The New York Times and Wall Street Journal were looking into Les Moonves sexual harassment allegations last December

The New York Times

The Times says the CBS CEO was "reckless" in starting a civil war against Shari Redstone, the CBS board member and vice chairwoman, who reportedly asked him point-blank about the allegations a while back. "CBS’s board knew — or should have known — about potential problems with Mr. Moonves’s past behavior long before the news broke last week," reports The Times' James B. Stewart. "Rumors had proliferated almost immediately after The New York Times and The New Yorker published their prizewinning exposés of the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in October. They intensified after Charlie Rose, a host of CBS This Morning, was fired in November. By December, CBS executives had been told that reporters for The Times and The Wall Street Journal were asking around about sexual-harassment allegations involving Mr. Moonves, according to a person close to CBS. By early this year, CBS officials had spoken to a number of reporters about the allegations, this person said." When The Times and The Journal didn't follow through with articles, Moonves may have been given a false sense of security.

ALSO:

• CBS board could vote on Moonves' fate if more women come forward accusing him of sexual harassment
• Last month, Shari Redstone requested that CBS appoint outside counsel to investigate "alleged harassment, bullying and favoritism involving CBS upper management"