Does Fox News Just Have Women Writing Their Articles
During the Ailes scandal, women at Fox News had been accused of being subjected to unwanted sexual advances. But despite the recent wave of sexual harassment claims, there is still a culture of fear within Fox that has made it nearly impossible for women to come forward.
The Fox News culture, which has been shaped by Roger Ailes and his longtime executive producer Bill Shine, is a toxic mix of denial and blame. Staffers told Vanity Fair that they feel like they are living under a totalitarian regime, and that no one is able to report what they see as abuse without being fired or forced to leave the company.
Ailes was known to use a variety of tactics to punish errant employees, including leaking negative stories about them to journalists. He also employed private investigators to track employees’ conversations and emails. Ailes reportedly built a security bunker under his home and kept a gun in his office. He was a paranoid and secretive man who abused his power, according to Vanity Fair.
In the wake of Ailes’s departure, some Fox staffers are struggling with a newfound sense of uncertainty about their futures at the network. Many have expressed a sense of shock and disgust at the extent of Ailes’s alleged behavior, and others say they are unsure who they should turn to for guidance.
Gretchen Carlson, a prominent opinion host on Fox News, has been the subject of several harassment complaints. Ailes was accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward her, but Carlson says she hid those incidents from her colleagues until she had filed her complaint with the federal government.
While Carlson remained a prominent figure at Fox News, she has reportedly received an eight-figure settlement from the company for her alleged sexual harassment. But so far, a majority of the women who have come forward with allegations against Ailes have not been awarded settlements, and some remain unresolved.
Whether these women are getting their due or not is an important question for the future of Fox News. The Murdoch family, who control Fox Corp., are likely looking at Megyn Kelly as their future anchor and will try to make her a part of the company’s long-term success.
But even if the company’s leadership is now shaken up, the network’s audience remains in tact. While other news outlets struggle to compete with social media and streaming services, the Fox audience remains steady in its support of a hawkish, anti-immigration platform.
When a caravan of Central American migrants started traveling across the border in October 2018, Fox & Friends ran an entire week of anti-immigrant hysteria. It eventually suggested military action to protect our sovereignty from a “caravan of invaders.” This week, Fox & Friends ran a segment called “Breakfast With Friends” that had two female guests sitting across from a male host in a suit and tie.
Whether they are discussing immigration, national security, or the latest political drama, Fox News hosts often stray from their professional role in order to get their audience’s attention. They cite a political opponent’s stance, a controversial piece of legislation or an important election story as a reason for their opinions to be heard. This is not an uncommon strategy for cable news networks, which are typically more interested in promoting their own agenda than offering an outlet for viewers to express their own thoughts and feelings.
