Scandal-plagued CBS grants $20M to anti-harassment groups

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CBS Corp on Friday named the Time's Up anti-sexual harassment group and 17 other organizations that will share a 20 million U.S. dollars donation stemming from the exit of its chief executive Les Moonves following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Time's Up and the body representing Hollywood producers swiftly announced that they will spend their share of the funds on programs to increase diversity in the entertainment industry, and provide anti-sexual harassment training.

CBS said in a statement that the 20 million U.S. dollars grant was part of the company's separation agreement with Moonves and “was deducted from any severance benefits that may be due to him.”

Leslie Moonves, CEO of CBS Corporation, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, May 3, 2017. /VCG Photo

Moonves, a major figure at the CBS broadcast network for more than two decades, was forced out in September after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

The organizations receiving the CBS funds, including the #MeToo social media movement and the anti-sexual violence group RAINN, said the money would “drive real progress” in ending sexual harassment.

But they added in a joint statement: “We also recognize that these funds are not a panacea, nor do they erase or absolve decades of bad behavior.”

Actress Julianne Moore (R) speaks onstage at "Time's Up" during the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studios in New York, April 28, 2018. /VCG Photo

The entertainment unit of Time's Up said it would use its 500,000 U.S. dollars grant on a mentoring program aimed at increasing the numbers of women and people of color rising through the producer and executive ranks of the entertainment industry. The program will also offer financial support to low-paid juniors and assistants.

“There is nothing short of an urgent need to have the people who buy, create and promote entertainment content be more representative of the people we serve,” film producer Jenno Topping said in a statement.

The Producers Guild of America Foundation said it would use its two million U.S. dollars grant from CBS to provide free anti-sexual harassment training and legal consultation on smaller, independent film and television sets.

Nina Shaw, founding member of Time's Up and founding partner of Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano, speaks during the Bloomberg Business of Equality conference in New York, May 8, 2018. /VCG Photo

RAINN, which also received two million U.S. dollars, said it will support its national sexual assault hotline, which has seen a huge surge in calls.

RAINN said that by the end of December, more than 270,000 people will have received help from RAINN's victim services programs in 2018, up more than 60,000 from the prior year.

(Cover: The CBS broadcasting logo is seen outside the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan, New York, July 30, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Reuters