By Kimberly Rapanut | State Press
University officials are evaluating longtime television host Charlie Rose’s reception of the 2015 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism amid allegations of sexual harassment.
“The reports about Charlie Rose made public this evening are deeply troubling. Effective immediately, his show is off the Arizona PBS airwaves, and will remain so indefinitely,” a University statement read. “Meanwhile we are seeking more information and evaluating his receipt of the 2015 Cronkite award.”
Eight women accused Rose of sexual harassment, according to The Washington Post. The accusations against him included “lewd phone calls, walking around naked in their presence, or groping their breasts, buttocks or genital areas.”
The women involved were employees or aspiring to work for Rose and his show, according to The Washington Post.
PBS halted his show following the allegations. CBS and Bloomberg have also cut ties with him.
Rose, a prominent figure in the journalism field, received the award in 2015 to commemorate over 40 years of experience with 60 Minutes, PBS and CBS.
Arizona PBS, one of the largest public television stations in the country, is also part of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and “is the largest media organization operated by a journalism school in the world,” according to the school’s website.
Every fall, the Cronkite Endowment Board of Trustees selects a notable figure in journalism to receive the prestigious award.
The senior associate dean of the Cronkite School, Kristin Gilger, said Rose’s situation is still under evaluation.
“We’re very disturbed by what we’ve heard and he is off PBS — and that takes effect immediately,” Gilger said. “… And we’re going to be looking at and evaluating more information as it comes in.”
Gilger said to her knowledge, the Cronkite school has never revoked an award from a recipient in the past; however, the school is evaluating its options in Rose’s case.
