- Two universities have stripped Charlie Rose of journalism awards after the recent allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him by several women.
- The "unprecedented" move was made with the "utmost seriousness and deliberation," an official at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism said.
- The nullification follows a series of accusations from women who allege Rose engaged in lewd and inappropriate behavior spanning several years.
Two university journalism programs on Friday stripped renowned journalist and former TV host Charlie Rose of awards following the numerous sexual harassment allegations against Rose that have emerged in recent days.
His Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism award was rescinded by Arizona State University on Friday. A second award from the William Allen White Foundation at the University of Kansas was also recalled.
"This unprecedented action is taken with the utmost seriousness and deliberation," said a statement from Christopher Callahan, Dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. "The idea of 'taking back' a Cronkite Award is so foreign that the possibility was never even considered when the award was first created."
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"We give the award each year based on the knowledge we have of a recipient at that time," Callahan's statement continued. "When new information about a recipient surfaces, the question we ask is not whether the award would be given again with a new set of facts, but whether the transgressions are so egregious that they demand nothing less than a reversal of history."
Rose received the award in 2015, after a career that spanned several decades. He held what was widely viewed as an untarnished reputation in the industry until eight women who previously worked, or were interviewed by, Rose alleged he had engaged in lewd and inappropriate behavior.
Following the damaging allegations, Rose was fired by CBS News and PBS.
"I am greatly embarrassed," a statement from Rose said Monday. "I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken."
The annual award is given to a "leading figure in journalism." Recipients include distinguished journalists, such as PBS NewsHour co-anchors and managing editors Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill, who died last year; NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw; and World News anchor Diane Sawyer.
Read the full statement from the here: