Endangered, a documentary about the perils facing journalists around the world, premieres June 28 on HBO. Ronan Farrow executive produces and Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing direct. 

The film chronicles a year in the life of four journalists living and working in democratic countries where freedom of the press has historically been considered a “given,” according to HBO. ”Yet, as online misinformation proliferates and world leaders brazenly denigrate the press, distrust of traditional media is on the rise, and journalists are increasingly facing situations more typically encountered in war zones or autocratic states.”

The action takes place in Mexico City, Sao Paulo and the United States. The journalists are reporters Patrícia Campos Mello and Oliver Laughland, and photojournalists Carl Juste and Sáshenka Gutiérrez.

“As newsrooms across the world face economic hardships and layoffs, conventional checks and balances against corrupt institutions of power are weakening; journalists are at the forefront of a dangerous culture war with the very right to free speech at the crux of it,” according to HBO. 

Loki Films and Ronan Production Group produces. 

“Many of us living in democratic nations take freedom of the press for granted,” said Grady and Ewing. “In the course of making this film, though, we realized that in order to survive, this ‘right’ has to be fought for in perpetuity. As governments and the public become increasingly hostile to ‘The Media,’ it was a privilege to observe a few of the unassuming beat reporters who hit the streets every day to bring us the facts.”
Farrow, Ewing, Grady, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller executive produce. 

“When I started working with HBO, one of the first and most urgent ideas I talked about with the documentary team there was chronicling the minefield of misinformation, anti-press authoritarian politics, and faltering media business models that reporters around the world navigate to bring us the truth,” said Farrow. “In following a remarkable group of journalists into chaos and back, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady have brought that story to electric life and given us an important record of this moment in history.” ■

ViacomCBS said it has settled its dispute with former CBS chairman and CEO Les Moonves and will not have to shell out a $120 million severance package that had been placed in a trust after his termination, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday.

Moonves stepped down in 2018 after allegations that he had sexually harassed several women at the company. 

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but according to a joint statement from ViacomCBS and Moonves, the costs of the settlement will be borne by a CBS contractor and Moonves will "contribute the entire settlement amount to various charities."

Back in 2018 CBS said that Moonves had agreed to donate about $20 million of his severance to several organizations supporting the elimination of sexual harassment in the workplace. 

The allegations were first outlined in a July 2018 piece in The New Yorker by Pulitzer Prize-winner Ronan Farrow, which said Moonves engaged in inappropriate behavior with several women including actress Illeana Douglas about 20 years ago. After that piece broke, several other women came forward, and in November of that year the New York Times reported that Moonves had paid a former accuser for years to keep her silence. 

CBS immediately conducted an investigation into those allegations and concluded that while harassment and retaliations weren’t “pervasive” at the broadcaster, the probe found other instances of unprofessional conduct and determined that the company’s policies did not do enough to prevent harassment and retaliation. 

Shortly after Moonves stepped down, CBS said it would not pay a $120 million severance package to the former executive because he was terminated for cause, pointing to the former executive's “willful and material misfeasance, violation of company policies and breach of his employment contract, as well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the company’s investigation. Mr. Moonves will not receive any severance payment from the Company.”

Moonves fought that claim and filed for arbitration on Jan. 16, 2019 to get back the award.  

In the Friday SEC filing, ViacomCBS said that the disputes between the company and Moonves have been resolved and that on May 14, the parties dismissed the arbitration proceeding, adding that the assets in the trust that held the $120 million severance package, “will revert to the company in their entirety.”

CBS stock plunged Friday after the company said it would open an investigation into claims in a New Yorker magazine article that its CEO Les Moonves engaged in inappropriate behavior with some employees over a period of decades.

The article, written by Ronan Farrow – who won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for public service for exposing allegations of sexual harassment and assault by former Miramax CEO Harvey Weinstein – is said to include allegations of unwanted kissing and touching that occurred 20 years ago, as well as many that occurred more recently. 

According to the article, six women have come forward, including actress and writer Illeana Douglas, who said she was sexually assaulted and then fired because she did not consent to Moonves's advances, and writer Janet Jones, who said Moonves forcibly kissed her during a business meeting. The article also depicts a culture of harassment at the network, citing 30 former and current employees who have alleged various forms of harassment and assault at the hands of other male employees in positions of power.

Moonves, according to a statement he issued to The New Yorker for the piece, admitted some mistakes, but denied misusing his position.

“Throughout my time at CBS, we have promoted a culture of respect and opportunity for all employees, and have consistently found success elevating women to top executive positions across our company," Moonves said in a statement to The New Yorker. "I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected—and abided by the principle—that ‘no’ means ‘no,’ and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone’s career. This is a time when we all are appropriately focused on how we help improve our society, and we at CBS are committed to being part of the solution.”

The Hollywood Reporter first broke news of the New Yorker article, which prompted the CBS response. It had been rumored for months that Farrow was working on an expose of CBS corporate culture.  

CBS stock was down as much as 7.5% ($4.32 each) to $53.21 per share in early trading Friday. The stock began to claw back in later trading – it closed at $54.01 (down 6%, or $3.52 each) on July 27.

In a statement, CBS said it would investigate the claims.

“All allegations of personal misconduct are to be taken seriously,” CBS said in a statement. “The Independent Directors of CBS have committed to investigating claims that violate the company’s clear policies in that regard. Upon the conclusion of that investigation, which involves recently reported allegations that go back several decades, the board will promptly review the findings and take appropriate action.”

Moonves has been with CBS since 1995, becoming CEO in 2006 and was named chair in 2016. Through his leadership, CBS had a 15-year run as the most-watched broadcast network (a streak that was broken by NBC earlier this year), and has been a leader in extracting retransmission consent revenue from distributors.

Moonves has been locked in a battle with the broadcaster’s biggest shareholder – CBS vice chair Shari Redstone – over control of the company. Redstone had locked horns with Moonves over an attempt last year to recombine CBS with its former corporate sister Viacom – he was against it. While Redstone backed off on putting the two companies together, CBS sued National Amusements, the holding company for the Redstone family’s CBS and Viacom stock, in May to stop it from ousting board members or changing bylaws to push through its agenda. National Amusement counter-sued, claiming Moonves and CBS had no right to take away control. The trial over that matter is slated to begin in October.

In its statement, CBS acknowledged the “very public legal dispute.”

“While that litigation process continues, the CBS management team has the full support of the independent board members,” CBS continued. “Along with that team, we will continue to focus on creating value for our shareowners.”