Tuoi Tre requests police investigation into rape allegation against own journalist
Tuesday, April 24, 2018, 16:37 GMT+7
Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper has asked police to investigate a rape accusation against one of its journalists and accepted the man’s resignation as head of the paper’s television department.
Dang Anh Tuan, also known by his pen name Anh Thoa, was accused of rape by a female contributor at Tuoi Tre who worked under his supervision.
A contributor works his/her way up over the time to become a full-time reporter at the newspaper as a rule.
The paper’s editorial board received her letter denouncing Tuan on April 19 and immediately suspended the man from all duties while an internal investigation was launched into the accusation.
The same evening, Tuoi Tre published an article on its Vietnamese-language online edition informing readers of Tuan’s suspension, promising a fair probe into the allegation.
Rumor that the woman had been admitted to hospital following a failed suicide attempt was also found to be untrue, as she had been hospitalized over exhaustion.
On April 20, a meeting was held among Tuoi Tre’s editorial board, the accuser and her alleged rapist to hear statements from both sides.
The next day, April 21, Tuan submitted a letter of resignation from his post as head of Tuoi Tre TV, a department responsible for producing videos for sale and the newspaper’s digital platforms.
While denying all allegations against him, Tuan said he had to take responsibility for allowing such a scandal to happen under his supervision.
“Whether the accusation is true or false, I’ve still failed to fulfill my duty as the department head,” Tuan wrote in his resignation letter.
In an article published the same afternoon, Tuoi Tre’s editorial board said it had accepted Tuan’s resignation and requested police investigation into the allegation against its journalist, after finding claims from both sides to be conflicting with each other.
Both Tuan and his accuser have agreed to let authorities take over the investigation to find justice.
As their employer, Tuoi Tre pledges to work closely with police officers and relevant agencies in upcoming probes in the spirit of upholding justice and protecting the safety and dignity of its employees.
The editorial board wishes to extend their sincere apologies to readers of Tuoi Tre for the upsetting event and hopes for continued support from the valued readers.
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