Farai Chideya: Newsrooms Need to Purge Secrets in Order to Heal

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We’ve been talking all week with some of the victims who say they were harassed and bullied by John Hockenberry.  Suki Kim, author of the article that first exposed the misconduct came on the program after her article broke.  Rebecca Carroll and former Takeaway producer, Kristen Meinzer, also told their stories.  

Farai Chideya says former Takeaway Host John Hockenberry's bullying behavior was well known in the industry before she joined this program, and that she knew what she was walking into when she accepted a role on our show as guest host in 2009. She says it wasn't long before he called her a "diversity hire" and told her she needed to lose weight.  

But what caused her to walk away, she says, was the lack of action from the powers that be — including the CEO of New York Public Radio, Laura Walker. 

“What really did put a dagger through my heart was when I went to Laura," she said.  "I went straight to the top. I said this is what happened and she said it was horrifying, but with a certain — I'm just going to be blunt here — theatrical finality that sort of implied that this is not to be discussed again.”

Farai Chideya is author of "The Episodic Career," and program officer for Journalism for the Ford Foundation, which has supported WNYC. She says her experience was devastating both emotionally and financially, but that there are lessons to be learned for the broader public media landscape. 

This segment is hosted by Todd Zwillich