Public broadcasting company PBS announced this week that it shuttered its office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Two DEI executives were fired and the department was wiped out after journalist Bari Weiss published in The Free Press that the company was ignoring President Donald Trump’s executive order directing companies to do away with DEI initiatives.
Reportedly, PBS CEO Paula Kerger informed staff of the changes via email. The email stated that Cecilia Loving, senior vice president of DEI, and Gina Leow, director of DEI, would be parting ways with the company (via the New York Post):
In the email, Kerger explained that the departures were necessary in order to adhere to Trump’s executive order from Jan. 20, which mandates the elimination of DEI-focused positions and funding in federally supported organizations.
“I know you join me in wishing them well in their future endeavors,” Kerger wrote.
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Earlier in the day, PBS had been contacted by the Free Press regarding a tip from a senior network executive who claimed that PBS had originally planned to reassign Loving and Leow to the station services department in an attempt to bypass the executive order.
“The people at PBS are very attached to DEI,” the source told the Free Press.
“Rather than making necessary adjustments to ensure the network’s sustainability, they were trying to move things around to circumvent the executive order.”
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In a statement to The Free Press, PBS confirmed that it would comply with Trump’s order by closing down its DEI office.
“In order to best ensure we are in compliance with the President’s executive order around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion we have closed our DEI office,” a statement said. “The staff members who served in that office are leaving PBS.”
“We will continue to adhere to our mission and values. PBS will continue to reflect all of America and remain a welcoming place for everyone,” they added.
Trump’s executive order was signed on his first day in office.
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