Fox News is going to be in a world of hurt after owner Rupert Murdoch insulted his female employees.
One would think that after several major sexual harassment scandals and lawsuits that Fox News would change. But, Rupert Murdoch made it clear that he doesn’t think very much of the sexual harassment allegations that haunt the conservative network from the last year and a half.
Not only did Murdoch refer to the allegations as “nonsense,” he made it sound like all Roger Ailes did was a “bit of flirting.” And he completely ignored the allegations against Bill O’Reilly and the fact that Fox News paid millions to settle sexual harassment lawsuits against him and Ailes. Murdoch also claimed that the allegations against Fox News were politically driven.
“All nonsense, there was a problem with our chief executive, sort of, over the years, isolated incidents. As soon as we investigated it he was out of the place in hours, well, three or four days. And there’s been nothing else since then. That was largely political because we’re conservative. Now of course the liberals are going down the drain — NBC is in deep trouble. CBS, their stars. I mean there are really bad cases and people should be moved aside. There are other things which probably amount to a bit of flirting.”
A company spokesman has since tried to spin Murdoch’s remarks, but the women of Fox News aren’t going to let him off the hook.
Huffington Post reached out to former and current female talent. And what they had to say should make Fox News management very afraid.
One current female employee said:
“I have had to put up with a hostile work environment for years. And now I’m told that it doesn’t exist by a man who doesn’t have to walk these halls every day? I’m hungry for justice.”
Indeed, Bill O’Reilly settled multiple sexual harassment lawsuits over the years. He and Roger Ailes treated women like objects who were only hired for their pleasure. Ailes would constantly ogle them and force them to wear tight short skirts. Ailes and O’Reilly also constantly propositioned women for sex and punished them if they refused.
And let’s not forget Eric Bolling, who sent unsolicited lewd pictures of himself to female colleagues.
Fox News commentator Tamara Holder strongly condemned Murdoch by reminding everyone of her own story.
“You cannot rewrite history, Mr. Murdoch. The problem was not only with your chief executive. For example, one of your former executives trapped me in his office, pulled-out his penis and shoved my head on it. That’s not ‘nonsense.’ That’s criminal. The culture at Fox News won’t change until you publicly accept that it has been a breeding ground for sexual misconduct over the past two decades.”
It also looks like Fox News could soon have a revolt and more lawsuits on their hands because of what Murdoch said.
“I’m contacting a lawyer tomorrow,” a current female Fox News host said. “I’m sick of this shit.”
So any woman at Fox News who has remained silent now has more reason to speak out.
Women are angry and they are not going to tolerate this kind of behavior from male colleagues anymore.
Clearly, the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News starts at the top. Any owner who writes off sexual harassment within their own company as “nonsense” that amounts to mere “flirting” is part of the problem. And that’s clear considering who Fox News hired after Bill O’Reilly left. That’s why it’s time for Murdoch to step down or be forcibly removed.
If the working environment at Fox News is going to change, the company needs a leader who takes sexual harassment seriously.
Featured Image: YouTube Screenshot.
