signed and who didn’t. This was all about coming out in force to protect NBC’s golden boy; the network’s reputation is tied to Brokaw . . . If more women come forward, that’s a big problem.”
Another staffer said that seeing powerful names on the list was a way to intimidate any other victims. “When you have over 100 women like Andrea Mitchell signing a letter of support without knowing the facts, it’s pretty scary . . . The letter will have a chilling effect on other women coming forward.” An NBC News representative said that “management played absolutely no role whatsoever” in distributing and generating support for the letter.
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