Jeff Fager, the embattled executive producer of "60 Minutes," is extending his vacation during a review into the workplace culture of CBS News.
"Having heard the investigation will be wrapping up soon, Jeff has decided to stay on vacation," CBS News said in a statement Sunday morning.
Fager came under harsh light in a July 27 New Yorker magazine article alleging that Fager acted boorishly at after-hours work functions and allowed a culture that tolerated discrimination and inappropriate behavior among the "60 Minutes" staff.
CBS in the spring hired the Proskauer Rose law firm to investigate CBS News after allegations that Charlie Rose, the longtime PBS show host and contributor to "60 Minutes" and anchor of "CBS This Morning," had taken advantage of young female assistants who worked for him. The law firm's investigation appears to be in the final stages.
But now, CBS Corp. is embroiled in a scandal that threatens the tenure of CEO Leslie Moonves, who allegedly sexually harassed at least six women. In addition, the Los Angeles Police Department investigated a claim by another woman, who said Moonves in the 1980s had demanded that she perform sex acts on him. Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to bring charges because the statute of limitations had expired.
On Wednesday, the CBS board announced that it was hiring two law firms to investigate the culture throughout the company and allegations against Moonves, who has acknowledged that he might have made some women feel uncomfortable but denied that he forced himself on them.
"Obviously this has been a tough week at CBS," CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl said Sunday morning at a Television Critics Association meeting in Beverly Hills. "Leslie has been an excellent boss and a mentor for a long time. He put me in this job, but at the same time, we must respect the voices that come forward. All allegations need to be, and are, being taken seriously."
