Hostile Work Environment is No Laughing Matter for Letterman

Growing up in the 1960's I was a fan of the Dick Van Dyke show. The show was a SITCOM situated in New York around a team of comedy writers which featured Dick Van Dyke, Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie. It turns out that the show misrepresented women's role in comedy writing. It turns out female comedy writers for television are non-existent with not a single female writer working on the staff of any of the late-night staffs.

The current issue of Vanity Fair magazine contains a damning indictment of the work environment for CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman". Former Letterman writer, Nell Scovell notes:

"Without naming names or digging up decades-old dirt, let’s address the pertinent questions. Did Dave hit on me? No. Did he pay me enough extra attention that it was noted by another writer? Yes. Was I aware of rumors that Dave was having sexual relationships with female staffers? Yes. Was I aware that other high-level male employees were having sexual relationships with female staffers? Yes. Did these female staffers have access to information and wield power disproportionate to their job titles? Yes. Did that create a hostile work environment? Yes. Did I believe these female staffers were benefiting professionally from their personal relationships? Yes. Did that make me feel demeaned? Completely. Did I say anything at the time? Sadly, no."

She also says that she isn't going to sue Mr. Letterman which seems oddly generous for someone who was wronged professionally.

Bottom line: It will be interesting to see how CBS handles the coming fiasco.