According to the New York Post, a clash with CBS co-president Neeraj Khemlani has resulted in London Bureau Chief Andy Clarke, a 38-year CBS veteran stepping down from his position.
The report states that Clark was in disagreement with Khemlani over budget cuts. The breaking point for Clark came when Khemlani initially refused to pay cash to extradite Afghan journalists and fixers.
Last year, these fixers and journalists worked for CBS News when President Biden instructed US troops to pull out of Afghanistan. Eventually, Clarke won a stalemate and persuaded Khemlani to spend and send the Afghan staffers to Canada.
“There have been no cuts to resources or requests denied out of Afghanistan. We are in investment mode,” a CBS News rep told the Post. Nonetheless, a source told the Post claims that the endless fighting with Khemlani pushed Clarke over the edge.
“Andy didn’t want to leave CBS, but emotionally, he couldn’t afford to stay,” a source said. “It’s devastating for the network,” another source said. “Andy Clarke was the type of professional who made the most of the limited resources that were available by CBS to cover the world.”
Clarke’s final day at CBS is March 25, and he alluded to the Afghan concern in a note to staffers last week.
“I held on through Christmas as I wanted to make sure our Afghan colleagues would make it to Canada, and that is guaranteed to happen in the next few weeks,” Clarke wrote.
“It’s been a largely enjoyable 38 years; for many, I was privileged enough to have a front-row seat helping to write the first draft of history.”
Eduardo Razo is the Assistant Content Editor for BNM, which includes writing daily news stories on the news media industry. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at eddie1991razo@gmail.com.
