Complete Story
12/07/2017
Post-Lauer firing, OU Scripps College, journalism school move to protect interns
Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communications and the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism responded last week to the news of alum Matt Lauer being fired from NBC’s “Today” show with condemnations of Lauer’s alleged sexual misconduct, and announced efforts to better protect student interns in the future.
The latter effort is especially significant because one of the most prominent internship programs offered by the Scripps College is with “Today.” Lauer was “instrumental” in helping develop that internship program, an OU spokesperson said last week.
More than 60 students have interned at “Today” since the program’s inception in 2000, OU spokesperson Carly Leatherwood said last week. Four students are still set to travel to New York in January for the spring semester internship cycle, she said.
Scripps College of Communication Dean Scott Titsworth sent a letter to college staff Friday morning noting that he’s working with OU’s Office for Equity and Civil Rights Compliance to reach out to current and former interns with the “Today” to provide assistance in case they had experienced abuse while on the job.
“I have been in contact with Sara Trower in Equity and Civil Rights Compliance,” Titsworth wrote. “She and I are drafting a message that will be sent to current ‘Today Show’ interns as well as past interns letting them know that Ohio University stands ready to assist them if needed. That message will go out soon, although we will need to do some data mining to obtain contact information for many of the alumni of that program.
“Additionally,” he continued, “Sara and I will work with others in the college to develop briefing materials for future interns. Our hope is to make students aware of resources available to them from Ohio University should they encounter problematic behaviors while on internship assignments.”
Bob Stewart, director of OU’s Scripps School of Journalism, said that because of Lauer’s alleged misconduct, some people have questioned how safe interns were while at the “Today” show.
