Protecting a brand’s image during a lawsuit is never an easy feat.
This week, Fox News chairman and chief Roger Ailes officially announced his retirement.
The change is effective immediately—amid sexual harassment allegations from multiple current and former employees.
Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson was the first to come forward with allegations in a July 6 lawsuit. She claims she was forced out of the network when she refused Ailes’ sexual advances.
The law firm representing Carlson said since it filed suit against Fox, more than 20 women have come forward with stories of Ailes’ alleged harassment.
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One of Fox News’ top-rated anchors, Megyn Kelly, reportedly told investigators that Ailes had sexually harassed her as well.
Among Carlson’s claims in the suit, she says Ailes told her during a one-on-one meeting, “I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago, and then you’d be good and better and I’d be good and better.”
She also claims he would ask her to “turn around so he could view her posterior.”
Ailes resigned in a letter to Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman of Fox News parent company 21st Century Fox:
Roger Ailes' resignation letter to Rupert Murdoch, verified by @CNBC http://pic.twitter.com/nF3c8vluEP
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) July 21, 2016
Murdoch will step in as acting CEO of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.
In a statement, Murdoch said:
[Ailes] made a remarkable contribution to our company and our country.
Fox News has given voice to those who were ignored by the traditional networks and has been one of the great commercial success stories of modern media.
It is always difficult to create a channel or a publication from the ground up and against seemingly entrenched monopolies. To lead a flourishing news channel, and to build Fox Business, Roger has defied the odds.
Murdoch did not address the sexual harassment allegations, which Ailes has denied.
Some reports state that Ailes will receive a $40 million “golden parachute” payout.
A payout doesn’t sit well with women’s advocacy groups like UltraViolet. That organization issued a statement from its co-founder, Nita Chaudharay:
While we are glad to see Roger Ailes step down from his position at Fox News, sending him off with zero accountability and a big check is a slap in the face to the dozens of women he harassed during his tenure as CEO and does nothing to fundamentally change the culture of Fox News that he created.
Fox News must continue its investigation into all claims of sexual harassment and hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions.
We applaud Gretchen Carlson and the other women at Fox News who had the courage to speak out about their experiences, seek justice and hold a serial sexual harasser accountable.
A group of female Fox anchors including Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro and Greta Van Susteren have stepped forward to defend Ailes.
Carlson’s lawyers issued a statement in the wake of Ailes’ announcement, which states, in part:
Gretchen Carlson's extraordinary courage has caused a seismic shift in the media world.
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