Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a new investigation by the New York Times on sexual abuse:
The New York Post has a blockbuster story today about a New York Times investigation of sexual misconduct in the theater world. Specifically, the Times is asking 10 questions of major non-profit arts organizations about their handling of sexual harassment and assault complaints over the last 20 years.
The newspaper wants the respondents to identify who those individuals are, and the nature of the alleged offense. It also wants to know if senior members of the artistic community, business leaders, or board members were the subject of a complaint. It wants a response by March 30.
This has led to quite a pushback from theater elites, some of whom have accused the Times of an Inquisition. They have sought legal counsel.
What the theater community should do is agree, on one condition: The New York Times must first agree to have theater lawyers investigate Mark Thompson, the CEO of the New York Times Company. In his previous job, as head of the BBC, Thompson claims to have known nothing of the serial rapes committed by Jimmy Savile, many of them with minors, and on the property of the BBC.
As we have previously shown, Thompson’s account is unpersuasive: there is every reason to believe that he lied when he said he knew nothing of Savile’s criminal acts. Now is the time to settle this matter: let the investigators have access to Thompson and all the letters and files attendant to this probe that are kept by the BBC.
