Barbara Fedida was the Senior Vice President for Talent and Business of ABC News. On July 20, 2020, after being temporarily placed on administrative leave while the network conducted an investigation, ABC fired Fadida for racist and unprofessional conduct.
Early life
Fedida was born in Queens, New York and studied Journalism and Politics at New York University, graduating in 1988. She began her career at CBS as a broadcast assistant, first working on West 57th between 1988 and 1989. She then left the network to join ABC News where she has continued to date.
Tensions at ABC reportedly rose in 2016, after a letter was written to ABC News President James Goldston by journalists requesting reforms to improve the treatment of black candidates in hiring decisions. Fedida became aware of the letter and HuffPost sources described the subsequent meeting she attended with Goldston and the group as "tense". The company in February 2017 decided not to renew the contract of Mara Schiavocampo, one of the employees who had raised the issue with management. She was reportedly not informed of the decision at the time, and was only notified in July 2017 at which point she was also taken off the air for the remainder of her contract through to 2018. She reportedly accused Fedida of "racial discrimination", but later agreed a financial settlement including "a nondisclosure and non disparagement agreement." In 2018, when Robin Roberts of Good Morning America sought out a pay increase for her work on the show. A source states that "Fedida then asked what more Roberts could want and said it wasn't as if the network was asking Roberts to 'pick cotton.'" On the 11 June Black journalists again expressed frustration with Goldston and Fedida towards the network's coverage of the death of George Floyd, as well as the treatment of black candidates in hiring decisions. In 2020 Goldston placed Fedida, who first joined the company in 1989, on "administrative leave" after a HuffPost report which alleged an "extensive history" of "insensitive and racist remarks." She was reportedly serving as "a deputy" to Goldston in her role which was continued from the previous leadership of Ben Sherwood. She was reportedly "tasked with being an enforcer" to take on "all of the difficult issues he doesn’t want to handle." She had reportedly had a "long pattern of insensitive statements, including racist comments" and was subject to many HR complaints including an investigation in 2016 that staffers reportedly were "stunned" at when it did not lead to Fedida's dismissal. In response to her June 2020 suspension Fedida released a statement through her attorney describing the accusations as "heartbreaking and incredibly misleading" On July 20, 2020, it was announced that due to Fedida's numerous racially insensitive remarks, her employment at ABC News had ended.
