Minnesota Public Radio broke its silence Tuesday afternoon on its split with Garrison Keillor, saying a woman who worked for the host of "A Prairie Home Companion" alleged "dozens of sexually inappropriate incidents ... over a period of years" including "unwanted sexual touching."
Keillor had told the Star Tribune in November that MPR had severed its ties with him after a single incident in which he placed his hand on a woman's bare back.
But MPR President Jon McTaggart said in a statement Tuesday that the woman's attorney "described dozens of sexually inappropriate incidents directed at her client over a period of years."
"The woman who made the allegations worked for Garrison on 'A Prairie Home Companion,' which was produced by Garrison's media companies," according to the statement. "In the allegations she provided to MPR, she did not allege that Garrison touched her back, but did claim that he engaged in other unwanted sexual touching."
According to McTaggart, MPR received a 12-page letter from the attorney dated Oct. 22 that detailed a number of alleged incidents, "including excerpts of emails and written messages, requests for sexual contact and explicit descriptions of sexual communications and touching. Because of the serious and sensitive nature of the allegations, we decided to undertake an independent investigation and we told Garrison that we were doing so.
"Beginning in November 2017, the investigator reviewed documents and interviewed employees of Garrison's companies, MPR employees, and others for information about the allegations. Most importantly, before we made the decision to end our relationship with Garrison's companies, Garrison was asked for his response to the specific allegations, including alleged sexual contact and communications, and he responded to the allegations while accompanied by his attorney.
"If the full 12-page letter or even a detailed summary of the alleged incidents were to be made public, we believe that would clarify why MPR ended its business relationship with Garrison and correct the misunderstandings and misinformation about the decision. We have not released the letter because of our commitment to protecting the privacy of those involved, including Garrison. No MPR employee, or anyone associated with our public service, should have to fear that we will disclose their identity and details of personal matters simply for MPR's benefit."
MPR has come under criticism for not disclosing its rationale for severing ties with the broadcasting legend who helped make the public radio network a national powerhouse.
McTaggart said MPR had maintained silence on the case partly out of respect for Keillor. "Garrison has posted statements to social media and provided information to reporters that have not been fully accurate and have suggested that MPR did not handle these matters thoughtfully," the statement said. "The irony is that while MPR has been careful to protect Garrison's privacy and not hurry any decisions, others have rushed to judge and criticize MPR's actions without knowing the facts."
The Star Tribune has reached out to Keillor and MPR executives for comment.
