Latest news with #Mikell
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
Boston TV news anchor claims she lost gig because she's white - blames CBS ‘DEI agenda'
A TV anchor at a local CBS station in Boston claims she was demoted from her job because she is a white woman — and alleged she fell victim to a 'DEI agenda' that was raging out of control across the Tiffany Network, according to a bombshell lawsuit. Katherine Merrill Dunham, a longtime anchor for CBS affiliate WBZ-TV known on air as Kate Merrill, filed suit against the station's corporate parents CBS and Paramount Global this month alleging that she was run out of the newsroom to satisfy corporate diversity quotas. The 51-year-old Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, who is married to ex-Rangers goalie Mike Dunham, stunned viewers last year when she quit the station without explanation. In her Aug. 5 suit filed in Boston federal court, Merrill alleged she was targeted by managers who said the morning show was 'too white' and by co-workers who filed 'malicious' race-based complaints against her. The lawsuit cites exclusive reporting by The Post of then-CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, who was accused of using her clout to promote minorities while unfairly sidelining white journalists during her tenure. Her downfall began, she claims, after Paramount and CBS rolled out sweeping diversity mandates in response to past allegations of racism. Executives allegedly described WBZ as 'the whitest of all their stations' and vowed to allow only minority hires. Dominican-born Ciprian Mathew was named as president of CBS News in August 2023 despite being the subject of an internal probe by the company in 2021 over her alleged hiring practices, The Post reported. 'WBZ-TV exploited such policies and took career-ending action against Ms. Merrill to advance a DEI agenda,' according to the complaint. Ciprian-Matthews stepped down in July of last year. Paramount scrapped its controversial DEI programs earlier this year ahead of its deal with Skydance after President Trump-nominated FCC Chair Brendan Carr reportedly vowed to block any mergers involving companies that held firm to 'woke' policies. According to the complaint, the trouble started when Jason Mikell, a black co-worker and meteorologist at WBZ, allegedly 'made an inappropriate sexual innuendo about' Merrill 'on air' in February of last year when he 'implied that Ms. Merrill and her co-anchor had sexual relations at a gazebo.' The lawsuit alleges that despite complaints to supervisors by Merrill's executive producer, Mikell 'was not disciplined for his sexually charged remark about Ms. Merrill.' A few weeks later in April of last year, after she privately texted him to correct a mispronunciation of 'Concord,' Mikell allegedly 'loudly yelled at her on the studio floor,' according to the suit. Merrill claims she immediately complained to human resources — but a week later, Paramount's HR chief informed her that Mikell and Courtney Cole, a black anchor hired by WBZ in 2022, had accused her of racial bias. After 20 years at the station, the Emmy-winning broadcaster charges that she was branded a racist, demoted in public and forced into a 'constructive discharge resignation'. On May 17, 2024, Michael Roderick, vice president of employee relations at Paramount, issued a report finding Merrill had engaged in 'microaggressions or unconscious bias.' WBZ President and GM Justin Draper handed her a written warning requiring unconscious bias training and threatening termination if she slipped again, according to the complaint. The next day, Draper allegedly blindsided her with news she was being demoted from morning anchor to weekends — a move he announced in two staff meetings, the lawsuit alleged. 'Demoting Ms. Merrill in the context of the investigation sent the false message to her professional colleagues that she had engaged in serious wrongdoing,' the lawsuit said. Union leaders told Merrill that the demotion constituted 'career sabotage' and she would 'never recover.' Facing what she called a career-ending blow, Merrill resigned May 24, 2024. The suit alleged male and minority colleagues were spared similar punishment for misconduct. It cites Mikell's innuendo and an incident in which a black reporter allegedly 'physically threw' a co-worker against a wall. None were demoted, according to the filing. According to Merrill's lawsuit, Mikell lodged a complaint against her in which he falsely accused her of making racially charged comments, including one in which she allegedly told him that after his hiring he would 'find his people' in Boston. The lawsuit alleged that Mikell complained after she failed to ask him 'about his weekend, an omission he apparently attributed to his race…' The complaint also mentions another incident in which she suggested he could be a garbage collector while a co-anchor joked he could pick strawberries during an on-air bit. Merrill denied 'any of her actions, inactions, or comments were as described or motivated by overt racism or unconscious bias.' Merrill, a Carlisle, Mass. native and Concord resident, launched her career in 1996 and joined WBZ in 2004. She became co-anchor of 'WBZ This Morning' and 'WBZ News at Noon' in 2017. The filing touts her spotless record, 'extraordinary reputation' and a résumé that included coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing, Democratic National Convention, Red Sox World Series win and Patriots Super Bowls. 'For more than 20 years, Ms. Merrill worked closely, virtually daily, with colleagues regardless of race,' the filing states, attaching photos of her with black colleagues. 'She is anti-racist.' In 2022, WBZ hired Cole and Japanese American anchor Chris Tanaka, demoting white colleagues in the process. In 2023, black meteorologist Mikell joined the station, replacing Zack Green, a white forecaster, according to the complaint. Her WBZ contract — which runs until June 2025 — contains a non-compete clause, blocking her from working elsewhere in TV until it expires. She says she has suffered 'significant financial losses' and reputational damage, and that WBZ still has not paid her for 20 unused vacation days. The Post has sought comment from Merrill's attorneys, Patricia Washienko and Allison Williard; WBZ-TV; CBS; Paramount Global; Draper; Mikell; Cole and Roderick. Originally published as Boston TV news anchor claims she lost gig because she's white - blames CBS 'DEI agenda'
Boston Globe
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Kate Merrill lawsuit: Microaggression vs. discrimination
In this case, the meteorologist, Jason Mikell, allegedly took offense at her correction and, according to the lawsuit, confronted her by 'loudly yelling at her on the studio floor and asserting that she was being critical of him.' After she complained to human resources about his reaction, she subsequently learned that she was under investigation for other alleged microaggressions. Faced with demotion from the anchor desk, she quit and is now suing WBZ, CBS, and its parent company, Paramount Global, along with several former colleagues for discrimination, saying she lost her career in television journalism because she is white. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Advertisement What if everyone involved had simply tried to talk to each other instead of marching to HR to lodge a complaint? Is there no middle ground where people of basic good will can meet, talk, and move on? Without it, this country is going to swing back and forth between the extremes of cancel culture, where every utterance can be taken as an expression of bias, and the anti-DEI fervor, led by President Trump, that is empowering a new class of aggrieved white people. Are microaggressions teachable moments? Or is someone charged with launching them so beyond redemption that they are unworthy of employment? Addressing a School Committee chair and her assistant as 'ladies' cost Vito Perrone, a candidate for school superintendent in Easthampton, a job offer in 2023. Former state treasurer Shannon O'Brien was fired as chair of the Cannabis Control Commission in 2024 for alleged grievances that included suggesting to a Black commission member that she would know a lawmaker who was also Black. Advertisement In Merrill's lawsuit, the former anchor said she learned that Mikell, who is named as a defendant, had complained that she welcomed him to Boston by saying he would 'find his people.' She contends she only meant he would 'create a community of friends' but he interpreted it differently. Courtney Cole, another Black colleague who is named in the suit, was allegedly upset because Merrill said she should go to Nashville where she could become the main anchor, a statement that Cole interpreted as implying she would be a better racial fit in Nashville. Saying nothing was also a problem for Merrill. For example, Mikell also allegedly complained that Merrill did not ask him about his weekends. Other complaints involved allegations that Merrill rolled her eyes when talking to people of color and did not greet people of color when they entered a room. In her lawsuit, Merrill also said that when Mikell was hired, he allegedly told her he had never been to Boston before, asked for help in getting acclimated, and specifically asked for help with pronouncing local town names. Since a television meteorologist is part of a news broadcast, proper pronunciation does matter. 'There's always been a certain charm about the peculiar spellings and unusual pronunciations of local city and town names, but on-air reporters' failing to say them correctly can undermine the reporter's credibility and authenticity for people who live here and call into question other aspects of the reporter's work,' Marjorie Arons-Barron, the longtime WCVB editorial director who is now a blogger, told me. 'Faith in our institutions, including media, is already low enough.' Advertisement Mispronouncing Concord, if that's what happened, isn't the end of journalism. But even in a weather report, it would be better to say it correctly. There should be some way to tell someone that. Joan Vennochi is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
Miami Herald
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Texts from TV anchor suing station over microaggressions revealed in lawsuit
A former Massachusetts TV anchor is suing the station she worked at after she says she was discriminated against for being white. Kate Merrill filed the federal lawsuit against WBZ-TV, CBS, Paramount and several individuals who worked at the news station. McClatchy News reached out for comment Aug. 7 but did not immediately hear back. Merrill says in the lawsuit that she had worked at WBZ-TV since 2004 and in 2017 was promoted to co-anchor of the station's morning and noon show. While working as an anchor in 2024, she was accused of being racist, discriminated against and demoted, she said in the civil complaint. In September 2023, Jason Mikell, a Black meteorologist, was hired at the station, the lawsuit said. Because Mikell was new to the area and less experienced, Merrill agreed to introduce him to some people and help him at work, the lawsuit said. Merrill said in the lawsuit that she provided positive feedback and constructive criticism to Mikell but that ultimately he accused her of microaggressions and making inappropriate comments. However, Merrill denies this and said after she corrected Mikell for pronouncing a city wrong, he confronted her aggressively, 'loudly yelling at her on the studio floor and asserting that she was being critical of him,' the lawsuit said. The lawsuit includes copies of text message conversations between Merrill and Mikell that start off supportive, as well as conversations between other co-workers discussing the incident. After reporting the incident to the human relations department, Merrill learned that Mikell had already filed complaints accusing her of microaggressions, being critical of him and treating him differently than she did her white co-workers. Another Black anchor and reporter at the station also complained about Merrill, accusing her of saying she should go work in Nashville because it would 'be a better racial fit,' the complaint said. Other allegations made against Merrill said she 'rolled her eyes when talking to people of color and that she did not greet people of color when they entered a room,' the lawsuit said. Merrill denied that any of her comments had racial undertones and in the lawsuit said she is not racist, has Black friends and included photos where she is pictured with them. An investigation determined that 'Merrill's behavior was grounded in microaggressions or unconscious bias and created a very unwelcoming work Environment,' the complaint said. However, Merrill said she was never given a copy of the report. Merrill was given a written warning that required her to complete unconscious bias training, the lawsuit said. Then she was demoted from co-anchor of the weekend morning show to work weekend nights and was told the decision 'had been in the works for some time,' according to the complaint. Merrill was told by colleagues and union leaders that 'WBZ/CBS/Paramount demoted Ms. Merrill to make an example of her, to attempt to make the point that CBS now took seriously complaints of racism allegedly perpetrated by White employees and was (is) not a racist organization,' the lawsuit said. She was also told that her demotion was 'career sabotage' and it would never recover, according to the complaint. Merrill, believing the demotion and racism accusations would harm her career, gave her resignation notice May 24. She maintained the demotion was motivated by other factors. The lawsuit listed several examples of white WBZ-TV and CBS employees who were replaced by non-white co-workers or new hires. Merrill is suing for an amount to be determined at trial.
Boston Globe
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Kate Merrill was replaced by another white blond anchor at WBZ. That's discrimination?
Merrill goes after WBZ-TV, CBS and its parent company Paramount Global, a former boss, and two Black colleagues who are still at WBZ — anchor seeking $4 million in damages. Not named? at WBZ who took Merrill's morning anchor slot after she left. Perhaps because Ebben is white, and that wouldn't fit Merrill's narrative of what happened. After reading Merrill's 57-page civil complaint, it's hard to take seriously the allegations that her career was harmed because she's white. WBZ-TV should want to diversify its staff, and put on air talent reflects the diversity of the market it serves. Advertisement What is apparent from the court case — which so far only provides Merrill's side of the story — was that there were micro aggressions flying around WBZ's newsroom. Sometimes Merrill felt aggrieved, other times her Black coworkers did. Related : Like the time Merrill accused Mikell of making an 'inappropriate sexual innuendo' about her on air and the station did not discipline him. Or the time Merrill told Mikell he was mispronouncing 'Concord' in a broadcast and, she claims, he confronted and yelled at her. Meanwhile, Cole apparently did not appreciate Merrill's suggestion that she move to Nashville, a smaller market where the younger Cole could become a main anchor. Advertisement Paula Ebben replaced Kate Merrill as a co-anchor on WBZ's morning show. CBS Boston (WBZ-TV) I don't know enough to take sides, though it's clear WBZ is a station where on-air talent didn't get along. More than anything, it looks like Merrill is attempting to cash in on the political moment, hoping her case will end in a big payday from a station owned by Paramount, which recently agreed to pay President Trump Paramount caved because it needed the Federal Communications Commission to bless its merger with Skydance Media, which the FCC then did. The The last thing the new company needs is a high-profile lawsuit alleging discrimination against white people. For the media giant, $4 million is a rounding error, and a settlement with Merrill could be another way to appease Trump, whose popularity comes from white people who feel they've been wronged and that diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts have gone too far. In that sense, Merrill's suit just as savvy as it is sad. Merrill and her lawyers are likely counting on a be held to the same legal standard as everyone else. Advertisement Cornell University Law School professor William Jacobson said he can't speak to the merits of Merrill's case, but noted that lawsuits like hers highlight some of the problems with how diversity policies have been rolled out in many workplaces. 'It's a cautionary tale for employers that you need to be extremely careful when you adopt DEI sort of policies,' said Jacobson, who is also founder of the 'You are now opening yourself up to multiple angles of complaint, from multiple types of people.' Related : Merrill resigned abruptly in May 2024, not long after she was stripped of morning anchor duties following the outcome of an HR investigation that sided with Mikell and Cole. She'd been at WBZ for 20 years, and we never knew why she left. And now we know Merrill had no intention of going quietly. In September, she filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination claiming unlawful discrimination and retaliation by WBZ, CBS, and Paramount. That set the stage for her civil suit. Even if Merrill loses her case, the whole situation is embarrassing for WBZ, CBS, and Paramount. She's getting her revenge with every headline about it all. With a lawsuit like this, it's not likely she'll work again in the Boston TV market. I doubt she wants to. And I'm not sure if she needs the money. Her husband, goalie in the NHL, and now works as a coach with the Boston Bruins. Advertisement Or maybe Merrill is just angling for a job at Fox News. She'd fit right in. Shirley Leung is a Business columnist. She can be reached at
Boston Globe
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Five things to know about ex-WBZ anchor Kate Merrill's lawsuit against station, CBS
The lawsuit names WBZ-TV, CBS and its parent company Paramount Global, WBZ anchor Courtney Cole, former WBZ president and general manager Justin Draper, WBZ meteorologist Jason Mikell, and Paramount employee relations vice president Michael Roderick as defendants. She is claiming race and gender discrimination. Merrill, who is white, said WBZ TV 'exploited' diversity, equity and inclusion policies imposed by its CBS and Paramount in a decision to demote her from weekday morning show host to weekend anchor. On May 17, 2024, Merrill was informed that Paramount's legal department had corroboratedcomplaints of her making racially charged remarks to anchor Courtney Cole who is Black. Merrill resigned on May 24, 2024 because of the 'catastrophic damage' a demotion would have caused to her career, especially given the allegations that she was racist. Black colleagues said she treated them differently. Advertisement The complaint states that Cole complained that Merrill had told her to work in Nashville where she could 'become the main anchor.' Merrill said Cole interpreted the suggestion as a comment on Nashville being a 'better racial fit' than Boston, rather than about how much Merrill, who'd previously worked there, liked the city. Merrill said that Jason Mikell, a WBZ-TV meteorologist, who is Black, interpreted a comment she made, that he would 'find his people' in Boston, as being racist. Advertisement Merrill complained to station management about a co-worker's behavior. Merrill said she had complained about to both the station's news director and human resources about Mikell. She alleges that Mikell implied on air that she and a co-anchor had sexual relations at a gazebo. She told the station's news director, but Mikell was never disciplined. In another instance, Merrill alleges Mikell confronted her on the studio floor, yelling loudly at her and asserting that she was critcizing him after she corrected his pronunciation of town names. Merrill says that Mikell, a native of Mississippi, had previously sought Merrill's help with pronouncing local place names. A coworker disputes Merrill's claims One former WBZ TV employee, Katrina Kincade, disputed some details in the suit. Merrill said that she had become concerned that the station was not providing support for newly hired employees, many of whom were persons of color. In the complaint, Merrill said she was informed that Kincade had expressed disappointment that Merrill had not mentored her. Kincade said she never mentioned wanting to be mentored by Merrill and that Merrill had never told her about her interest in supporting journalists of color at the station. Angela Mathew can be reached at
