BishopAccountability.org
	CNN's Roberts Speaks about Disclosure of Sexual Abuse As a Teen By Mark A. Perigard Boston Herald [United States] April 12, 2007 http://theedge.bostonherald.com/tvNews/view.bg?articleid=194398&srvc=home Last month, Thomas Roberts made the most difficult decision of his life. The CNN Headline News Anchor revealed to millions of viewers that he had been sexually abused by a Catholic priest when he was a teenager. Roberts feared the fallout. He worried about losing his career. Since his admission on "Anderson Cooper 360," Roberts says he's been flooded with viewer response - nearly all positive. "Since the special aired, the response has been overwhelming supportive and kind and compassionate. There have been some detractors - they will come out of the woodwork - but overall, it has been amazing," he said. A few did accuse him of seeking publicity to further his career. "That couldn't be further from the truth. My fear was losing my job or stifling my career. To have that much attention on such a deeply felt and intransigent secret was hard, but I really felt it was going to do more good than harm." Roberts' abuser, Father Jeff Toohey, pleaded guilty to abusing him and was sentenced to five years in prison. All but 18 months of his sentence was suspended. Toohey served 10 months and was then released to home detention. Roberts said the decision to go public was not an easy one. But after a few years in therapy and the support of his family, he decided the time was right to talk about what he had suffered. "I had great anxiety about going down this road and agreeing to this special. I kind of went back and forth. It's the fear of the unknown. I didn't know how people would respond." Ultimately, he came to believe that "this is going to actually do much good than harm now. I can't give it the power to harm me any more." It's a difficult enough thing for a man to admit being a survivor of sexual abuse; it's another thing for a news anchor who is watched by millions to do so. "For the remainder of my career, I will always have to wonder, but I don't think I would want to work with someone who would have a problem . . . If somebody looked down upon for me that, that is their problem, not mine," he said. Despite what he suffered, Roberts say he still maintains his belief in God. "I feel very strongly to lose my faith would be to lose too much," he said. Nor does he regret telling his story. "Anderson and the team did a fantastic job on a sensitive story, and it was not a pretty story to tell," he said. Contact: mperigard@bostonherald.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.