By Joe Flint

Walt Disney Co. suspended top ABC News executive Barbara Fedida and launched an investigation into her behavior after allegations of racist remarks and other questionable practices were raised in a recent HuffPost article.

As senior vice president of talent relations and business affairs, Ms. Fedida holds tremendous clout within ABC News -- where she negotiates contracts for the network's top on-air talent and producers -- as well as the clubby TV-news industry at large. She also holds sway over how and where resources are allocated inside the news division, which can factor into how stories are covered.

HuffPost published an article Saturday alleging that Ms. Fedida made a racially insensitive remark to colleagues about "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts during a contract negotiation. According to the article, Ms. Fedida said the network wasn't asking her to "pick cotton" in response to Ms. Roberts seeking an increase in salary.

"There are deeply disturbing allegations in this story that we need to investigate, and we have placed Barbara Fedida on administrative leave while we conduct a thorough and complete investigation," ABC News said. "These allegations do not represent the values and culture of ABC News, where we strive to make everyone feel respected in a thriving, diverse and inclusive workplace."

Peter Rice, the senior Disney executive whose oversight includes ABC News, sent an email to staff Monday saying that "you can be assured that once this investigation is concluded, we will take whatever actions are necessary." The investigation is being headed by Disney General Counsel Alan Braverman. An outside law firm has been retained as well.

Ms. Fedida didn't respond to a request for comment. In a statement, she said, "throughout my career, I have been a champion for increased diversity in network news. Building a news division where everyone can thrive has been my life's mission. I am proud of my decades of work of hiring, supporting and promoting talented journalists of color. And, unlike these heartbreaking and incredibly misleading claims about me, that track record is well-documented and undeniable."

The suspension of Ms. Fedida was a topic of discussion on the Monday episode of ABC's morning chat show "The View." One of the show's hosts -- Sunny Hostin, who is Black and Latina -- was described as "low rent" by Ms. Fedida, according to the HuffPost story.

"I was disappointed, saddened and hurt when I heard about the racist comments that were made allegedly about me and my colleagues," she said, adding this tells me "systemic racism touches everyone and everything in our society. No one is immune."