This 1999 photo provided by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences shows Henry "Hank" Rieger, left, with Tom Sarnoff, former presidents of the Television Academy, at Rieger's retirement ceremony in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Craig Mathew)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
Family members say the former president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has died in Oceanside, Calif.
Henry "Hank" Rieger was 95. He died on Wednesday.
In his 40 years with the TV academy, Rieger also served as president of the organization's Hollywood chapter and editor and publisher of Emmy magazine.
Before joining the TV academy, Rieger worked for United Press International and in publicity for NBC, promoting such series as "Bonanza," ''Star Trek" and "Sanford and Son." He later started his own publicity firm, which counted ESPN among its clients.
In 1994, Rieger was honored with the TV academy's Syd Cassyd Award for his long and distinguished service to the organization.
Rieger's wife of 65 years, Deborah, died last year.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during the tech giant's Connect developer conference in Menlo Park, Calif., Sept. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)
Joining companies such as John Deere and Walmart, Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is getting rid of its diversity, equity and inclusion program that includes hiring, training and picking vendors, a company spokesperson confirmed on Friday.
The move, which was first reported by Axios, comes on the heels of the social media giant's decision to end its third-party fact-checking program and scale back policies on hate speech and abuse.
Citing an internal memo sent to employees, Axios said the Menlo Park, California-based tech giant said the U.S. Supreme Court "has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI. … The term 'DEI' has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others."
In practice, this means Meta will no longer have a team focused on diversity and inclusion and the company said it will instead "focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background."
The company will also end its "diverse slate approach" to hiring, which meant that a diverse pool of candidates was considered for every open position.
Other companies that have ended DEI programs recently include McDonald's, automaker Ford, Walmart and farm equipment maker John Deere.
Amazon also said it is halting some of its DEI programs, although it did not specify which ones. In a Dec. 16 memo to employees that Amazon shared on Friday, Candi Castleberry, a senior human resources executive, said the company has been "winding down outdated programs and materials, and we're aiming to complete that by the end of 2024."
