LONDON: A number of Al Jazeera employees claim to have been sexually assaulted and bullied within the workplace, an investigation published on Monday by the BBC has revealed.
The probe highlighted what staff alleged to be a toxic work culture within the Qatar-based broadcaster with former and current workers saying they had faced harassment for years.
According to the report, former Al Jazeera presenter and journalist Kamahl Santamaria was accused of inappropriate behavior by several members of staff.
Santamaria spent 16 years at Al Jazeera before joining the New Zealand television network TVNZ as a top broadcaster, where he lasted only 32 days before quitting.
Some of those questioned pointed out the discrepancy between Santamaria’s resignation from Al Jazeera and his quick departure from TVNZ, which was allegedly spurred by an onslaught of complaints.
In a public statement issued last week on his website, the presenter acknowledged part of the allegations adding that some of them were “true, some missing crucial context, some outright lies, and a rewriting of history.”
However, in response to the latest claims, Santamaria admitted to and apologized for, “behavior that may have made anyone feel uncomfortable,” and added that what he previously thought was “flirtatious, over-friendly, just a bit of banter, or simply within the bounds of acceptable in the prevailing newsroom culture was, in fact, not.”
According to staff, the presenter made sexual remarks and sent flirty texts to colleagues on Twitter, WhatsApp, and internal Al Jazeera email.
He was also accused of inappropriate touching and undesired kissing in front of eyewitnesses on more than one occasion.
One worker said: “Then came the touching in the office. A hand on the shoulder, a weird hug, and the worst: The kiss on the cheek. On more than one occasion I had to go to the bathroom to wipe Kamahl’s saliva from my face.”
The BBC’s investigations also revealed that a number of allegations were made toward other members of staff including mid-senior managers, but they remained largely unaddressed. A total of 22 claims were found to have been made.
Al Jazeera said that it, “considers its staff across the world the backbone and foundation of the company – their safety and wellbeing are of utmost importance.
“As an international organization with over 95 nationalities, we continually strive to build a healthy and constructive work environment for all.”
The BBC reported that although Al Jazeera had been made aware of the complaints privately, no action had yet been taken, adding that it had also received reports of harassment in Al Jazeera’s London newsroom.
Some workers claimed the incidents often went unpunished due to a culture of fear within the company.
A member of staff who freelanced for Al Jazeera for several years said she reported Santamaria years ago and was shocked to discover that no action had been taken. “I had reported him six years ago, and nothing was done. How many more people did he do this to since then?”
The woman did not formally file a complaint, but claimed that when she told a mid-level manager about what had happened, they replied, “oh, he’s not still doing that, is he?”
Those interviewed claimed that several members of staff had left the media organization because of the “toxic workplace culture.”
David, a former employee who revealed he had resigned as a result of bullying and harassment, said: “People are angry about all sorts of things, and they don’t feel they can speak out in Al Jazeera and in Qatar.”
