The Fox News paradox: success amidst scandal
A dilemma for media-watchers: The nation’s leading cable news network sees its founding boss forced out, loses one of its up-and-coming stars to a rival, is the subject on an ongoing federal investigation, and—yesterday—finds a story of sexual harassment and secret settlements involving its most visible on-air talent on the front page of The New York Times. And yet, Fox News Channel just celebrated its biggest ratings quarter ever.
The impetus for this check-in with Fox is yesterday’s A1 Times story on a series of allegations of sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior by Bill O’Reilly. The Times’s Emily Steel and Michael S. Schmidt report that the network has stood behind one of it’s most valuable assets even as “five women...have received payouts from either Mr. O’Reilly or the company in exchange for agreeing to not pursue litigation or speak about their accusations against him.”
O’Reilly’s treatment of women has been documented in the past, but doesn’t seem to have affected his standing as a leading voice at Fox News. Last summer, the ouster of former Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes highlighted a persistent culture of harassment at the network.
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