Roger Ailes, the founder and long-time boss of Fox News Channel, has resigned after a number of female employees accused him of sexual harassment.
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21 Century Fox has confirmed the departure of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network chairman Roger Ailes. To lead a flourishing news channel, and to build Fox Business, Roger has defied the odds. “This matter is not yet resolved and the review is not concluded”, the company states.
At 21st Century Fox, which also includes a major Hollywood studio and television network, Rupert Murdoch had taken the role of executive chairman with his son Lachlan, and with James Murdoch as CEO. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news. “Having spent 20 years building this history business, I will not allow my presence to become a distraction from the work that must be done every day”, he said.
Murdoch and 21st Century Fox did not address the widening scandal in the statement on the resignation but lauded Ailes for his contributions. “Roger shared my vision of a great and independent television organization and executed it brilliantly over 20 great years”, Murdoch said in the statement.
The resignation, effective immediately, was announced by the network’s parent company, 21st Century Fox. It later adds that “his grasp of policy and his ability to make profoundly important issues accessible to a broader audiences stand in stark contrast to the self-serving elitism that characterizes far too much of the media”.
Rupert Murdoch returns to NY next week – and it is believed that is when Ailes will exit the empire he built. “We take seriously our responsibility to uphold these traditional, long-standing values of our company”.
Ailes was a prominent Republican media consultant who later ran CNBC before Murdoch asked him to create a cable news network to compete with CNN at the same time MSNBC was starting. Ailes, in a statement, denies the allegations and accuses Carlson of filing the lawsuit in retaliation for her contract not being renewed.
Ailes’ departure follows a string of sexual harassment claims against the executive.
Murdoch first walked into the tiny room where the editorial meeting for Fox News typically is conducted.
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Since the allegations by Carlson became public – she filed a suit in a New Jersey Superior Court on July 6 – reports have emerged of other women who have worked with Ailes in the past also saying that he sought sexual favors in return for employment.
