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Did The Firm Push This Reporter Out for Speaking Up?

Lauren Sivan says that when she came forward to talk about being sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein, Fox’s KTTV (Los Angeles) sidelined her. 

Sivan told TheWrap that she was stunned by her treatment at the station after her bombshell account that Weinstein masturbated into a plant in front of her at a restaurant in New York City in 2007. “I just felt like the station that I put my heart and soul into for seven years just used it as an excuse to get rid of me,” she said.

The veteran broadcaster said she worked three shifts per week for Fox 11, covering a variety of stories until HuffPost published her account. In the nine months since then, Sivan said she has worked a total of six shifts at Fox 11 — her last time appearing on air was February 20.

She said the station called three more times since then asking her to fill-in last minute, which she was unable to do. She provided a screen grab of a text she said was sent from her assignment manager at 1:21 p.m. on May 15, asking if she could work at 3 p.m. later that day. “I was definitely the last person they called,” Sivan said.

Neither a spokesman for KTTV nor news director Kris Knutsen responded to repeated requests for comment.

While other news directors in the L.A. market called Sivan to offer support after she made her accusation, she said there was radio silence from her employer and particularly Knutsen.

“She’s the only female news director in this market,” Sivan said about Knutsen, “and that’s what became really sad and disappointing to me.”

Sivan said she tried calling Knutsen both before and after HuffPost published her account but never heard back. (She said Knutsen did leave her a voicemail message two weeks later).

For Sivan, the coup de grace came after Weinstein was arrested in New York City on May 25, when she said Fox 11 finally reached out for her to appear on air — as a source.

“They had the nerve to call me after I lost my job,” she said. “They called me to give them a soundbite and that made me so angry.”


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