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| Jian Ghomeshi, Canadian radio's brightest star, felled by allegations of sexual violence | Jian Ghomeshi, Canadian radio's brightest star, felled by allegations of sexual violence |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| In Canada, Jian Ghomeshi was a broadcasting hero, occupying the rarefied position of national treasure in the Canadian psyche. In an age when the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has been beset by troubles – especially the recent loss of the broadcast rights to the National Hockey League – Ghomeshi’s cultural interview show was one of few success stories, popular at home and a source of lucrative syndication revenue abroad. He was, perhaps, Canadian radio’s brightest star. | |
| Until now. | Until now. |
| On Friday the CBC announced that Ghomeshi would be taking a leave of absence for “personal” reasons, and then on Sunday followed up with a statement that he would no longer be working for the corporation, saying he had been fired because of “information” it received that “precluded” it from employing him. | On Friday the CBC announced that Ghomeshi would be taking a leave of absence for “personal” reasons, and then on Sunday followed up with a statement that he would no longer be working for the corporation, saying he had been fired because of “information” it received that “precluded” it from employing him. |
| The nature of that information soon became clear. On Sunday evening, Ghomeshi published a long, emotional post to his Facebook page. In it, he said he was fired from the CBC because of a campaign of false allegations, that he said were pursued by a jilted ex-girlfriend, intended to paint his enthusiasm for consensual sadomasochistic sex as a pattern of abuse. | The nature of that information soon became clear. On Sunday evening, Ghomeshi published a long, emotional post to his Facebook page. In it, he said he was fired from the CBC because of a campaign of false allegations, that he said were pursued by a jilted ex-girlfriend, intended to paint his enthusiasm for consensual sadomasochistic sex as a pattern of abuse. |
| The Facebook post went viral. It has so far been “liked” by more than 100,000 people, and has thousands of messages of support. But there were clear signs in post that it was an attempt to get on the front foot of a deeply damaging story: it warned of “salacious” revelations in the days to follow, claiming they would be nothing but “lies”, and said that one newspaper had already investigated the story and not deemed it worthy of printing. | The Facebook post went viral. It has so far been “liked” by more than 100,000 people, and has thousands of messages of support. But there were clear signs in post that it was an attempt to get on the front foot of a deeply damaging story: it warned of “salacious” revelations in the days to follow, claiming they would be nothing but “lies”, and said that one newspaper had already investigated the story and not deemed it worthy of printing. |
| That paper was the Toronto Star. On Sunday night it posted the results of its previously unpublished investigation, portraying the story in a very different light. It revealed claims by three different women, all of whom claimed that instead of engaging in consensual, Fifty Shades of Grey-style imaginative sex, Ghomeshi was in fact a serial, violent abuser. | That paper was the Toronto Star. On Sunday night it posted the results of its previously unpublished investigation, portraying the story in a very different light. It revealed claims by three different women, all of whom claimed that instead of engaging in consensual, Fifty Shades of Grey-style imaginative sex, Ghomeshi was in fact a serial, violent abuser. |
| By the time of publication on Monday, Ghomeshi had not yet filed the lawsuit that he threatened in his Facebook post, in which he claimed to be the victim of a months-long campaign of harassment from a former lover. “About two years ago I started seeing a woman in her late 20s,” he wrote. “Our relationship was affectionate, casual and passionate. We saw each other on and off over the period of a year and began engaging in adventurous forms of sex that included role play, dominance and submission. We discussed our interests at length before engaging in rough sex (forms of BDSM). We talked about using safe words and regularly checked in with each other about our comfort levels.” | By the time of publication on Monday, Ghomeshi had not yet filed the lawsuit that he threatened in his Facebook post, in which he claimed to be the victim of a months-long campaign of harassment from a former lover. “About two years ago I started seeing a woman in her late 20s,” he wrote. “Our relationship was affectionate, casual and passionate. We saw each other on and off over the period of a year and began engaging in adventurous forms of sex that included role play, dominance and submission. We discussed our interests at length before engaging in rough sex (forms of BDSM). We talked about using safe words and regularly checked in with each other about our comfort levels.” |
| He claimed that the woman in question “encouraged” the role play “and often was the initiator”, and said that they joked about their relations being “like a mild form of Fifty Shades of Grey”. He said that while some people might find his proclivities “strange, enticing, weird, normal, or outright offensive,” they were his personal life, and his private business. | He claimed that the woman in question “encouraged” the role play “and often was the initiator”, and said that they joked about their relations being “like a mild form of Fifty Shades of Grey”. He said that while some people might find his proclivities “strange, enticing, weird, normal, or outright offensive,” they were his personal life, and his private business. |
| In its rejoinder, the Toronto Star detailed allegations from four women against Ghomeshi, in which they claimed a pattern of violent sexual abuse. The paper, along with a freelance investigative journalist named Jesse Brown, had been in regular contact with four women since May 2014, three of whom said to have been involved personally with Ghomeshi and another who had worked at the CBC. | In its rejoinder, the Toronto Star detailed allegations from four women against Ghomeshi, in which they claimed a pattern of violent sexual abuse. The paper, along with a freelance investigative journalist named Jesse Brown, had been in regular contact with four women since May 2014, three of whom said to have been involved personally with Ghomeshi and another who had worked at the CBC. |
| One of them described an encounter with Ghomeshi that, she claimed, was violent from the start. “As soon as she walked into his house he suddenly struck her hard with his open hand, then continued to hit her and choked her,” the Star alleged. “The woman alleges Ghomeshi repeatedly beat her about the head and choked her.” | One of them described an encounter with Ghomeshi that, she claimed, was violent from the start. “As soon as she walked into his house he suddenly struck her hard with his open hand, then continued to hit her and choked her,” the Star alleged. “The woman alleges Ghomeshi repeatedly beat her about the head and choked her.” |
| A second woman told the Star that Ghomeshi warned her that he would be “aggressive” before their encounter. “I thought this meant he would want to pull my hair and have rough sex,” she told the paper. “He reassured me that I wouldn’t be forced. [Later] he attacked me. Choked me. Hit me like I didn’t know men hit women. I submitted.” | A second woman told the Star that Ghomeshi warned her that he would be “aggressive” before their encounter. “I thought this meant he would want to pull my hair and have rough sex,” she told the paper. “He reassured me that I wouldn’t be forced. [Later] he attacked me. Choked me. Hit me like I didn’t know men hit women. I submitted.” |
| The woman who worked with Ghomeshi at the CBC told the Star in the same article that he had “cupped her rear end” in a CBC studio and told her he wanted to “hatef--- her”. | The woman who worked with Ghomeshi at the CBC told the Star in the same article that he had “cupped her rear end” in a CBC studio and told her he wanted to “hatef--- her”. |
| None of the women agreed to be named in the article, saying they feared a backlash from Ghomeshi’s fans. | None of the women agreed to be named in the article, saying they feared a backlash from Ghomeshi’s fans. |
| Ghomeshi’s Facebook post denies that any non-consensual or abusive acts took place, the only mentions one relationship. He wrote: “In the coming days you will prospectively hear about how I engage in all kinds of unsavoury aggressive acts in the bedroom. And the implication may be made that this happens non-consensually.” He said that would be “a lie”. | Ghomeshi’s Facebook post denies that any non-consensual or abusive acts took place, the only mentions one relationship. He wrote: “In the coming days you will prospectively hear about how I engage in all kinds of unsavoury aggressive acts in the bedroom. And the implication may be made that this happens non-consensually.” He said that would be “a lie”. |
| The Star also reported Sunday that a law firm hired by Ghomeshi, Dentons LLP, was going to file a C$50m law suit on Monday morning against the CBC, though at the time of publication this could not be confirmed. Repeated calls by the Guardian to Dentons LLP were not returned. | The Star also reported Sunday that a law firm hired by Ghomeshi, Dentons LLP, was going to file a C$50m law suit on Monday morning against the CBC, though at the time of publication this could not be confirmed. Repeated calls by the Guardian to Dentons LLP were not returned. |
| According to the Star, as well as hiring lawyers, Ghomeshi has also hired a firm called Navigator, which describes itself as “Canada’s leading high-stakes communications firm”. | According to the Star, as well as hiring lawyers, Ghomeshi has also hired a firm called Navigator, which describes itself as “Canada’s leading high-stakes communications firm”. |
| “We take proven campaign tactics and apply them to issues where success is critical and you can’t afford to lose,” says the blurb on Navigator’s website. | “We take proven campaign tactics and apply them to issues where success is critical and you can’t afford to lose,” says the blurb on Navigator’s website. |
| An editorial written by the editor of the Star, Michael Cooke, which was also published on Sunday night, detailed the newspaper’s thought process in publishing the story after Ghomeshi went public with his Facebook post. Journalists began working on the story in May, according to Cooke, but the paper did not publish the results of their investigations because there the women’s allegations of non-consensual abusive sex could not be proved. | An editorial written by the editor of the Star, Michael Cooke, which was also published on Sunday night, detailed the newspaper’s thought process in publishing the story after Ghomeshi went public with his Facebook post. Journalists began working on the story in May, according to Cooke, but the paper did not publish the results of their investigations because there the women’s allegations of non-consensual abusive sex could not be proved. |
| “They were so explosive that to print them would have been irresponsible, and would have fallen far short of the Star’s standards of accuracy and fairness,” Cooke continued, but said that in view of Ghomeshi’s “extraordinary” statement on Facebook, “we now believe it is in the public interest to detail those allegations”. | “They were so explosive that to print them would have been irresponsible, and would have fallen far short of the Star’s standards of accuracy and fairness,” Cooke continued, but said that in view of Ghomeshi’s “extraordinary” statement on Facebook, “we now believe it is in the public interest to detail those allegations”. |
| Speaking to the Guardian, Cooke said that he wholeheartedly believed the women’s stories, and that the story as published on Sunday evening was, in his view, “ethically and legally bulletproof”. He said while there had been no sign that Ghomeshi planned to mount a legal challenge against the Star, it was “early days yet” and there was “a lot more to come”. | Speaking to the Guardian, Cooke said that he wholeheartedly believed the women’s stories, and that the story as published on Sunday evening was, in his view, “ethically and legally bulletproof”. He said while there had been no sign that Ghomeshi planned to mount a legal challenge against the Star, it was “early days yet” and there was “a lot more to come”. |
| Cooke said that there had been no contact between the Star and the CBC until Sunday evening, and that it was “the heart of the mystery” where the CBC was getting its information about Ghomeshi. Chuck Thompson, a spokesman for the CBC, said that “information came to our attention recently that in the CBC’s judgment precludes us from continuing our relationship with Jian Ghomeshi,” and he refused to be drawn on details of exactly when and how the CBC received its information. | Cooke said that there had been no contact between the Star and the CBC until Sunday evening, and that it was “the heart of the mystery” where the CBC was getting its information about Ghomeshi. Chuck Thompson, a spokesman for the CBC, said that “information came to our attention recently that in the CBC’s judgment precludes us from continuing our relationship with Jian Ghomeshi,” and he refused to be drawn on details of exactly when and how the CBC received its information. |
| Ghomeshi said in his Facebook post that he showed CBC “evidence that everything I have done has been consensual” on Thursday, but also that this “when the CBC decided to fire me”. | Ghomeshi said in his Facebook post that he showed CBC “evidence that everything I have done has been consensual” on Thursday, but also that this “when the CBC decided to fire me”. |
| Justin Beach, a commentator on Canadian affairs for the Huffington Post said in an article Monday: “I suspect, though I certainly have no evidence, that Ghomeshi’s statement was carefully constructed,” and pointed to Navigator’s involvement. Cooke, too, mentioned Navigator’s involvement, saying: “He took advice from the biggest news crisis consultant in Canada, and I imagine that they had the guiding hand on the Facebook post.” | Justin Beach, a commentator on Canadian affairs for the Huffington Post said in an article Monday: “I suspect, though I certainly have no evidence, that Ghomeshi’s statement was carefully constructed,” and pointed to Navigator’s involvement. Cooke, too, mentioned Navigator’s involvement, saying: “He took advice from the biggest news crisis consultant in Canada, and I imagine that they had the guiding hand on the Facebook post.” |
| Born in the UK, Ghomeshi, who was originally a musician, first rose to prominence in Canada as the presenter of a show called 50 Tracks, and co-created his radio show Q in 2007. | Born in the UK, Ghomeshi, who was originally a musician, first rose to prominence in Canada as the presenter of a show called 50 Tracks, and co-created his radio show Q in 2007. |
| “It’s a very sad story, he’s a brilliant broadcaster, he’s a beautiful man, he’s accomplished and he’s beloved,” Cooke said. “For him it’s a tragedy.” | “It’s a very sad story, he’s a brilliant broadcaster, he’s a beautiful man, he’s accomplished and he’s beloved,” Cooke said. “For him it’s a tragedy.” |
| If the allegations by the women were proved true, Cooke continued, “it’s a tragedy for them too.” | If the allegations by the women were proved true, Cooke continued, “it’s a tragedy for them too.” |