The executive producer of "60 Minutes," America's flagship investigative television news program, was out at CBS Wednesday in the wake of accusations of sexual misconduct and allegedly tolerating an abusive culture.
The exit of Jeff Fager comes three days after the television giant announced the departure of president, chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves, whom at least 12 women had accused of sexual misconduct stretching back decades.
"Jeff Fager is leaving the company effective immediately," CBS News president David Rhodes wrote in a note to staff reported by CBS News.
Fager's exit was "not directly related to the allegations surfaced in press reports" but he had "violated company policy," Rhodes added.
CBS News chairman and "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager (L) and CBS News president David Rhodes speak at the CBS News and "CBS This Morning" discussion panel at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California, 29 July 2012. /VCG Photo
CBS News quoted Fager as saying that his contract had been terminated over a "harsh" text message he sent to a CBS reporter demanding that she be "fair" in covering the story.
"One such note should not result in termination after 36 years, but it did," Fager was quoted as saying.
On July 27, The New Yorker broke the first public accusations against Moonves and also reported that 19 current and former employees accused Fager, a former chairman of CBS News, of allowing harassment in the workplace.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow reported that Fager would allegedly touch staff, making them uncomfortable at parties, and that he once made a drunken pass at a junior staffer. Fager has denied the claims.
Leslie Moonves, Chairman and CEO, CBS Corporation, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, US, May 3, 2017. /VCG Photo
Fager previously served as chairman of CBS News and had been executive producer of "60 Minutes" since 2004.
"60 Minutes" is the most popular and powerful news broadcast on television, and Fager is only the second person to lead it during its 50 years of history. He was appointed in 2004 to succeed founding executive Don Hewitt.
In August, the CBS board of directors hired outside lawyers to investigate the claims against Moonves, as well as "cultural issues at all levels of CBS."
Moonves is one of the biggest scalps of the #MeToo era. CBS announced his departure on Sunday, saying that he and the network would donate 20 million US dollars to supporting the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace.
(Cover: File photo taken on Sept. 12, 2017 shows "60 Minutes" Executive Producer Jeff Fager poses for a photo at the "60 Minutes" offices, in New York. /AP Photo)