US anchorwomen sue network over age and gender discrimination

Amanda Farinacci has been in her job since 2000 — but there’s a disgusting reason why she’s been “intentionally marginalised” at work.

News anchor Amanda Farinacci is a three-time Emmy nominee with almost 20 years of experience under her belt.

But sadly, she believes that very experience is holding her back in the career she loves.

The 40-year-old is one of five high-profile female journalists from New York who are suing their employer over age and gender discrimination.

The women are taking action against their news channel, New York One, which is run by Charter Communications Inc, claiming they have been “treated like second-class citizens for years”.

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They include 61-year-old Roma Torre, 50-year-old Kristen Shaughnessy, 49-year-old Janine Ramirez, 44-year-old Vivian Lee, and Ms Farinacci, the youngest of the group.

The women have “more than 100 years of collective experience as anchors and reporters” between them — although they claim managers have intentionally tried to force them off air and instead promote younger employees.

The group is being represented by high-profile employment lawyer Douglas Wigdor, who previously represented a maid who accused ex International Monetary Fund boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault.

Amanda Farinacci is only 40, but she says she has experienced age and gender discrimination. Picture: Twitter/Amanda Farinacci

In an open letter shared by Mr Wigdor, the women explained they launched legal action as they felt they had “simply been left with no choice”.

“ … We cannot and will not sit idly by while we are cast aside and our complaints of mistreatment are ignored,” the letter reads.

“While we have poured our hearts and souls into our work, our respective careers have recently taken a sharp decline as we have been confronted with the stark reality of gender discrimination and ageism.

“This is hardly a new phenomenon in the news media, and we are not alone.”

The five said they were fighting for “any woman who has reached a certain age and has been intentionally marginalised, passed-over and deemed less relevant because of her age”.

They also called out the industry’s double standards that allowed men to enjoy decades-long careers while their female co-workers were forced out.

“In this 21st century, we should be long past the double-standard that allows men to age with gravitas while women are saddled with an expiration date,” their letter continues.

“Women in media should be celebrated for their diversity of experience and wisdom. We should be long past the days that women of a certain age are deemed expendable.”

In an interview with New York Times reporter Michael M Grynbaum, the women claimed their employer had “reduced their airtime and anchoring slots, excluded them from promotional campaigns and consistently ignored their concerns” over several years.

Clockwise from top left: Roma Torre, Vivian Lee, Amanda Farinacci, Janine Ramirez and Kristen Shaughnessy. Picture: Supplied

Ms Lee told the publication the feeling of being “edged out” was “really heartbreaking”, while Ms Farinacci said the discrimination was “career-ending”.

“It’s always there as a woman,” she told the Times.

“How much longer do I have? Where am I going?”

In a statement sent to news.com.au, Mr Wigdor said his five clients had “clearly been told that their careers are over, as NY1 seems to believe that younger faces, when it comes to women, are a ‘better look’ for the bottom line”.

“We will hold NY1 accountable for their blatant ageist and sexist views and intend to send a message across all media that this epidemic of discrimination toward older women must come to an end,” he said.

Meanwhile, Charter said in a statement more than half of its NY1 on-air talent were over 40 and more than half were female.

“We take these allegations seriously, and as we complete our thorough review, we have not found any merit to them,” Charter said in its statement.

“NY1 is a respectful and fair workplace, and we’re committed to providing a work environment in which all our employees are valued and empowered.”

The women invited the public to follow their story on Twitter at @UnseenWomenOnTV or to join the conversation using the #BroadcastWomen hashtag.

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