Following a recent report by The New York Times, more than 20 companies have pulled their commercials from the “The O’Reilly Factor.” The Times reported that five women who accused O’Reilly of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior had been given a total of roughly $13 million in settlements.
After The Times article, O’Reilly quickly published the following statement on his show’s website:
Just like other prominent and controversial people, I'm vulnerable to lawsuits from individuals who want me to pay them to avoid negative publicity. In my more than 20 years at Fox News Channel, no one has ever filed a complaint about me with the Human Resources Department, even on the anonymous hotline.
But most importantly, I'm a father who cares deeply for my children and who would do anything to avoid hurting them in any way. And so I have put to rest any controversies to spare my children.
The worst part of my job is being a target for those who would harm me and my employer, the Fox News Channel. Those of us in the arena are constantly at risk, as are our families and children. My primary efforts will continue to be to put forth an honest TV program and to protect those close to me.
Though Fox News has remained largely silent on the issue, its parent company, 21st Century Fox, issued its support of the host in a statement that said it takes claims “very seriously.”
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Asked about the Times' investigation, 21st Century Fox, Fox News' parent company, said in a statement that it "takes matters of workplace behavior very seriously."
"Notwithstanding the fact that no current or former Fox News employee ever took advantage of the 21st Century Fox hotline to raise a concern about Bill O'Reilly, even anonymously, we have looked into these matters over the last few months and discussed them with Mr. O'Reilly. While he denies the merits of these claims, Mr. O'Reilly has resolved those he regarded as his personal responsibility. Mr. O'Reilly is fully committed to supporting our efforts to improve the environment for all our employees at Fox News," the statement continued.
On Monday, organizations started to pull their sponsorship for the show. On Tuesday, additional brands followed, adding to the boycott. Reports estimate that up to 22 advertisers have left the show.
ABC News reported:
The companies are GlaxoSmithKline, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Constant Contact, UNTUCKit, Sanofi, Allstate, Ainsworth Pet Nutrition/ Rachael Ray Nutrish, T. Rowe Price, Mitsubishi, Wayfair, MileIQ, Lexus, Bayer, Esurance, Credit Karma, True Car, The Wonderful Company, Society of Human Resources Management, Coldwell Banker and Orkin.
The New York Daily News reported:
Also suspending their spots are Nutrish, Rachael Ray’s pet food brand; Sanofi, the parent company of Gold Bond; the online marketing company Constant Contact; the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline; the men's shirt firm UNTUCKit; Esurance; investment firm T. Rowe Price; MileIQ; Credit Karma; True Car; Orkin; Ancestry.com; and the Society for Human Resources Management.
Several organizations suspending their sponsorship have issued statements distancing themselves from the beleaguered O’Reilly, including Mercedes-Benz and UnTuckit, which was the show’s largest sponsor.
"While it's hard to tell what the facts are, the allegations are disturbing," said Donna Boland, a spokeswoman for Mercedes-Benz. "Given the importance of women in every aspect of our business, we don't feel this is a good environment in which to advertise our products right now."
The clothing company UNTUCKit said in a statement it was pulling its ads from the "O'Reilly Factor," noting that two-thirds of its employees are women.
"Moreover, it is important our corporate partners reflect the same principals [sic] of inclusivity and equality upon which we have built our brand," the statement said. "In light of the disturbing allegations, we instructed our media buyer this morning to reallocate our ad dollars to other shows effective immediately. We will continue to closely monitor the situation but believe this is the right decision at this time."
Other organizations have shared their statements online, further distancing themselves from the growing scandal.
On Tuesday, Coldwell Banker tweeted a statement after its ad ran on the show:
We were disappointed that our ad ran on O'Reilly as it wasn't part of our intentional media programming. We pulled future ads from the show.
— Coldwell Banker (@coldwellbanker) April 5, 2017
Jenny Craig remains as an advertiser on the show, but issued a curt statement condemning sexual harassment.
The New York Times reported:
The weight loss company Jenny Craig was noncommittal, saying: “As an organization, Jenny Craig condemns any and all forms of sexual harassment. As a matter of corporate policy, we do not publicly comment on our advertising strategy.”
An ad for Jenny Craig appeared during Mr. O’Reilly’s show on Monday night.
Paul Rittenberg, Fox News’ executive vice president of sales, issued a short statement following the advertiser exodus:
We value our partners and are working with them to address their concerns about the O’Reilly Factor. At this time, those ad buys have been re-expressed into other FNC programs.”
However, the statement—especially expressed alongside the network’s support of O’Reilly—has done little to stem criticism, including calls for the host’s removal.
Terry O’Neill, president of National Organization for Women, demanded that Fox fire O’Reilly and issued a statement which read, in part:
The culture of sexual harassment at Fox News must stop. The National Organization for Women (NOW) calls for Bill O’Reilly to be fired and demands an immediate independent investigation into the culture of sexual harassment at Fox News.
… For too long women have endured dangerous sexism at the hands of powerful men and powerful institutions. Fox News is too big and too influential to simply let this go. Women have the right to go to work without facing harassment. Fox News apparently doesn’t get that basic concept.
How would you advise Fox News to respond to the backlash, PR Daily readers?
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