Former Editorial Head of FADER and Noisey Accused of Sexual Misconduct in New Report
Note: This article contains descriptions of alleged abuse that some readers may find disturbing.
On Monday, November 4, Eric Sundermann was let go from his position as Head of Content at The FADER following sexual misconduct allegations brought against him by former colleagues. Now, in a new report by Jezebel, 11 of Sundermann’s former co-workers have anonymously detailed those allegations, which include sexual harassment and coercion. In addition to Sundermann’s alleged behavior, Jezebel’s sources claim that both The FADER and Sundermann’s former employer Vice (he joined digital music vertical Noisey in 2013) neglected to address allegations of sexual misconduct when raised by staff members in the past.
The FADER’s termination of Sundermann came two days after former music journalist Lauren Nostro published a tweet accusing Sundermann of sexual misconduct. Nostro also tweeted that 18 different women sent her direct messages on Twitter pertaining to Sundermann’s alleged history of sexual misconduct.
The anonymous sources who spoke with Jezebel accused Sundermann of repeatedly groping female colleagues at work-related events, plying young female writers with alcohol and pressuring them into sexual acts, forcing himself into cabs with women who were intoxicated, and blacklisting women who protested his alleged behavior.
Sources said several Vice employees planned to confront Sundermann publicly in early 2018, but they were allegedly thwarted by HR, who assured them an investigation was in progress. That was the last the employees heard of the investigation. Vice has yet to comment on Jezebel’s report.
Sundermann was subsequently brought on by The FADER in December 2018. Sources told Jezebel that he exhibited similar behavior from his tenure at Vice during work functions where coworkers allegedly had to “[pull] Sundermann off employees.”
“When Eric was hired by FADER,” a spokesperson told Jezebel, “due diligence was conducted, including a check of references. Nothing we heard from anyone as part of that diligence process corroborated any rumor and we hired Eric with no basis to believe there would be any issues with his behavior or compliance with our policies.”
Pitchfork has reached out to Sundermann, FADER president and publisher Andy Cohn, and Vice representatives for comment. The FADER representatives offered Pitchfork no additional comment.
Read the full report via Jezebel.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
