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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNBC Reportedly Paid Settlement to Former Employee Who Accused Chris Matthews of Harassment
by Ken Meyer | 1:06 am, December 17th, 2017
A new report states that NBC paid off a former employee who claimed she was sexually harassed by Chris Matthews when she used to work on his show.
According to The Daily Caller, a former assistant producer for Hardball spoke with network executives in 1999 and complained about some sexually-charged comments Matthews made about her. The report states that Matthews was formally reprimanded after a review on the matter, but even though his remarks were considered inappropriate and juvenile, the network determined they were not intended as propositions.
Nonetheless, two sources told Daily Caller that the network paid Matthews accuser $40,000 to settle the incident.
NBC addressed the report by confirming that there was a separation-related compensation involved when the woman left the network. However, the network disputed the $40,000 figure, insisting that the package was actually a lot smaller than that.
more
https://www.mediaite.com/online/nbc-reportedly-paid-settlement-to-former-employee-who-accused-chris-matthews-of-harassing-her/
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)Bots pushing this HARD on Twitter. I am being very cautious with this one.
dalton99a
(81,656 posts)dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)oasis
(49,434 posts)Kirk Lover
(3,608 posts)'opinions'.
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)would be nuisance value for NBC.
I thought Chris Matthews would be sued for Interruption Harassment. It drives me crazy.
Ferrets are Cool
(21,111 posts)of his glorifying MonkeyBoy (W), but I do not trust this story at all.
emulatorloo
(44,249 posts)Could be something to the story ("juvenile remarks" ) but with Tucker and Mercer's asshole involved I expect it's being highly massaged and spun.
hlthe2b
(102,458 posts)DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)he does with the office door closed.
I have no trouble believing this and expect more to come out. Also, others are reporting the story.
hlthe2b
(102,458 posts)imagine doing so. Tom Hanks might be the number 1 guy I couldn't imagine doing this. (I will roll over and die if anyone proves otherwise ! )
He's an ass, he's obnoxious and he perceives himself powerful. That seems to be the combo, so....But, I will hold back any final assessment because RW media is pushing this. My understanding is the charges right now are limited to harassing comments-- that would not be surprising. I'd thought they were accusing him of acting on those comments in some manner..
Demit
(11,238 posts)The casual way he objectifies her & trivializes her is creepy. No other word for it.
doc03
(35,407 posts)"W's" bulge.
spooky3
(34,508 posts)Cases, I hope the investigation that took place was fair, and that the punishment was warranted and proportionate.
Meanwhile given what many of the right wing gas bags say on the air, I hope their employers are applying the same standards.
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,123 posts)UTUSN
(70,771 posts)I need to update my old Demopedia entry on Tweety to sharpen or broaden the point of his misogyny. Here's the paragraph about his drooling ON THE AIR over Britney:
****************
Then M-TV held its 20th or 25th or whatever anniversary, and all the cable echo chambers were doing segments of Britney shedding her duds down to almost nothing. Not to be left behind, Tweety followed suit, with a guest "culture" commentator from Time Mag, the young humor columnist, Joel STEIN. The staff kept re-running the Britney clip, and Tweety was clearly DROOLING disgustingly. STEIN said, "You're beginning to creep me out." Tweety responded, "Yeah, well, wait till YOU're 50."
UTUSN
(70,771 posts)Last edited Sat Dec 23, 2017, 04:12 PM - Edit history (1)
Back when, misogyny was a wink-wink/smirk-smirk thing among the old style flunkies like him, there were many examples of his, with HRC being his prime target for years until she was becoming a real contender.
But here's a vignette from back in the day, regarding his wife Kathleen. He deigned to host her or let her co-host a segment or so, this time with him and another recycled miscreant Mike BARNICLE. She was standing like at the front of a class and they two were sitting like the smirking, spit-balling, Catholic schoolboy-jerks that they really are. She trudged through her presentation, taking her subject seriously while the two of them smirked, giggled, and mocked all the way. But regarding Kathleen, he exemplifies one signature characteristic of misogynists: Despite the obviously hostile behaviors, they claim to adore, honor, put-on-a-pedestal women. And Tweety frequently does that over-compensating, protests-too-much thing by referring to her as, "MY QUEEN."
*************So flash forward decades to the TWITLER atrocious era, specifically calling Senator WARREN Pocahontas. Tweety hosted her soon after a TWITLER episode of it, besides a manic outburst of his sputtering interrupting, almost giggling every time he said that name, catching himself each time then protesting that it was a horrible thing, like Beavis/Butthead giggling at a dirty word. So WARREN kept to the high road and that TWITLER was not going to silence her. So then he struck, like when he lashed out at DONAHUE. He was in bursting giggle mode and said, "So, for you 'Pocahontas' will be like a clarion call for you to come charging out!1" and he busted his gut. WARREN looked sucker punched.
***************************************************************
********** ON EDIT - Here's the whole, updated entry: ****************
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029994585
NEW: paragraphs 4, 5, 6.
Etymology of "Tweety". During Campaign 2000 the media noise machine was swooning over the nicknames Shrub was giving some of them. Media Whores Online ran a contest to nickname Chris MATTHEWS. In the first three or so weeks, there was no clear, catchy front runner, with "The Screamer" sort of leading. Then one of MATTHEWS's own Hardball staff leaked to MWO that they themselves called him "Tweety" because of the Clairol shade of hair coloring he favored. This was immediately declared the winner. But in some quarters, it wasn't entirely satisfactory. For one thing, by the time the name was declared, the shade had changed to platinum, leading to a suggestion he be called "Carole LOMBARD".
Plus, "Tweety" sounded too affectionate.
His Misogyny. Then M-TV held its 20th or 25th or whatever anniversary, and all the cable echo chambers were doing segments of Britney shedding her duds down to almost nothing. Not to be left behind, Tweety followed suit, with a guest "culture" commentator from Time Mag, the young humor columnist, Joel STEIN. The staff kept re-running the Britney clip, and Tweety was clearly DROOLING disgustingly. STEIN said, "You're beginning to creep me out." Tweety responded, "Yeah, well, wait till YOU're 50." This led to the suggestion that "Tweety" be modified to "Tweezer" to retain the hair reference while canceling out the affection factor and also adding the (dirty old) "geezer" angle.
Back when, misogyny was a wink-wink/smirk-smirk thing among the old style flunkies like him, there were many examples of his, with HRC being his prime target for years until she was becoming a real contender, when he yearned to host her, but the bridges had been burned.
But here's a vignette from back in the day, regarding his wife Kathleen. He deigned to host her or let her co-host a segment or so, this time with him and another recycled miscreant Mike BARNICLE. She was standing like at the front of a class and they two were sitting like the smirking, spit-balling, Catholic schoolboy-jerks that they really are. She trudged through her presentation, taking her subject seriously while the two of them smirked, giggled, and mocked all the way. But regarding Kathleen, he exemplifies one signature characteristic of misogynists: Despite the obviously hostile behaviors, they claim to adore, honor, put-on-a-pedestal women. And Tweety frequently does that over-compensating, protests-too-much thing by referring to her as, "MY QUEEN."
*************So flash forward decades to the TWITLER atrocious era, specifically calling Senator WARREN Pocahontas. Tweety hosted her soon after a TWITLER episode of it, besides a manic outburst of his sputtering interrupting, almost giggling every time he said that name, catching himself each time then protesting that it was a horrible thing, like Beavis/Butthead giggling at a dirty word. So WARREN kept to the high road and that TWITLER was not going to silence her. So then he struck, like when he lashed out at DONAHUE. He was in bursting giggle mode and said, "So, for you 'Pocahontas' will be like a clarion call for you to come charging out!1" and he busted his gut. WARREN looked sucker punched.
Darrell HAMMOND "Doing" Tweety on SNL. Tweety's ego was massively stroked after the debut of HAMMOND's impersonation of him, either in 2001 or 2002. He said, "I am now an ICON: I have been 'done' on Saturday Night Live'." The funniest line in the debut was HAMMOND as Tweety, cracking himself up with, "For the ... FIFTY ... people who watch this show... (Hardball, not SNL). In the first few times HAMMOND featured him, the target was Tweety himself -- manically interrupting, spitting, and drooling. However, the characterization evolved, not true to the original, where Tweety became the "rational" character surrounded by oddball, extremist "guests", with HAMMOND-Tweety shaking his head in disbelief at their partisan spin.
"Turning" from Being a Democrat. He (like G.E.RUSSERT and Pat CADDELL) still trades on having been a Democrat in the CARTER/O'NEILL era. In the hothouse of big time political flunkydom, STATUS and POWER come from the SUCCESS of your boss. RAYGUN kicked Tweety's bosses' rears, and Tweety gravitated to admiring that "success". When he started up his media career he was mentored by G.E. RUSSERT, who had himself already started "turning" by "reaching out" to LIMBOsevic and expending his formerly-Lib-bleeding-heart on those poor wingnuts who had been maligned and marginalized by the Liberal Elite, lo those many years. Tweety started doing video valentines to RAYGUN, promenading arm in arm with Nancy. He might have tapped into the frenzy of the FAKE impeachment, but "hatred of the CLINTONs" isn't what made him turn. The last time he was identifiably a Democrat was sometime around 1988 when Hardball (the book) was published. Throughout the year of Campaign 2000 he savaged the Dem candidate daily and went on to years of bromance over Shrub, renouncing any Democratic heritage. He said his parents were cloth coat" (Rethugs), and that basically what first drew him to the Dem side was Irish-Catholic pride over JFK. Not ideology, not idealism. He said the reason he joined the Peace Corps was specifically to avoid going to Vietnam.
How Tweety "Executed" DONAHUE on MSNBC. Tweety was on his book tour for another one of his "books" (large type, wide spaces between lines, blank half-pages). It was in the jingoistic hysteria in the run-up to the illegal Iraq attack. The book was about supposed "Americanism" -- an American Civ 101 ripoff about books and movies and cultural stuff that are essentially American (think, "The Great Gatsby" ). So Phil welcomed him as a colleague and peer on Phil's MSNBC show for the full hour to plug the book. From the moment he appeared, there was a strange, deadly snake look in Tweety's snake eyes. Phil was walking around the audience, apparently not sensing anything, while Tweety was motionless, following him only with his eyes. Phil brought up something or other questioning blind, kneejerk jingoism, and Tweety STRUCK! He started out with venom dripping, "You see, THIS is EXACTLY what's wrong with YOU Liberals: You are NEGATIVE about this country, you find NOTHING good about it," and on and on. It took awhile before Phil figured out what was happening. Later, Phil, devastated and spent, was sitting at the table with Tweety and, weaker and weaker, did some of his trademark shoulder shrugging and arm waving. Tweety delivered the coup de grace, "What's THIS (mimicking the movements)??!! What's with the --APE-- movements???!" Days or a week or two later, Phil's cancellation was announced and took effect.
How Tweety "Triggered" a Gun Incident (re: Kathleen WILLEY). At the height of the FAKE impeachment, Ms WILLEY claimed that a mystery jogger had threatened her or her cat or somebody, with the insinuation that there was a CLINTON connection. Several months later, there was gossip that the jogger had been identified. Tweety hosted her and it appeared they had discussed the identity off camera. He tried mightily to get her to say the name on the air, which she wouldn't do. Finally, he himself blurted it out, "Was it (Name/Surname)?" She wouldnt confirm it. Within days there was a bizarre incident, with the mentally disabled brother of Pat and Bay BUCHANAN going with a gun to the house of the supposed jogger named by Tweety, where there were only some foreign exchange students present. Later it was determined that the person Tweety named on the air had NOTHING to do with the supposed jogger incident.
"Heroes" Tweety and Tom DeLAY. In the aftermath of the 07-24-98 shooting of two Capitol police officers when the slain officers were duly eulogized and called heroes, Tweety latched on to this, the way we have seen him attempt to glorify himself in other instances: Like saying he was assigned to Africa in the Peace Corps and "WALKED THE SAME GROUND" THAT CHURCHILL had passed through. Or when he said, "I am an ICON! I have been 'done' by SNL!". So now that the Capitol policemen were being called heroes, Tweety came forward to say that HE had been a Capitol policemen, TOO, JUST LIKE THEM, when he was starting out. It turns out that he had worked a (temporary?) job for three months as that. In all the years before the officers were shot and eulogized, he probably NEVER referred to that job, most likely thinking of it as a rent-a-cop turn, until he could see in retrospect the glory that he had been DESTINED to from the beginning.
But he is not the only glory hog. When that incident was happening, the news of the moment reported that Tom DELAY had hopped a plane out of town and immediately turned around in Houston when the incident was over. This show of courage is why he has been dubbed, "Tom-DePLANE!-DePLANE!-DELAY".
But searches of countless news reports of that time show no mention of the hopping-the-plane. Only this is left:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm /... "...House members, many rushing out of town, did not have to remain behind. DeLay slipped out the main door of the Capitol less than 15 minutes after the shooting. He looked stricken. Asked if he'd seen anything, he said, "Did I ever. I don't want to talk about it." Aides rushed him into his waiting car. ...."
------------
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)I've watched him because I wanted to hear a guest's story, but he just yelled over the guest and interrupted so much, I wasted my time.
He's rude, inappropriate, and maybe he did it. The Erin Burnett tape is bad! Unprofessional and demeaning. Fuck him, and I don't even care for her. Still, I smell RW payback.
Adding, I know the Catholic scbool boy-jerks...good description.
whathehell
(29,100 posts)Bad description..Unless, of course, "jerks" came in their own religious styles.
Will we be finding any for Halperin, Weinstein or Lauer?
Response to whathehell (Reply #75)
Alice11111 This message was self-deleted by its author.
whathehell
(29,100 posts)Last edited Tue Dec 19, 2017, 11:47 AM - Edit history (1)
and having "grown up in that culture" myself, and attended both Catholic and Public schools, I can assure you that "Catholic School boys" are no different than Jewish, Protestant or 'Non-aligned' School boys.
....Happy Holidays.
whathehell
(29,100 posts)Last edited Mon Dec 18, 2017, 07:29 AM - Edit history (1)
'Inappropriate" and "juvenile" maybe -- That's about it.
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)whathehell
(29,100 posts)Last edited Sat Dec 23, 2017, 06:59 PM - Edit history (1)
The Anti- Tweety contingent here seems to go off the rails at times.
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)Weinstein or Spacey. It is getting crazy. We already kicked out our best Senator just because people are going off the rails.
whathehell
(29,100 posts)so would be a joke, we're it not so pathetic.
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)This ain't it.
whathehell
(29,100 posts)Alice11111
(5,730 posts)whathehell
(29,100 posts)Back atcha, Alice.
nolabear
(42,001 posts)I dont condone anything but I doubt that will do much to him.
Personally Ive thought he was slipping a bit for a while now. He stumbles when he reads, he mixes up words and forgets names. Hes always been obnoxious but I have a tiny fantasy they wouldnt mind letting him go. Poor excuse though.
HipChick
(25,485 posts)This is sounding like a hit job on Matthews...
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)whathehell
(29,100 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,755 posts)He and Andrea Mitchell. Both of them have trouble finishing sentences and following a thought through.
Hate to be ageist about it, but it looks like age related decline in faculties of some kind.
former9thward
(32,110 posts)Alice11111
(5,730 posts)He has gotten way worse though.
Still, it might be hard to give up $7 million plus per year.
nolabear
(42,001 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,755 posts)I think she's a bit worse. Tweety is still largely decipherable.
whathehell
(29,100 posts)in his delivery. He's more natural and that's seen by some as 'part of his of his charm'.
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)RhodeIslandOne
(5,042 posts)OnDoutside
(19,982 posts)Are emboldened after the successful hit job on Franken.
DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)Demit
(11,238 posts)DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)and then doing nothing seems to be the standard.
The incident being reported happened in 1999. At that time NBC was owned by GE and the CEO of GE was Jack Welch. At that time Tweety owned a home on Martha's Vineyard next door to Jack and they were best buds and two of a kind. Tweety was, maybe still is, untouchable.
Tweety has always had an obvious problem with women.
emulatorloo
(44,249 posts)You wrote:
"17. Yep "investigating" and then doing nothing seems to be the standard. "
Per article It was investigated and something was done: a settlement was agreed upon and paid out to the complainant
mythology
(9,527 posts)I think it's probably not very effective. Think about how cop behavior isn't changed by cities settling wrongful death suits.
emulatorloo
(44,249 posts)I understand your point.
However insinuating it was investigated and "nothing" was done as poster did is intellectually dishonest.
As to whether it was effective or not, this sounds like this incident from '99 is the only thing Fucker Carlson could come up with. If it continued I expect Carlson and Mike "no such thing as date rape" Cernovich would have gone with something more recent/damaging. Time will tell.
DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)"was satisfied, or she wouldn't have agreed to the settlement"
You really think she had much choice?
Obviously you just don't get it.
emulatorloo
(44,249 posts)Per article, something was done, a settlement was reached and complainant was compensated.
You can attempt to deflect, blow smoke, and throw out as many red herrings as you like. We're fact based at DU.
Have a nice Sunday.
DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)Done
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)"Complainant was satisfied, or she wouldn't have agreeed (sic) to the settlement..."
You then believe absolutely no other possibilities may exist outside of the two you referenced?
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)OnDoutside
(19,982 posts)but destroy a person's life regardless. They may be the sleaziest bastard but they may also be a thoroughly decent person. But to destroy someone on circumstantial or anonymous information is everybit as wrong as what actual harassers have done.
DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)OnDoutside
(19,982 posts)That 40k.
Whether NBC should have paid the money is a separate point, but the fact they did pay any money is enough for you to destroy someone's career without knowing the background to story, or the degree of severity if there was an issue, as importantly.
DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)I am not doing anything to him, he has done it to himself.
He is an arrogant awful tv personality. Why are you defending him on a website for Democrats?
ETA: I see you are Irish. Does that make you feel that you need to protect him?
OnDoutside
(19,982 posts)Obnoxious, self centered asshole, but I object to the rush to end someone's career without knowing the severity of the "crime", and in the current environment there is no bar which says we need to have enough evidence before someone not have a case to answer, a need for that person to apologize for any hurt or perceived hurt caused, suspension, sacking or public destroying of their career/life. Currently, there mere suggestion is being used to destroy them, and that goes against natural justice. That's what I am defending.
DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)You are assuming a position not taken.
Very interesting..
OnDoutside
(19,982 posts)Post #40 gives a different impression of your motives.
DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)a poster with the name UTUSN types a comment and you decide to both assign it a motive and put those words in MY mouth.
Why?
Methinks thou dost protest too much.
OnDoutside
(19,982 posts)If he does this on live tv I can only imagine what he does with the office door closed.
I have no trouble believing this and expect more to come out.
Tweety has always had an obvious problem with women
Fairly nasty stuff there, expecting no one to call you on it.
whathehell
(29,100 posts)there is a reason he's had his own show on MSNBC for over a decade and that's clearly because everyone does NOT see him as "an arrogant awful tv personality".
As for calling anyone out on the basis of this being "a democratic board", you DO know that Matthews was a top aide to Democratic House Speaker Tip O'Neil, don't you?..You do know, further, that he identifies as a Democrat and that the Right Wing identifies him as one too, right?
If the answer to any of these questions is "yes" I'd have to ask why you are haranguing someone here for refusing to trash him.
DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)Interesting that you see it that way.
whathehell
(29,100 posts)You even went so far as to call out the poster's nationality as the
basis of some supposed 'bias" on his part.
That was "interesting" too.
Ghost Owl
(59 posts)but yes, sometimes companies pay settlements over frivolous lawsuits or unfounded complaints, just because it's cheaper than litigating. That's just the practical reality, that sometimes it's cheaper just to pay these people to go away. $40K (or less, as NBC claims) is nothing to a network like NBC.
So I generally don't make an automatic assumption when I hear a company settled a lawsuit. I have to read the details and know the particulars.
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)when he posed with her for a photo. There was No due proceess for Franken, even though he immediately
called for an investigation...remember Al!
Joe941
(2,848 posts)"Did you see her walk? Runway walk. My God is that good," Matthews could be heard saying as the Republican frontrunner's wife walked onto the stage.
"I could watch that runway show," Matthews said.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/04/media/chris-matthews-melania-trump/index.html
emulatorloo
(44,249 posts)She was a former model who no doubt did runway shows.
Joe941
(2,848 posts)I added the words to my original post. It was not just saying she had a good runway walk. He was being creepy.
emulatorloo
(44,249 posts)Maybe "inappropriate" or "juvenile" sure. But I'm not surprised MSNBC did not bother to comment on it.
whathehell
(29,100 posts)It hardly seems like that big a deal to me & I am a female who's experienced quite a bit of sexual harassment.
whathehell
(29,100 posts)I'm a female and remarks like these are small potatoes compared to what those "gentlemen" did.
IluvPitties
(3,181 posts)If there is a settlement, can we assume both parts reached an agreement to solve the problem and move on? I mean, some of these "revelations" sound more like Bannon's "weaponization" of information than anything else.
emulatorloo
(44,249 posts)Thrill
(19,178 posts)Lets be honest
HipChick
(25,485 posts)Alice11111
(5,730 posts)Kirk Lover
(3,608 posts)CTyankee
(63,914 posts)please correct me if you recall the reason he gave for quitting the booze. He seemed sheepish about it but I believe he said it.
IluvPitties
(3,181 posts)Case was settled. I hope he did some soul searching and learned his lesson. What else is supposed to happen?
whathehell
(29,100 posts)There's a couple of true Tweety haters here who seize on any & all opportunities to expound on his supposed villainy. It:s been going on for years now with no discernible result.
librechik
(30,678 posts)zaj
(3,433 posts)This was rather sudden.
http://thehill.com/homenews/media/362068-keith-olbermann-i-am-retiring-from-political-commentary
Ghost Owl
(59 posts)but Olbermann kind of has a reputation for being a stubborn hothead who doesn't always work well with others, so his quitting may not have anything to do with a sexual harassment complaint.
He could also just be tired. I am so tired of the news, it weighs on the heart and soul, and sometimes you just gotta check out for you.
Botany
(70,627 posts)'buff said
themaguffin
(3,829 posts)democratisphere
(17,235 posts)Disgraceful.
librechik
(30,678 posts)what is the problem? Oh Female over 40, I suppose.
VOX
(22,976 posts)She then showed a priceless clip of Matthews interviewing tRump (believe it was in 2016). Matthews rat-a-tat questions (good ones, too) had tRump knocked back on his heels.
Matthews gets a bad rap here. Hell always be a print journalist first (15 years with the San Francisco Chronicle and the S.F. Examiner), and an excellent speechwriter for President Jimmy Carter. Hes among the few pundits whove actually worked in the trenches, with Democrats, as a staffer to Senator Edmund Muskie and as top aide to Speaker of the House Tip ONeill. In 2003, he was among the first to write a column against the coming Iraq invasion.
Matthews, on occasion, gives Democrats/progressives a tough interview, and make them back up their statements. His TV persona may be grating to some, but he doesnt hold back, and he knows his stuff.