Christianity Today publishes a shocking exposé – about itself
Christianity Today published a lengthy investigative report on sexual harassment allegations made by a number of women against two ministry leaders at the publication's office that went unchecked for years.
The publication reported Thursday that complaints against former editor in chief Mark Galli and former advertising director Olatokunbo Olawoye were not looked into and neither was disciplined, according to an external assessment released Tuesday that found the ministry's culture was “inhospitable to women."
“We want to practice the transparency and accountability we preach,” said CT president Timothy Dalrymple. “It’s imperative we be above reproach on these matters. If we’re falling short of what love requires of us, we want to know, and we want to do better.”
The CT news editor interviewed more than two dozen current and former employees for a separate report, which found 12 firsthand accounts of sexual harassment, including inappropriate touching and sexual comments made by men with authority over women's careers.
More than half a dozen employees reported harassment by Galli or Olawoye to management or human resources but neither leader was reprimanded or even formally warned that their conduct was inappropriate.
“The culture when I was there was to protect the institution at all costs,” said Amy Jackson, an associate publisher who left in 2018 due to the work environment. “No one was ever held accountable. Mark Galli was certainly protected.”
Galli allegedly told staffers that he liked to watch female golfers bend over, which he denied but admitted that he probably referred to women golfing as "eye candy," and some employees said that he would make banal statements about gender and then ask women if they planned to report him -- which some women found to have a "chilling effect."
Olawoye allegedly went into one woman's office, commented on her appearance, complained about his own marriage and placed his hand on her leg, but the employee said she was afraid to report the offense to HR.
“My whole body tensed up and I wanted to throw up,” one woman recalled. “I was just like, ‘Uh, uh, uh, I don’t want to be your friend. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to talk to this person alone ever again.’”
One manager, a man, filed a complaint against Olawoye for asking a college intern inappropriate questions, and he told CT that Olawoye stormed into his office and demanded an apology, while another woman who complained that Olawoye was staring at her breasts said HR advised her to wear a scarf.
Olawoye was arrested in 2017 in a federal sting operation and pleaded guilty to attempting to pay for sex with a teenage girl, and Galli told the editorial department he oversaw that he could understand how an adult man would be tempted to do that.
Two women who worked for him questioned his comments, and both said Galli later touched them inappropriately.
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