VOA Special English
More Powerful Men in Media Accused of Sexual Abuse

    2017/11/21

    Well-known men in media and entertainment continue to be publicly accused of sexual wrongdoing.

    Two of the latest are Charlie Rose and Glenn Thrush. Rose is a longtime American reporter and television host. Thrush is the White House reporter for the New York Times newspaper.

    Eight women came forward with allegations against Rose in a Washington Post report Monday. The women, who all worked for or sought work with Rose, accused him of touching them and walking naked in front of them. One woman said Rose told her he had dreamed about her swimming naked.

    FILE - TV news anchor Charlie Rose walks through the Trump Tower in New York, Nov. 21, 2016.
    FILE - TV news anchor Charlie Rose walks through the Trump Tower in New York, Nov. 21, 2016.

    Rose, who is 75, said in a statement that he was “deeply embarrassed” and apologized for his actions.

    Rose hosts a nightly interview show that airs on the Public Broadcasting Service. The show could be seen in 94 of the United States on PBS television stations. He was also on a popular morning show on CBS News.

    CBS fired Rose Tuesday. PBS has announced it would stop distributing Rose’s interview show.

    Three women permitted the Post to use their names in the deeply reported story, including Reah Bravo. She started working for Rose in 2007, first as an intern and later as a producer. She told the newspaper: “He was a sexual predator, and I was his victim.” She said Rose groped her several times. She said he also once asked her to come to his hotel room, and when she arrived, he appeared before her naked.

    Another accuser, Kyle Godfrey-Ryan, served as Rose’s assistant in the mid-2000s when she was 21. She said Rose repeatedly called her in the morning and late at night to describe his dreams of her swimming naked in the pool at his home. Godfrey-Ryan said she was dismissed from her job after Rose learned she had spoken about his behavior to a friend they both knew.

    The third identified woman, Megan Creydt, worked for Rose’s interview show in 2005 and 2006. She said he put his hand on the upper part of her leg when they were in a car together in New York City. Five other women told the Post similar stories. They said Rose appeared to be testing them for reactions when he touched them.

    Rose described his behavior as insensitive at times and he said “I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate.”

    Two hours after the Rose story was published, a Post reporter tweeted “sadly, my inbox is already flooded with women who have had similar, disturbing encounters with Charlie Rose.”

    New reports of sexual wrongdoing have continued since The New York Times first reported about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s behavior in early October.

    On Monday, The New York Times suspended its own White House correspondent for reports of similar wrongdoing. The paper says it is investigating accusations that Glenn Thrush touched women against their will.

    Laura McGann worked with Thrush at the news media company Politico. She wrote on Monday that Thrush kissed her and placed his hand on her upper leg one night in a bar.

    Thrush worked at Politico from 2009 until 2016. He joined the Times in January of this year.

    In a statement the Times called the reported behavior “very concerning.”

    I’m Ashley Thompson.

    The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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    Words in This Story

    naked - adj. not wearing any clothes : not covered by clothing

    embarrassed - adj. feeling confused and foolish in front of other people

    interview - n. a meeting between a reporter and another person in order to get information for a news story

    fire - v. to dismiss from employment

    distribute - v. to give or deliver (something) to people

    intern - n. a student or recent graduate who works for a period of time at a job in order to get experience

    allegations - n. a statement saying that someone has done something wrong or illegal

    accurate - adj. free from mistakes or errors

    grope - v. to touch (someone) in an unwanted and unexpected sexual way

    predator - n. a person who looks for other people in order to use, control, or harm them in some way

    bar - n. a building or room where alcoholic drinks and sometimes food are served

    inbox - n. an electronic folder in which emails received by someone are held.

    disturbing - adj. causing nervousness; worrying.

    encounter - n. a usually brief experience with another person

    correspondent - n. a person whose job is to send news to a newspaper, radio station, or television program often from different places around the world