Journalism School Yanks Charlie Rose's Achievement Award

A top New York City university has rescinded the lifetime achievement award it presented to shamed TV journalist Charlie Rose.

The decision to pull the honor from The City University of New York's graduate school of journalism comes in the wake of a sexual harassment expose that resulted in his firing by CBS and PBS.

"Our decision to revoke our award comes with the overwhelming support of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni," CUNY dean Sarah Bartlett and associate dean Andrew Mendelson said in a statement.

"We are acting not just to condemn his behavior, which is unconscionable and violates the ethical standards we hold sacred as journalists.

"We are also making a statement regarding the larger cultural forces that discourage women from coming forward with legitimate complaints in the first place and that have prevented them from succeeding as journalists in the longer run."

Last month, Rose, one of the most recognized newsmen on television, was canned by CBS-TV from "CBS This Morning" and "60 Minutes," after the Washington Post reported that eight women had accused him of "unwanted sexual advances."

In addition, PBS cancelled his long-running late-night talk show.

Among the complaints revealed in The Post's article were that Rose groped young female assistants and repeatedly walked nude in front of one as she worked in his New York City home.

"Rose's lifetime achievements were made possible, in part, by the contributions of the very women he reportedly abused," Bartlett and Mendelson said in their statement.

"It is not possible to separate what was viewed as his excellent journalism from his behavior toward these women. And it would be wrong for us to allow him to keep his award in that light."

When confronted by The Post as it prepared its expose, the 75-year-old newsman said he was "deeply" apologetic for his "inappropriate behavior."

"I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken," Rose told The Post.

Similar awards presented to Rose by Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the University of Kansas' School of Journalism have also been pulled.