BREAKING! 5 Anchors Sue NY Station
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Photo via NY Times
It is not a good day for the people running NY1 in New York City.
Not one, not two, but 5 Anchors have sued the station claiming age and gender discrimination.
The lawsuit filed today in the Southern District of New York by Roma Torre, Kristen Shaughnessy, Jeanine Ramirez, Vivian Lee and Amanda Farinacciclaim that they have all been repeatedly marginalized and relegated to second-class status, as they lost countless opportunities and on-air time, while numerous younger women and men have been thrust into the most visible and prominent roles.
Lawyer Douglas Wigdor’s firm is representing the 5 and he released this statement to FTVLive;
“New Yorkers deserve to have the most talented journalists deliver the news. Sadly, after dedicating over 100 years of award-winning journalism to NY1, our five clients have clearly been told that their careers are over, as NY1 seems to believe that younger faces, when it comes to women, are a “better look” for the bottom line. We will hold NY1 accountable for their blatant ageist and sexist views and intend to send a message across all media that this epidemic of discrimination toward older women must come to an end. We are confident that New Yorkers will rally behind our clients knowing that merit and ability are how people ought to be judged.”
The firm also sent a quote from the women suing the station:
Quote by Ms. Torre, Ms. Shaughnessy, Ms. Ramirez, Ms. Lee and Ms. Farinacci: “Women on TV should accurately reflect women in society and be celebrated at every age, not treated like decoration that can be disposed and replaced with a newer version. We have poured our hearts and souls into our work at NY1, but in the end we have been left excluded, marginalized and vulnerable. We are fighting for ourselves and all other women who face this same struggle on a daily basis, and we hope to send a clear message to all news media across the country that this must change.
NY1 released this statement to the NY Times:
“We take these allegations seriously and as we complete our thorough review, we have not found any merit to them,” Ms. Huff said in a statement. “NY1 is a respectful and fair workplace and we’re committed to providing a work environment in which all our employees are valued and empowered.”
NY 1 also added that more than half the women on their channel are over the age of 40. Attorney Wigdor responded with this:
“NY1’s contention that “more than half of NY1’s on-air talent is female, and that more than half is over 40” completely misses the point. The question is not how many women there are, but where and when they appear on air. Unfortunately, it is men and younger women that are getting the top anchor positions and time slots while older women are pushed aside and marginalized.
