Fox News’ Howard Kurtz delivered what was guaranteed to be a very awkward report late Tuesday about the sexual harassment allegations against the network’s CEO, Roger Ailes, and network executives’ reported efforts to oust him.
Fox host Bret Baier tossed the segment to Kurtz right before the start of the 7 p.m. hour. Several media outlets had reported that Ailes had been ousted, but spokespersons for 21st Century Fox, Fox’s parent company, shot down those rumors.
“So let’s try to clear up what we can,” Kurtz said. “21st Century Fox, the parent company of this network, says in a statement that Ailes remains on the job in the wake of a sexual harassment lawsuit, with allegations vehemently denied by Ailes filed by Gretchen Carlson after her contract as a daytime Fox anchor was not renewed.”
Production apparently wasn’t moving Kurtz’s script as fast as he would’ve liked, however.
“Can move that prompter a little faster please,” he said, continuing: “The company has launched an internal review of the matter.”
Kurtz went on to report that, according to New York Magazine’s sources, Fox anchor Megyn Kelly had told lawyers investigating the sexual harassment allegations that Ailes sexually harassed her years ago when she was working in the network’s Washington bureau.
“Kelly has not addressed the matter publicly at all,” Kurtz said. “Ailes’ lawyer Susan Estrich responded with this statement and I will quote: “Roger Ailes has never sexually harassed Megyn Kelly. In fact, he has spent much of the last decade promoting and helping her to achieve the stardom she earned, for which she has repeatedly and publicly thanked him. And that is where things stand for now Bret in this developing story.”
Watch below:
h/t: BuzzFeed News
Fox/RNC meltdown continues apace. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of hypocrites.
Well, that was about the best way to put lipstick on a pig.
Best spin of a news story one could ever deliver when someone is about to be fired with a golden parachute of 40 million bucks.
They actually threw mud at the accuser(s) and made Roger Ailes look like a real trooper for putting up with all these “uppity” women making accusations about “sexual harrassment”.
Maybe they should just drag the wizard out from behind the curtain and expose him to the klieg lights of the television cameras.
His last, dying act could be a ratings bonanza for Fox…especially if interviewed by Megyn Kelly. What a grace note.
Susan Estrich is a disgrace to my party and my profession.
It’s hard to believe Kurtz was one of the most influential media reporters in the country (when he was at the WashPost). Now he’s a Fox toady, an Ailes toady in particular. He hitched his wagon to the wrong horse (or wrong pig, in this case).