A television channel in Colombia removes two presenters following sexual harassment complaints

Bogotá .- The Colombian channel Caracol Televisión removed Colombian journalists and presenters Jorge Alfredo Vargas and Ricardo Orrego this Tuesday, following the allegations of alleged sexual harassment revealed last Friday by that media outlet. «We have decided to end the employment relationship with Mr. Ricardo Orrego and the employment contract with Mr. Jorge Alfredo Vargas has been terminated by mutual agreement. These decisions do not constitute a value judgment on the reported facts, nor do they imply a conclusion on individual responsibilities», Caracol Televisión stated today in a statement. The Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation this Tuesday into the allegations of alleged sexual harassment in the media and enabled an official channel to receive testimonies from possible victims in the face of the controversy generated in the journalistic sector in recent days. The investigations began after reports published last week on social media and in the media, after Caracol Televisión reported on Friday that it is investigating allegations against “two journalists and presenters for alleged sexual harassment.” We recommend reading:

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Decisions come after several days of public denunciations that have shaken Colombian journalism. On Saturday, more than 40 female journalists signed a letter in which they revealed a pattern of silencing in the face of gender-based violence and called for guarantees for those who decide to speak. In that sense, Caracol Televisión stated that its decision to withdraw the journalists responds “to the need to protect the integrity of all people involved and their families, to ensure that investigations can be carried out with full independence and to preserve the trust that society places” in the channel. «To those who have spoken out, we express our respect and recognition. We know that doing so is not easy. This process is aimed at listening to them, accompanying them, and ensuring that each testimony is treated with the seriousness, care, and confidentiality it deserves,» added the information. You can also read: In parallel, testimonies have emerged from journalists who publish inappropriate behavior within media outlets, which has reignited the debate on the effectiveness of internal mechanisms and the conditions for reporting in the sector.