CNN doesn’t want any parts of Morgan Freeman and his attorney’s request to retract a story about his alleged sexual harassment. In a five-page legal response, CNN basically says, “We have you on camera!”
“CNN’s reporting shows that Mr. Freeman has a troubling habit of demeaning and sexualizing women, whether they encounter him professionally or work for him,” the letter read. “That is the gravamen of CNN’s reporting. It was accurate when reported by CNN. It remains accurate now.”
Robert M. Schwartz, Freeman’s attorney, says that CNN’s May 24 story, in which eight women alleged that they had been sexually harassed by Freeman, was essentially a hit piece. “It was the product of malicious intent, falsehoods, sleight of hand, an absence of editorial control, and journalistic malpractice,” Schwartz said.
But CNN is standing by its report and its journalists, specifically Chloe Melas, who reported that she had to endure Freeman turning into a dirty old man around them. At one point in the letter to Freeman and his attorney, CNN stated that they were being reckless:
Read the full CNN response to Freeman below: