The brand new president of CBS News has been accused of using her clout to advertise minorities while unfairly sidelining white journalists — a “woke” and “divisive” practice that sparked multiple worker complaints and a serious internal probe in 2021, The Post has learned.
Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews — a 30-year veteran of the third-place network who took the helm in August after her boss Neeraj Khemlani left in a storm of controversy — also had been top deputy to ex-president David Rhodes, who exited CBS News in January 2019 following a slew of high-profile scandals.
Those included sex-harassment allegations against Charlie Rose and allegations that “60 Minutes” boss Jeff Fager presided over a discriminatory culture. Rhodes’ boss, CBS CEO Les Moonves, was ousted over accusations of sexual misconduct which he denied.
Now, some insiders are chafing over the promotion of Ciprian-Matthews, a Dominican-born exec, who’s now the top-ranked woman of color at CBS News.
Current and former employees reveal that two and a half years ago, she was the goal of a six-month human-resources investigation by CBS parent Paramount Global into accusations of discriminatory hiring and management practices.
Among the many explosive claims were that Ciprian-Matthews supported the promotion of an African-American correspondent after she personally witnessed him verbally abusing a female colleague.
Elsewhere, she was accused of cooking up phony excuses to exchange a white reporter with an African-American for a plum task covering the aftermath of the Capitol riots.
In yet one more instance, a white job candidate claimed Ciprian-Matthews told her it will be easier to rent her if she were a “different color” as she passed her over.
Ciprian-Matthews declined to comment on the allegations through a spokeswoman.
HR probe ‘cut short’
The HR probe conducted by Jennifer Gordon, an executive vp of worker relations at Paramount Global, was allegedly cut short, in line with sources.
The investigator didn’t interview key witnesses before she concluded merely that Ciprian-Matthews was a “bad manager” with limited resources, a source near the situation told The Post.
Ciprian-Matthews’ elevation to president has left some employees scratching their heads and speculating that it’s a case of corporate overlords — amongst them Paramount Global boss Bob Bakish and CBS CEO George Cheeks — who’re reluctant to clamp down on a various female executive. The result, in line with critics, has been a “toxic” newsroom whose management has turned a blind eye to misconduct.
“On the very highest level of Paramount Global, there’s pressure to usher in diverse talent,” a source near CBS said. “I feel Ingrid desires to find a way to say she’s diversified the network, but at the tip of the day, you’re enabling individuals who abuse others while concurrently advancing those abusive people.”
One other source with knowledge of the 2021 HR probe griped that “no person desires to contend with this issue” and put it more bluntly: “It’s bad business to drive out young talent who’re making next to nothing. That’s why CBS is a third-rate network.”
Bakish and Cheeks declined to comment through a spokesperson.
“Ingrid’s record and many years of experience as a highly respected and admired news executive are well-known and speak for themselves,” Ciprian-Matthews’ boss Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News, Stations and CBS Media Ventures, said in an announcement to The Post.
“Any claims of discriminatory behavior are simply false,” McMahon added. “Like so many others at CBS News, I not only enjoy working with Ingrid but I’m inspired by her take care of her colleagues and the culture of CBS News.”
‘I used to be aghast’
The Post spoke to just about a dozen current and former CBS journalists — lots of whom say they left CBS News within the last five years for larger jobs at major news outlets after they felt Ciprian-Matthews’ alleged discrimination denied them opportunities.
Pamela Browne— an award-winning investigative producer with stints at Fox News, ABC News and NBC News— said she was interviewed by Ciprian-Matthews for a job in July 2019 within the exec’s swanky West 57th Street office, which was adorned with a Zen-inspired sandbox and rake.
After going over Browne’s qualifications, Ciprian-Matthews told her: “It might be a lot easier to get you hired in the event you were a distinct color,” Browne recalled.
“I used to be aghast,” Browne told The Post, adding that after being turned down for the position she later gave her testimony to Gordon at Paramount Global.
Several others said they didn’t immediately complain to HR out of fear of retaliation. Even after leaving the network, they declined to talk out publicly because they inked settlements with nondisclosure agreements — a trend that gained momentum following the “60 Minutes” shakeup, multiple sources said.
“Why do people have NDAs? It’s because the corporate doesn’t want them to speak,” said one outraged insider. “So what do you do? You promote them to the No. 2 of the division, then you definately promote her to the presidency.”
’20-minute rant’
In spring 2021, Gordon launched her probe into Ciprian-Matthews, including allegations that she roadblocked the advancement of young, promising reporters – mostly white women – in favor of elevating minority staffers.
Sources said the probe began after CBS correspondent Jeff Pegues dressed down a white female reporter in front of Ciprian-Matthews and other higher-ups. One source said Pegues, who’s African-American, went on a 20-minute rant wherein he claimed his colleague was a “no person” and that she “didn’t know anything” despite her seasoned background.
reluctant to clamp down on a various female executive. Getty Images
Ciprian-Matthews didn’t initially report the incident and attempted to “blame” the feminine correspondent when it was finally reported to HR, multiple sources said. That’s despite prior allegations that Pegues had been “lashing out” and “bullying” younger female reporters who “outworked” him, in line with a former CBS manager.
“Ingrid has a variety of HR issues regarding favoritism and protecting certain correspondents, allowing talent to verbally abuse other talent,” the source claimed.
An investigation into Pegues’ behavior concluded that his conduct was unprofessional, but to the shock of a few of his colleagues, Ciprian-Matthews then supported his promotion to Chief National Affairs and Justice Correspondent later that yr, sources said.
In August, sources said Pegues got into an altercation at a CBS Sports party through the National Association of Black Journalists in Birmingham, Ala. The correspondent followed a lady into the party and gave the impression to be “bothering her,” sources said.
An ESPN journalist who was at the party tried to defuse the situation and security was called, sources said. Afterwards, Pegues emailed Chairman of CBS Sports Sean McManus, who hosted the party, to elucidate his bad behavior, a source said.
It’s unclear if HR ever looked into the incident. Pegues has remained on air.
Pegues didn’t reply to requests for comment. McManus and CBS declined to comment specifically on Pegues.
‘Exiled to Denver’
In response to an insider, the HR probe of Pegues “opened a Pandora’s box” that exposed allegations of cronyism that led to the probe of Ciprian-Matthews.
In one other case, Emmy Award-winning CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave was allegedly pushed out of a plum congressional beat by Ciprian-Matthews.
In the course of the weeks after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, sources said Ciprian-Matthews, who was Washington bureau chief at the time, pressed for correspondent Nikole Killion to look on CBS shows and special reports to supply evaluation.
That’s despite the incontrovertible fact that Killion wasn’t at the Capitol through the attack — and that Van Cleave “was a part of ‘CBS Mornings” Emmy win for Best Live Newscast” last yr for his breaking Jan. 6 coverage, in line with his CBS bio.
On the time, sources claim Ciprian-Matthews falsely told producers that Van Cleave, who’s white, was on vacation or was out sick. That, in turn, sparked chatter that Killion — a veteran DC journalist who covered every presidential election since 2008 for CBS News and Hearst Television — was getting the assignments because she was African-American moderately than due to her qualifications.
Insiders say Van Cleave caught wind of the alleged deception and complained to colleagues — and that soon after, he was told he can be moved to Denver as a general task reporter.
“He was being exiled to Denver and not using a real beat or any producers,” said an insider with knowledge, adding that he was being moved mid-contract.
The insider said Van Cleave approached Gordon to provide his testimony, but backed out over fear of retaliation. As a substitute, a job opened up in Dallas as a national correspondent and Van Cleave took it.
“Ingrid is tipping the scales,” said the source. “There was no reason to place Van Cleave in that situation. All he desired to do is the reporting.”
Van Cleave didn’t reply to requests for comment. CBS declined to comment specifically on Van Cleave.
‘At arm’s length’
Ciprian-Matthews’ own profession hit a bump under Susan Zirinsky, the legendary newshound who inspired Holly Hunter’s character in “Broadcast News.” After Zirinsky was named CBS News president in 2019 following the chaotic exit of Rhodes, she moved Ciprian-Matthews from executive vp of reports to go of strategic and skilled development.
On the network’s New York City offices, Zirinsky kept Ciprian-Matthews — who wasn’t completely satisfied about her recent role — “at arm’s length,” in line with one source, moving her office removed from hers to a spot near the elevator bank. In 2020, Zirinsky named Ciprian-Matthews as CBS News’ interim bureau chief in Washington DC — a task that Ciprian-Matthews also didn’t want, in line with a source.
at how the network runs. Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images
“She was forced to take the job,” the source said, noting that Ciprian-Matthews “never moved to DC” even after serving a transient stint as everlasting Washington bureau chief, but as a substitute stayed in a company apartment as she traveled backwards and forwards from New York.
A source near Zirinsky insisted Ciprian-Matthews was a “top advisor” who was consulted on “every decision” she made and that she helped “right the ship” at a troubled time for the network.
The source said Zirinsky didn’t want Ciprian-Matthews to be “bogged down” with day-to-day newsroom duties like sending reporters to “Maine or Afghanistan.”
Zirinsky stepped down in April 2021 and Khemlani was named co-president of CBS News. The probe of Ciprian-Matthews gave the impression to be over in the autumn, sources said. In November, she was named No. 2 to Khemlani.
“She must know where the bodies are buried,” a former colleague speculated, claiming Ciprian-Matthews has been a “loyal foot soldier” for a trove of scandal-ridden executives over time.
and management practices. CBS News
Now, Ciprian-Matthews’ boss Wendy McMahon, who got here from top-ranked ABC News, is examining revive CBS News. McMahon is making a recent role of executive producer of each day news. The brand new hire will give McMahon a window into how the news gathering process runs, sources said.
“Wendy is looking at why CBS News is in last place,” an insider said. “The one common denominator is Ingrid. She has been a relentless in a leadership role during the last twenty years and has had a hand in all the pieces.”
But insiders weren’t buying into the concept that the seasoned exec can be easily sidelined, given her status as one in every of the few diverse leaders within the upper echelons of the corporate — and one in every of its most strong-willed and savvy.
“Ingrid won’t take this sitting down. She thinks she’s running the news division, and she or he won’t bend to Wendy,” the insider added. “Her ego is just too big.”