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Isaac Lee | Univision Univision formalizes indemnity policy in response to concerns from Gawker staffers By Peter Sterne By | 09/15/16 04:36 PM EDT

Univision chief news, entertainment and digital officer Isaac Lee plans to send an email later this afternoon to employees promising to defend them if they are sued in the course of their jobs, POLITICO has learned.

“The Company covers the legal fees and judgments that are incurred by employees (if they are sued individually) for the journalism they produce for us within the scope of their duties,” reads a copy of the email obtained by POLITICO. “This indemnification practice is subject to customary exceptions such as any dishonest, fraudulent or criminal act or omission, or any intentional or knowing violation of the law or company policies.”

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The email serves to formalize Univision’s already-existing policy of indemnifying employees.

It’s a response to concerns from writers and editors at Gawker Media sites, which became part of Univision's digital media division Fusion Media Group last Friday. Gawker employees criticized Univision for not including specific language about indemnification in their offer letters. The Gawker writers are represented by the Writer Guild of America-East union; their collective bargaining agreement does not include an explicit indemnification clause either.

Lee, who oversees Fusion Media Group, told Gawker staff earlier this week that Univision carries indemnity insurance and defends its employees against lawsuits as a matter of practice. Univision is currently providing legal defense for a number of its journalists who work at local affiliates in Dallas and Houston. The journalists were sued for defamation after airing critical segments about local immigration attorneys.

Read the full email below:

Colleagues,

I wanted to take a moment to reiterate the company's indemnification practice for all of our editorial employees. The Company covers the legal fees and judgments that are incurred by employees (if they are sued individually) for the journalism they produce for us within the scope of their duties.

This indemnification practice is subject to customary exceptions such as any dishonest, fraudulent or criminal act or omission, or any intentional or knowing violation of the law or company policies.

UCI has and will continue to follow this practice because it is our responsibility to protect our journalists for the work that we hire them to do. At the same time, we expect our employees to conduct their journalism in such a way that we are proud to defend their work if challenged. If you have questions regarding the policies or guidelines applicable to your specific duties, reach out to your manager and the legal team for your division. The policy and guidelines of your specific division govern how you conduct your duties.

Let’s continue to deliver journalism to our audience in the fearless and rigorous manner our audience expects from us.

Isaac Lee

