Comcast shareholders reject proposals for outside sexual harassment investigation at NBC

Comcast shareholders, including Chairman Brian Roberts, rejected three proposals on Wednesday that called for an outside investigation into sexual harassment allegations at NBC News, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The proposals, which were voted down at Comcast’s annual meeting, reportedly included a demand that the company hire an outside firm to look into sexual harassment and assault allegations against former “Today” show anchor Matt Lauer, who was fired in November 2018.

“Workplace harassment can harm shareholder value,” one shareholder, Arjuna Capital, wrote in its proposal. “To avoid legal and reputational risk, as the employer of 184,000 workers, Comcast must create a culture of accountability and transparency, and protect employees from harassment and discrimination.”

Comcast responded to the proposal’s rejection saying, “Our company has been built on a foundation of respect, integrity and trust, and we are committed to creating a work environment that promotes those values.”

NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast, announced last year its decision to not open an outside investigation into the allegations against Lauer, stating at the time it was “very confident” in how it handled his ouster.

In October, former NBC News hosts Megyn Kelly and Linda Vester each called on the network to conduct an outside investigation.

“They investigated themselves. That doesn’t work,” Kelly told Fox News host Tucker Carlson at the time. “This is how it’s done. You get somebody on the outside who can be trusted.”

Fox News allowed an outside firm to investigate sexual harassment allegations against then-Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes in 2016, leading to his exit just three weeks after the investigation was launched.