Vice created ‘degrading, uncomfortable’ culture of harassment, employees claim

More than 100 former and current employees of Vice said the media company fostered a "degrading" and "uncomfortable" workplace.

Several women spoke to the New York Times about how they felt they would be punished professionally if they rejected their bosses sexual advances at the millennial-focused global media company — and many agreed that their complaints were downplayed by executives.

"There is a toxic environment where men can say the most disgusting things, joke about sex openly, and overall a toxic environment where women are treated far inferior than men," Sandra Miller, the former head of branded production at Vice from 2014 to 2016, told The Times.

Founder Shane Smith, who once told the Financial Times in 2012 that in his early days he would be at a "party and would just want to get wasted, take coke and have sex with girls in the bathroom," issued a statement along with co-founder Suroosh Alvi admitting to running the company improperly.

'Weinstein Effect' brings drastic drop in boozy office parties

The pair said "from the top down, we have failed as a company to create a safe and inclusive workplace where everyone, especially women, can feel respected and thrive," adding things "happened on our watch and ultimately we let far too many people down. We are truly sorry for this." They shared even more detailed statements to employees.

Multiple settlements have been doled out for the nearly $6 billion brand over the years, including one in 2016 involving Vice's president Andrew Creighton.

The 45-year-old paid $135,000 to a former employee, who claimed she was fired for rejecting an intimate relationship with him.

Employees told The Times it was not uncommon for employees to have relationships with their supervisors, which led to many problems.

In recent months, Vice has formed a Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board featuring feminist icon Gloria Steinem and hired a new head of human resources. Romantic relationships between supervisors and employees are now forbidden.

Creighton, who is still employed by Vice, was not the only man to be involved in a settlement for the company. And many of the allegations made to The New York Times centered on men in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

"The misogyny might look different than you would have expected it to in the 1950s, but it was still there, it was still ingrained," journalist Kayla Ruble, who worked at Vice from 2014 to 2016, said. "This is a wakeup call."

Earlier this year, Vice reached another settlement with former employee Martina Veltroni, who said she faced retaliation after ending a sexual relationship with a supervisor, Jason Mojica. Mojica, the former head of Vice News, was fired last month.

Former Journalist Joanna Fuertes-Knight, who is multiethnic, was paid $24,000 by Vice in January after she claimed she was victim of sexual harassment, racial and gender discrimination and bullying in the company's London office. One of the subjects of Fuertes-Knight's claims was Vice producer Rhys James, who reportedly made sexist and racist comments toward her such as asking about the color of her nipples and if she slept with black men, according to The Times.

James was placed on leave in late November.

A freelance writer named Jessica Hopper, who interviewed the rapper Murs, was asked by him if she would have sex with him. She said no and included the response in her article, but editors at Vice changed it to say she said "yes" — making the headline "I Got Laid But Murs Didn't."

Hopper reached a settlement in 2003 over the defamation claims.

"The editor of the piece at that time has not been with the company in a decade," Vice said in a statement. "Ms. Hopper was right to call us on our conduct at the time, and we are still ashamed of it.''

Though at least four settlements were reiterated to The Times, the company said that over its 23-year history they have only made "few settlements."

Despite the settlements, many women still felt victim or harassment — including at least two episodes with Vice's chief digital officer Mike Germano, who founded Carrot Creative. One woman claimed at a party for Carrot, he pulled her onto his lap and another woman said Germano told her he didn't want to hire her because he wanted to have sex with her.

Kate Goss, who claimed a supervisor grabbed her crotch while on the Wonder Wheel at Coney Island for a company event, reported the incident to HR and was told "there needed to be multiple incidents in order for her to take action against the other employee."

After the Times published its piece on Saturday, countless women took to social media to reveal they too were faced with inappropriate behavior at the company.

"Legitimately the worst 'professional' experience I've had in 'New York media' thus far was at VICE," Lauren Nostro wrote. "Sending love to everyone who spoke up for this piece."

"Worked at Vice for a year," another woman added. "Never before have I seen such a dysfunctional workplace. Wonder what couldn't make it into the story, tbh."

Former Vice social media editor Helena Donahue said the company took a year of her life away from her.

"I quit journalism. I quit writing. A world like this was not safe for me," she wrote on Twitter Saturday. "I felt like I was under water every day and no one could hear me scream, or they looked away. And—as my ex-colleagues know—I quite literally screamed about it. A lot."