Carlson sues network chief executive Roger Ailes, claiming she was cut loose after she refused his sexual advances and complained about harassment in the workplace.
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21st Century Fox announced Ailes’ resignation on Thursday (US time), without addressing the widening scandal. “Roger shared my vision of a great and independent television organization and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years”, Murdoch said in the statement.
Fox News Channel anchor and former “Fox & Friends” co-host Gretchen Carlson is quietly let go after 11 years with the network upon the expiration of her contract.
Further allegations surfaced in U.S. media that Ailes sexually harassed another Fox News presenter, Megyn Kelly, about 10 years ago, claims he has also denied.
The irony, of course, is that if you got all your information from Fox News, you might have no idea this shift in cultural consciousness was taking place. How does Ailes’s golden parachute stack up against other famous departures?
“I will not allow my presence to become a distraction from the work that must be done every day to ensure that Fox News and Fox Business continue to lead our industry”, he said.
Mr Murdoch, executive chairman of 21st Century Fox and a USA citizen since 1985, will remain in place until a replacement is found.
Nancy Erika Smith, the lawyer for Carlson released a statement following the resignation announcement, saying: “We hope that all businesses now understand that women will no longer tolerate sexual harassment and reputable companies will no longer shield those who abuse women”.
‘It is always hard to create a channel or a publication from the ground up and against seemingly entrenched monopolies.
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On Thursday, the media company made a decision to dethrone Ailes as Fox News CEO. “His grasp of policy and his ability to make profoundly important issues accessible to a broader audience stand in starkcontrast to the self-serving elitism that characterises far too much of the media”. This explains why he has made a decision to directly supervise Fox News.
