Monday, August 22, 2016

THE WORK PLACE - Updated, Fallout at Fox News

"In the wake of the Ailes resignation, we discuss workplace sexual harassment" PBS NewsHour 8/16/2016

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson was the first woman to accuse network co-founder Roger Ailes of sexual harassment.  She was not the last:  a subsequent flood of allegations forced Ailes to resign.  As the company investigates, Judy Woodruff interviews former network news executive Shelley Ross and Vanity Fair's Sarah Ellison about the case and the larger issue of workplace sexual misconduct.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  An update on the fallout at FOX News over allegations that its co-founder, Roger Ailes, sexually harassed women employees for years.

Ailes resigned in late July with a reported $40 million severance package, that after a lawsuit by former FOX anchor Gretchen Carlson alleged that her show was canceled because she'd rebuffed sexual advances from Ailes.

In the following weeks, a growing number of women, including prime-time anchor Megyn Kelly, reportedly came forward with similar stories of impropriety.  Ailes has called Ms. Carlson's accusations false.  And an internal investigation by FOX's parent company is still under way.

For a closer look, not only at this case, but at the wider matter of sexual harassment in the workplace, we turn to Sarah Ellison, a contributing editor at “Vanity Fair.”  She recently reported on the Ailes allegations.  And Shelley Ross, she's a former network television news executive, best known for her 17-year tenure at ABC News.  She recently wrote about her own professional experiences with Roger Ailes, and the news business at large, in The Daily Beast.

And we welcome both of you to the program.

And we should note at the outset, Roger Ailes back in the news today because of a New York Times report that he's now advising Donald Trump's campaign.  And we should say the campaign denies that.

But, Sarah Ellison, I want to turn to you first.

What is the state of what is known about Roger Ailes' alleged harassment of women at FOX News?

SARAH ELLISON, Vanity Fair:  Well, we know — largely, what we know is what we have learned from our reporting, which is that the internal investigation that is ongoing that you referred to earlier, has identified at least women in the double digits who have come forward and spoken to the internal investigation.

And we know that it was something that implicated Ailes certainly.  There are people who have come out and told their stories, but there are people who have not yet come forward, and I think that we're going to see more women, even more women come forward in the coming days.

No comments: