A GIANT DEPARTS – AT 12:18 P.M. ET:  CBS honcho Les Moonves is gone, a target of the "Me Too" movement.  It's important because Moonves, whether we like his choices in programs or not, has been one of the most effective executives in broadcast history.  From CBS: 

CBS Corporation announced on Sunday that chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves is departing the company, effective immediately. Moonves's exit comes hours after The New Yorker published accounts from six women with allegations of sexual assault or misconduct, following allegations by six other women in July.

A financial exit package for Moonves will be withheld pending the results of an ongoing investigation into the allegations against him. Moonves was eligible for as much as $180 million if fired without cause, according to an employment contract he signed in May 2017. Recent reports indicated a potential payout in the range of $100 million.

The company said in a statement that CBS and Moonves will donate $20 million to one or more organizations that support the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace. The donation will be made immediately, the statement said, and deducted from any severance he ultimately receives.

Joseph Ianniello, the current Chief Operating Officer and deputy to Moonves, will serve as interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent leader.

Moonves, 68, has run CBS since 2006 and his exit marks a dramatic fall by one by the most powerful executives in Hollywood.

The allegations, reported by Ronan Farrow, include forced kissing, forced oral sex, unwanted advances and physical abuse. Some of the women say Moonves retaliated against them and that their careers suffered after they rebuffed his advances.

Moonves has denied the allegations against him. In a new statement to The New Yorker, Moonves acknowledged three of the encounters but said they were consensual. He did not tell The New Yorker which three he was acknowledging.

COMMENT:  Obviously, improper or threatening behavior must be punished, and there is no question that women have been subjected to that behavior.  However, I still feel uneasy about punishment without a true trial, and I feel uncomfortable about demands to make contributions to organizations or movements, however noble the cause.  It reminds me of Jesse Jackson-style shakedowns to buy racial peace.

There has to be a better way to address the very legitimate concerns of women without wrecking our sense of what constitutes justice for the accused. 

September 10, 2018