Variety Editor in Chief Claudia Eller has been placed on administrative leave after a heated Twitter exchange over the lack of newsroom diversity.
The L-A Times reports the dust-up came late Wednesday after Variety published an opinion column written by Eller, in which she acknowledged that she and other editors in chief have not done enough to increase diversity in their newsrooms.
Nationwide protests since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and calls for social justice, have forced news organizations to face their own shortcomings in ensuring that their newsrooms represent the communities they cover.
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| Claudia Eller |
Eller then lashed out at Sinha-Roy on Twitter, calling her “bitter.”
The tweet upset Variety staff members and prompted much soul-searching at the news organization. Variety is owned by Penske Media Corp., controlled by auto scion Jay Penske, who also owns Rolling Stone magazine, Women’s Wear Daily and the Hollywood trade website Deadline.
Penske called Eller’s tweet “plainly unacceptable.”
“She should have been listening vs. putting up a fight, and allowing for others to be heard and to heal,” Penske said.
Penske’s note to the staff added that Business Editor Cynthia Littleton is stepping in as editor in chief on an interim basis.
Dear Team,
The last few months have been an incredibly stressful and challenging time, for everyone. That said, there is no excuse for the Twitter exchange I had with Piya last night. I completely understand your anger and upset at me; it is not at all misplaced. I am so ashamed, humiliated and regretful for my actions and the pain it has caused both internally and externally. I sent a direct message to Piya to apologize profusely for my insensitive and ignorant remarks, which I made in a moment when what I should have been doing was listening.
I want to say my behavior engaging on Twitter in this manner was not representative of my more than 30 years as a journalist, nor was it reflective of who I am as a mother and a wife. After a very tough and emotional conversation with Jay this afternoon, I am recognizing that my many years as a journalist did not necessarily prepare me for a leadership role in such a large and thriving newsroom. Looking back, hard work and competition were two of my main tools to get ahead in my career. The success I found in my hard-charging style as a journalist, I now realize, can come across as autocratic when I’m managing others. It can even be perceived that I lack empathy for you. Dammit, I do care. I care deeply about each of you, and I care deeply about Variety. I can’t apologize enough to those I have let down. I take today’s criticisms of me very seriously. I just wish I could’ve listened to each of you sooner.
As a result of my discussion with Jay, it’s clear to me that I need to take a serious moment of reflection. Effective immediately, I will be taking a leave from my role at Variety.
No one should ever be afraid to speak up and disagree with me. I recognize the need for greater empowerment of those on our staff – I have suffocated too many good ideas and not empowered our next generation of leaders. I also need to create a better system for cultivating talent of diverse backgrounds. I have tried to grow our team with diversity and inclusivity in mind, and we have succeeded in some areas. But all leaders in 2020 must make diversity a top priority, not just now, but every day, through consistent action and attention.
I sincerely hope that, when the time is right, each of you would consider giving me a chance to rejoin this great organization and someday make you proud. As I said, I have a lot of thinking, working, and changing to do.
Thank you all, with my deepest apologies. And please stay safe. I really hope to see all of you again.
Gratefully yours,
Claudia
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