Editor of top gossip magazines accused of sexual misconduct

Former employees of the National Enquirer, Us Weekly and other gossip publications have accused the company’s top editor of sexual misconduct.

Dylan Howard, who currently works as the chief content officer of American Media Inc., was the subject of an internal inquiry in 2012 after two employees complained about Howard’s behavior, according to The Associated Press.

{mosads}According to a former senior editor at RadarOnline, Maxine Page, one of the company’s tabloids, Howard said he wanted to create a Facebook account for one female reporter’s vagina. He also reportedly made numerous remarks about her sex life.

Howard allegedly also forced female employees to watch recordings of celebrity sex.

Another former senior editor told the AP that Howard encouraged a female reporter to have sex with a source.

“He encouraged her to have sex with people for information,” the editor said. The female reporter Howard was talking about confirmed the details of the incidents to the AP.

Page, along with four other employees, told the AP that Howard also discussed his own sex life in the office, including physical descriptions of his partners.

The allegations against are about events that occurred Howard when he was in charge of the company’s Los Angeles office.

Cam Stracher, a lawyer for American Media, told the AP that an outside investigator was hired to look into complaints against Howard. The investigator told the news organization he completed the report, but it was unclear if Howard faced any disciplinary action following its completion.

“It was determined that there was some what you would call as horsing around outside the office, going to bars and things that are not uncommon in the media business,” Stracher told the AP. “But none of it rose to the level of harassment that would require termination.”

Howard quit his position after the report was completed, but was hired a year later at the company’s main New York office. The AP reports that it is unaware of any sexual misconduct allegations against Howard since his rehiring.

Howard becomes the latest top media figure to face sexual misconduct allegations. Organizations including NPR, NBC News and CBS News have all had major figures resign or get fired in recent weeks over sexual misconduct allegations.