Following the news that Fox News has terminated its relationship with Bill O’Reilly amid a sexual harassment scandal, women’s advocacy group UltraViolet has said in a statement that the problem of sexual harassment at the cable giant is far bigger than just one person.
“Bill O’Reilly is a serial sexual predator, a bigot, and a misogynist. He will not be missed,” Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet, said in a statement. “But Fox News’ problem with sexual harassment and assault is way bigger than just Bill O’Reilly. For years, Fox News executives, like Bill Shine, have provided cover for systematic sexual harassment and abuse of Fox New’s employees.”
“From Roger Ailes to Bill O’Reilly,” says Thomas, “Fox News has consistently failed to provide a workplace safe from sexual harassment and abuse.”
In early April, the New York Times reported that Fox news had paid $13 million to settle sexual harassment lawsuits brought against O’Reilly by at least 5 former Fox employees. In the weeks following, it wasn’t clear what, if any, action the network would take, but as advertisers fled “the O’Reilly Factor” in droves, other accusers came forward. Those factors ultimately led to Fox’ decision to end O’Reilly’s run on the network after 21 years.
However, O’Reilly is not the network’s only recent sexual harassment-related scandal. Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes was forced out of the company in July, 2016 after former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson sued him for sexual harassment, and six other women came forward with allegations of their own.
“With reports that dozens of additional women at the network have not yet come forward with allegations of sexual harassment, the next scandal for [Fox News] may just be months away,” Thomas concluded in the UltraViolet statement.
See the UltraViolet’s full statement below.
“Bill O’Reilly is a serial sexual predator, a bigot, and a misogynist. He will not be missed.
“But Fox News’ problem with sexual harassment and assault is way bigger than just Bill O’Reilly. For years, Fox News executives, like Bill Shine, have provided cover for systematic sexual harassment and abuse of Fox New’s employees. From Roger Ailes to Bill O’Reilly, Fox News has consistently failed to provide a workplace safe from sexual harassment and abuse – and that’s a big problem.
“The fact that Fox News is only taking action against O’Reilly after an investigation revealed that they could be defrauding shareholder by not revealing payments made to cover up the abuse, isn’t lost on anyone. The first accusations of sexual assault lobbed against Bill O’Reilly at Fox News were made more than 13 years ago.”
“Unless Fox News makes the results of the investigation public, and fires all those found guilty of, or complicit in, covering up sexual harassment – advertisers and the general public will continue to have cause for concern. With reports that dozens of additional women at the network have not yet come forward with allegations of sexual harassment, the next scandal for the network may just be months away.”