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Update: Henderson Tells Why Freep Fired Him for 2 Off-Site Incidents
It seems longer than 10 weeks since The New York Times revealed sexual harassment allegations against studio mogul Harvey Weinstein dating back to 1990. The avalanche that triggered now sweeps up a prominent Detroiter -- Stephen Henderson, fired Friday by the Free Press for unspecified misbehavior with female colleagues.
His dramatic dismissal is an instant social media topic, naturally, among media members, news consumers and anyone eager to jump into hot-button discussions. Even without details about what he did, how often or with how many employees, just knowing he's booted for "inappropriate behavior" is enough for flying leaps of conjecture and condemnation.
A Deadline Detroit reader, commenting anonymously, calls him "this sexual predator." Characterizations in a Facebook thread with 58 comments include "pervert" and "abuser of women."
Even without details about what Stephen Henderson did, critics take flying leaps of conjecture and condemnation.
To be clear: There surely are solid, serious reasons why Henderson is dismissed. Executives at the Free Press and its owner investigated after a Detroit pastor alluded Oct. 6 to sexual harassment complaints about Henderson. His termination, based on "credible allegations," came nine days later.
So this is no defense of misconduct, whatever it was. Henderson is at fault, not a victim.
Women who were mistreated, in whatever ways, deserve respect for speaking up during the internal inquiry and earlier to Rev. W.J. Rideout III, via calls to his former radio talk show.
"This is a devastatingly sad day for us at the Free Press," editor Peter Bhatia said Friday. The newsroom leader, who came from Cincinnati less than four months ago, graciously saluted the departing 18-year employee as "a magnificent journalist and a treasured colleague who has done so much for Detroit."
Much remains unclear. That includes how and why inappropriate conduct "with female colleagues dating back several years," as the Freep describes it, went unreported and undetected -- or, possibly, unpunished.
It's also unknown what underlies this lawyerly corporate language in Friday's announcement: "Mr. Henderson’s behavior has been inconsistent with company values and standards."
Worst-case assumptions
The Freep and Gannett, its parent, have no obligation to be more specific publicly. "Out of respect for the privacy of the women involved and Stephen, we have no further details to share," Bhatia explained.
That's understandable, but it's an opening for worst-case assumptions. The fuzzy phrasing could cover suggestive remarks, inappropriate humor or more severe misconduct such as unwelcome touches or persistent contacts outside work. All are bad, but not necessarily equal in severity or harm.
Into the knowledge void charge people who already disliked Henderson for diverse reasons. He is, after all, an editorial writer, columnist and broadcast commentator.
So the Facebook pile-on with nearly five dozen comments includes remarks about his radio voice and tone ("arrogant," "rude"). At Reddit, he's called a "propaganda peddler" and "professional victim."
Dozen of reader comments at the Free Press and The Detroit News include many that are too crude, racist and nonsensical to mention.
Then there are predictable opportunists.
Kid Rock posts a payback shot for a Sept. 2 column in which Henderson wrote:
Having Kid Rock open this [Little Caesars] arena is erecting a sturdy middle finger to Detroiters. . . .
This is a musician who got rich off crass cultural appropriation of black music, who used to wrap his brand in the Confederate flag."
The performer tweets Friday afternoon, two hours after the news broke:
"You get what you put in, and people get what they deserve"https://t.co/dZ7TJCYXCo
— Kid Rock (@KidRock) December 15, 2017
His quote is a lyric from "Only God Knows Why," a song on his 1998 album, "Devil Without a Cause."
Also seizing a chance to lash out is Rev. Rideout, pastor of Our God's People Church on East Canfield Street in the Chandler Park area of Detroit.
'He'll do it anywhere'
In a phone interview Friday, he tells Metro Times that WDET should dump Henderson as a public affairs host each weekday morning. The flamboyant clergyman casts the Pulitzer winner as a threat to all women:
"What he’s done over there, he’ll do it anywhere. If you're a predator in one place, you'll be a predator somewhere else.
"If you’re a predator at the news you'll be a predator at the McDonalds. If I was a baby rapist, I don’t care about where I rape babies. I just go around raping babies."
While that can be disregarded as theatrical grandstanding, it throws more chum in the water and contributes to what seems like a they're-all-the-same response to near-daily news of sexual harassment cases in politics, entertainment, media and lower-profile industries.
We don't know -- and may never know -- if Stephen Henderson pestered women or "preyed" on them. What we do know is that he also harmed an until-now impressive career and just experienced "a devastatingly sad day," to use Peter Bhatia's words.
Some observers get that.
"I disagree with Henderson more often than not, but I respect the hell out of him as a brilliant journalist, and this is a bummer," a Redditor named Randy posts Friday.
At Facebook, David E. Rudolph of Detroit posts:
I need more details. I am in shock about it. I just don’t want to believe, but I know this is real and we all need to recognize what is happening in the workplace.
Yet social media expressions of compassion for this 47-year-old Detroit dad who wounded himself are taken as a blind defense. I put myself in the bull's-eye by pushing back against gloating over this professional's fall, even though his own missteps are to blame. Cue the outrage:
"You neglected to mention his victims, Mr. Stamm. Thus your credibility is nil. . . .
"You blow off the women involved with no consideration at all for their suffering. Shame on you! They had to work for that man.
"Good God are some men still this BLIND????? . . . You are a joke."
And at Reddit, where I say a "good riddance" comment is "deliberately nasty," this is among responses:
This response will be hilarious when it comes out that he is an abuser of women.
In truth, nothing is -- or could be -- hilarious about this situation and the many others like it.
