DC Entertainment has released a statement on workplace discrimination and harassment in the wake of charges of sexism surrounding the departure of Vertigo VP-Executive Editor Shelly Bond. Bond’s position has been eliminated and she is leaving DC, according to a DC announcement on April 21 (see “Shelly Bond Out at Vertigo”). That news prompted former DC Associate Editor Janelle Asselin to take to Twitter to charge that she had filed a sexual harassment claim against DC Group Editor Eddie Berganza in 2010, and that she’d left in 2011 because Berganza had been promoted despite her claim. Asselin tied the two together, writing “the fact that DC can find reason to fire Shelly Bond and reason to keep Berganza employed is trash.”
On Monday, three-and-a-half weeks after the ensuing Twitterstorm, DC released a general statement on the topic. "DC Entertainment strives to foster a culture of inclusion, fairness and respect,” it said. “While we cannot comment on specific personnel matters, DC takes allegations of discrimination and harassment very seriously, promptly investigates reports of misconduct and disciplines those who violate our standards and policies. As part of our ongoing effort to provide an equitable working environment, we are reviewing our policies, expanding employee training on the topic and working with internal and external resources to ensure that these policies and procedures are respected and reinforced across the company."
The delay between the charges and the response, and the fact that the response is a general statement rather than specifically addressing the public linkage of the Bond and Berganza situations, mean that the statement is unlikely to satisfy critics. But at least there’s some indication that DC is beginning to take steps to address the situation, both in a substantive and a public relations sense.