Jeff Fager, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, has been fired from CBS News. The news was announced by CBS News president David Rhodes in a memo to staff. The news came after reporting from Ronan Farrow detailed allegations of sexual harassment and cover-up against Fager.
However, Rhodes wrote that the departure “is not directly related to the allegations surfaced in press reports, which continue to be investigated independently. However, he violated company policy and it is our commitment to uphold those policies at every level.”
Fager’s departure will take place immediately and 60 Minutes will be led by executive editor Bill Owens in the interim.
Rhodes did not specify what caused Fager’s departure if not the allegations of sexual harassment, but Fager said in a statement, CBS “terminated my contract early because I sent a text message to one of our own CBS reporters demanding that she be fair in covering the story.”
“My language was harsh and, despite the fact that journalists receive harsh demands for fairness all the time, CBS did not like it,” Fager continued. “One such note should not result in termination after 36 years, but it did.”
Fager’s departure came days after CBS CEO Les Moonves was fired for sexual misconduct.