AP Exclusive: Top gossip editor accused of sexual misconduct

NEW YORK (AP) — The tip editor for the Nationwide Enquirer, Us Weekly and other necessary gossip publications overtly described his sexual partners within the newsroom, discussed female staff’ sex lives and forced girls to see or listen to pornographic cloth, old staff educated The Associated Press.

The habits by Dylan Howard, presently the executive enlighten material officer of American Media Inc., befell while he used to be working the corporate’s Los Angeles place of work, in step with girls and men who worked there. Howard’s self-proclaimed nickname used to be « Dildo, » a phallus-fashioned sex toy, the old staff mentioned. His habits ended in an internal inquiry in 2012 by an originate air consultant, and old staff mentioned he stopped working out of the L.A. place of work after the inquiry.

Howard quit rapidly after the anecdote used to be completed, nonetheless the corporate rehired him one 365 days later with a promotion that landed him within the corporate’s main place of work in Original York. It used to be no longer determined whether or no longer Howard faced any self-discipline over the accusations. AP is rarely any longer responsive to any sexual harassment allegations nice looking Howard since he used to be rehired.

The AP spoke with 12 old staff who knew in regards to the investigation into Howard’s habits, though no longer all were responsive to every component. The originate air investigator employed to study complaints about Howard’s habits also confirmed to AP that he completed a anecdote.

In a brief cell phone interview with the AP, Howard characterised the ex-staff’ claims as « baseless. »

American Media mentioned in a assertion Tuesday evening that Howard « has the paunchy toughen of AMI and its executives. » It mentioned since Howard used to be rehired, « he has continued to hold the distinction of his peers and colleagues. »

A attorney for American Media confirmed Tuesday that an originate air investigator used to be employed to sight into two staff’ claims about Howard’s habits.

The attorney, Cam Stracher, mentioned the investigation did no longer present serious wrongdoing. Stracher confirmed that one worker had complained that Howard mentioned he desired to develop a Fb myth for her vagina, nonetheless Stracher mentioned Howard mentioned that never happened.

« It used to be obvious that there used to be some what you would call as horsing around originate air the place of work, going to bars and issues which would possibly be no longer irregular within the media enterprise, » Stracher mentioned, « nonetheless none of it rose to the degree of harassment that would possibly require termination. »

American Media publishes the Nationwide Enquirer, RadarOnline, Neatly-known particular person and other gossip publications and web sites. In March the corporate purchased the glossy Us Weekly magazine for a reported $100 million, tremendously boosting its readership among girls.

In his job, Howard oversees those newsrooms.

AMI spokesman Jon Hammond described the 2 staff who had formally complained about Howard’s alleged habits as « disgruntled. »

« The investigation described an environment the place staff blended socially originate air the place of work — incessantly at bars — nonetheless discovered no affirm toughen for the allegations of harassment made by the 2 complainants, » Hammond mentioned in an electronic mail.

Quite a lot of the old staff spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the they’d signed nondisclosure agreements, incessantly as segment of severance applications.

Two old staff, one a senior manager and one other a reporter within the L.A. place of work, agreed to be publicly identified to debate Howard’s habits.

« The habits that Dylan displayed and the draw in which he used to be and the draw in which the corporate handled it — I right specialize in that it has to be made public due to the it is fully unacceptable, » mentioned Maxine « Max » Page, a old senior editor at RadarOnline. She complained to the human resources division about Howard’s habits on behalf of two female reporters.

Howard made substandard comments to and about a model of girls, Page and six other ex-staff mentioned. Howard educated staff within the newsroom he desired to develop a Fb myth on behalf of the girl’s vagina, commented on her sex life and forced her and other female staff to either see or listen to graphic recordings of sex nice looking celebrities no topic there being no expert rationale for doing so, they mentioned.

A old senior editor recalled Howard wrongly claimed at some level of a newsroom meeting that the girl had had sex with a journalism source and praised her for it, asserting she desired to « attain what you wish » to rating a story.

The editor mentioned: « He encouraged her to hold sex with people for details. »

The girl Howard used to be discussing confirmed these and other incidents to the AP nonetheless declined to be identified.

Page and four other staff recounted conditions in which Howard talked about his like sexual exploits, including descriptions of his partners’ bodily attributes.

Stracher, the corporate attorney, mentioned no person interviewed by the originate air investigator complained about Howard’s handling of pornographic cloth. Stracher mentioned there used to be nothing inherently substandard about that within the megastar news enterprise.

Stracher also mentioned no person complained to the investigator about Howard’s alleged encouragement of a reporter to sleep with news sources.

One other old reporter, Liz Crokin, mentioned she used to be also careworn by Howard, including once when he asked whether or no longer she used to be « going to be strolling the streets tonight » on a day she wore heels to work.

Page and Crokin, cherish quite a lot of the opposite old staff who spoke to AP, were laid off by the corporate at some level of waves of downsizing at AMI. The others who left the corporate mentioned they did so by choice.

American Media gradually asked exiting staff to designate nondisclosure agreements that limit them from disclosing confidential details or disparaging company executives.

Quite a lot of the old staff who described Howard’s habits mentioned they determined to attain so after the Original Yorker and other news organizations printed emails in most unique weeks exhibiting that Howard had worked with movie producer Harvey Weinstein to undermine allegations of sexual misconduct by Weinstein.

The emails showed that Howard had dispatched a reporter to reveal derogatory details about an actress who had accused Weinstein of rape, after which shared that details with Weinstein. Howard has mentioned he pursued the tips as segment of due diligence forward of entering into a enterprise relationship with Weinstein. Weinstein, who has denied allegations of non-consensual sex, has maintained he used to be passing alongside a news tip to Howard that used to be never printed.

After the 2012 investigation into Howard’s habits in Los Angeles, two of the ex-staff mentioned they were educated by a manager that Howard used to be barred from the Los Angeles place of work. The staff mentioned he worked from home after that. Stracher, the corporate attorney, mentioned Howard used to be given no such disclose to lead clear of the place of work.

Rapidly after the anecdote used to be issued, Howard took a current job with one other company.

Or no longer it is unclear what the anecdote concluded or whether or no longer Howard faced any disciplinary circulation.

The AP used to be unable to fabricate a copy of the anecdote. Its author, Philip Deming, confirmed he wrote a anecdote nonetheless mentioned he would possibly no longer talk about what he discovered or the recommendations he made.

Page, the manager whose grievance introduced on the corporate to rent Deming, mentioned she used to be skeptical the corporate effectively investigated Howard’s habits.

Deming mentioned he produced a 25- to 35-page anecdote with 18 shows, and interviewed between 15 and 20 staff. He declined to grunt his findings with out AMI’s authorization. Stracher, the corporate attorney, declined to free up the anecdote.

Deming mentioned he used to be no longer mindful that American Media re-employed Howard a 365 days after his anecdote.

« I did hold recommendations and I invent no longer know what happened after those recommendations were made, » he mentioned.

Stracher mentioned Howard used to be « cautioned when he returned that what I’d philosophize as horsing around used to be no longer acceptable. »

Howard overtly discussed the investigation with some reporters and editors, one old worker mentioned. A January 2012, electronic mail supplied to the AP by one other old worker mentioned, « There is an investigation happening of my boss staunch now and it is made every person awkward and heart-broken. It is seemingly you’ll perchance also lower the tension with a knife. »

Crokin, the old reporter, mentioned she believed Howard retaliated against her after Deming interviewed her, striking off serious work and assigning her menial tasks. She used to be laid off a brief time later.

The corporate attorney, Stracher, mentioned any staff who witnessed or had considerations about Howard’s habits must hold raised them for the time being.

One other ex-worker who used to be interviewed by Deming recalled being anxious about talking with the HR consultant.

« I educated the investigator I did no longer know the relaxation, » mentioned the old worker, acknowledging that answer used to be no longer staunch. « Or no longer it is nearly cherish I had Stockholm syndrome. »

But one other old worker, who mentioned she used to be reward when Howard showed a handful of reporters pornography that used to be no longer newsworthy, mentioned Deming never interviewed her.

Howard, 35, came to the U.S. in 2009, months after being fired from a sports reporting job in Australian tv news, following a police investigation about how he had purchased athletes’ clinical details. Police did no longer raise prices against him. He used to be then employed by Australian broadcaster Craig Hutchison’s CrocMedia to anecdote within the United States.

In a most unique podcast, Hutchison praised Howard’s expertise nonetheless mentioned he snappy parted with Howard beneath rocky conditions.

« His programs manufacture me heart-broken, that’s doubtlessly the handiest method to place it, » Hutchison mentioned.

Howard then started working for American Media Inc. in Los Angeles.

Right thru his time there, Howard blurred the traces between his role as a manager and his deepest life, throwing parties in Las Vegas and in Malibu, entertaining female reporters to accompany him within the evenings and incessantly discussing his behind-night time partying within the newsroom, six old staff mentioned.

For his thirtieth birthday celebration, Howard invited a dozen staff to Las Vegas in January 2012 for an all-prices-paid, three-day birthday celebration he dubbed « Dildo’s Soiled 30, » in step with a copy of the professionally designed invitation purchased by the AP.

Every week later, ex-staff mentioned, Deming, the HR consultant, started conducting interviews.

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Horwitz reported from Washington.

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Apply Associated Press reporter Jake Pearson on Twitter at @jakepearsonap and Jeff Horwitz at @jeffhorwitz.

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