cbc ghomeshi toronto

Document claims Ghomeshi built culture of fear at CBC

As sexual assault allegations continue to swirl around disgraced CBC host Jian Ghomeshi - including allegations that he harassed female staffers - a secret document drafted by staff at Q, published by the Globe and Mail, sheds more light on the internal culture at the show that made Ghomeshi a household name.

Though the doc, compiled to air employees' complaints about the show with program bosses, doesn't touch on any inappropriate sexual conduct, staff write that they feel they're at "the whim of the host ... if we don't do what he says, we will be punished in some way."

Employees wrote they could not "honestly express criticism or speak up for themselves without being blamed," adding "staff members do not feel like they have the power to ever say no to requests from show leaders."

The six staff presented the memo to Q producers at a meeting in June; though sources say managers were sympathetic, Ghomeshi's conduct - which reportedly included calling employees late at night, showing up late for meetings, and verbally berating employees or giving them the silent treatment - remained largely unchanged.

Read the full text of the memo, code-named "Red Sky" by the employees, below:

Photo by Benson Kua via the blogTO Flickr pool.


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