Fox Reporter Claims CEO Roger Ailes Sought To 'Silence Me'

[kpete]

Source: Alternet

Fox Reporter Claims CEO Roger Ailes Sought To 'Silence Me'

A Fox News reporter who has filed a federal claim of retaliation for an age and gender discrimination suit against Fox contends that CEO Roger Ailes sought to silence her in 2008 with a staff-wide e-mail urging employees not to complain.

In a declaration filed Nov. 19 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., Catherine Herridge cited an e-mail sent by Ailes on Feb. 8, 2008, to employees that hinted complaining staffers were free to work elsewhere.

The portion of the Ailes' e-mail cited in the court filing:

...The best things about those days (the early days of Fox) were the...lack of complaints...But today I sometimes hear too much selfish complaining, petty whining, and a desire to have what someone else has... As I have always said, negative people make positive people sick...you should note that there are no locks on the outside of the doors keeping us here. I would never want to hold anyone back. I decided many years ago that I did not ever want to work with unhappy people because life is too short and the first 100 years in the ground is just the beginning...If you are happy, your work experience will be fulfilling and your colleagues will like you. If you are not happy, your fellow employees will avoid you... . Some people actually find it easier to achieve success than to handle it well once they have it.

The declaration was part of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's formal response to a Nov. 4 Fox motion to dismiss the case.

Read more: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/355814/fox_reporter_claims_ceo_roger_ailes_sought_to_%27silence_me%27/#paragraph4

[klook]

1. Short brown hair

That was the real problem. Practically every other woman "reporter" or "anchor" on Fox has long blonde hair.

[Bonhomme Richard]

2. frankly, as much as I hate Fox, I don't see anything wrong...

with that memo....Just sayin'

[MadMaddie]

3. It's the underlying message

The Fox reporters are showing independent thought and the memo is indicating that individuality will not be accepted.

[pacalo]

6. "If you are unhappy, your co-workers will avoid you."

A professional shouldn't speak for other employees' mindsets -- unless, of course, there's some coercion involved?

[JDPriestly]

10. Age and gender discrimination are against the law for good reasons.

Roger Ailes is a bigot, and that e-mail shows it. If people are negative for no reason or due to personality clashes, that is one thing. But if someone is "negative" in that the person is demanding to be treated with respect, to be treated as someone who is equal to others who are younger or of a different gender, then the person complaining is simply asking for her rights under the law. There is nothing wrong with that.

Apparently the woman in question has filed a claim or lawsuit against Fox. We shall see what the court thinks. We don't have enough facts to even have opinions about what actually happened.

[sabrina 1]

11. Well, I think it's hilarious for Roger Ailes to talk about not wanting

'negative people' around him ... O'Reilly, Hannity et al are positive, happy people? :rofl:

Basically the memo is telling people to be quiet, to refrain from speaking out and to just go along with everything, whether they like it or not, if they want to keep their jobs. There is an implied threat of losing one's job just for expressing an opinion Ailes doesn't want to hear. If you're not kissing his rear end, he's telling them not to let the door hit them on the way out.

It is a revealing email though. Obviously all is not going very well at Fox.

I have no idea what she is suing for, but it couldn't happen to better network. The American people should file a class-action suit against them for destroying our news media.

[GreenTea]

12. The same as "America love it or leave it"-Don't dare try to make it better-Injustices, ignore them!

Just smile and ignore untruths, smears intentional lies & distortions and be happy you have a job don't ever speak negatively against your employers agenda even if you are correct - Just leave and shut the fuck up!

[Swagman]

13. I do-leadership starts at the top. Sounds like he is demanding

happiness...when he should be creating the right conditions for workers to be happy in their jobs. Frankly, he sounds like a fucking dickhead to me.

well that's my view and I've worked for both types. My first employer was a wise old man worth hundreds of millions$$ and he treated his staff well, rewarded them and the customers flowed in because we all radiated happiness.

He taught me that if those at the top didn't do the right thing then the rot would seep down and infect every pore of a business.

This Ailes is a creep mouthing platitudes and doing the opposite. Fox News is a nasty bigoted entity which radiates hate. How on earth would anyone except haters like O'Reilly survive. Ailes is talking nonsense. :hippie:

[Proletariatprincess]

4. Yeah....be happy or ELSE!

These are not happy times...Fox is not a happy place. We don't live in Disneyland and everyone has reason to be upset with what is going on in this country.
This story isn't about being happy anyway....it's about a boss weeding out "trouble makers". Ailes could care less if his people are happy. He just wants them to be good obedient docile workers and not make trouble or complain about working conditions. Nothing new about that...most bosses want that. That is why they fight union organizing.
But there will never be any progress on anything if we all just put on a happy face and accept conditions as they are.
Author Barbara Ehrenreich addresses this issue in her great book: "Bright Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking has Undermined America"
There is a time for every purpose and now it is time for anger. If USers are not angry now, they are just not paying attention.

[pacalo]

7. The book you mentioned sounds like one I should read.

I've always been a happy person; it's in my nature & my disposition helps me to bear life's troubles better than most people. I'd like to read the book you mentioned for another perspective: could I be too tolerant about certain things.

Sounds like an interesting read.

[la la]

5. okay - back in the day.....

when i watched more faux news ( what WAS wrong with me? ;>0 ) i remember catherine herridge--she was a news reader in the beginning--was apparently given a chance somewhere along the line--( i don't remember what show it was ) where she subbed for a 'regular', and i remember her being very stilted in her manner---

then she left to have a baby---the baby had problems---greta or someone had a show about her and her baby---and, then ---she was back for a bit and then gone.........

i don't watch much anymore, so i don't even know if she's still around

i'm not dreaming all this, am i? ;>0

or, does it even matter?

[SnakeEyes]

9. She's still there

was on today. Saw her while flipping channels. She was on Shep's show.

[UTUSN]

17. Here's a pic

[defendandprotect]

8. Sounds like Ailes doing a "Barbara Bush" ... remember "my beautiful mind" ...

isn't going to dwell on actual dead bodies resulting from my son's wars!!

Something like that --

"Don't worry -- be happy!" - -

Ailes and Barbara -- a perfect match in lack of compassion and any humanity!!

That's what makes them killers, I guess!!

:nuke:

[L.Torsalo]

14. Don't criticize the Mighty Fox!!!

Ailes dared talk about intolerance at NPR? Typical right-wing bullshit hypocrisy. Fuck you Ailes!~!!

[Jennicut]

15. Here is what wikipedia says happened between Herridge and Faux:

In 2007 a legal dispute regarding salary and benefits occurred between Catherine Herridge and the Fox News Channel. Fox News attempted to put a no complaint clause in her contract which Catherine Herridge refused to sign. She then filed a complaint with the EEOC. In September 2010 the EEOC sued Fox News over the contract clause and other acts against Catherine Herridge.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Herridge

I have seen her a few times. Seems like an intelligent woman but must have some stupidity for working for Faux. Apparently her infant son was very sick and she gave part of her liver to him so she was gone from Faux for a little while. At least she had the guts to stand up to Faux. But if I were her, I would look for work elsewhere.

[No Elephants]

16. "But if I were her, I would look for work elsewhere" Really?

We have 4 major networks. How many major network job openings are there in any given year, as compared with the number of people who desperately want them? (Imagine getting fame and all its benefits, a BIG platform for influencing public opinion, plus a big salary, for saying on TV the same things you post here.

And her infant son was desperately ill in the bargain, so her salary and her health insurance were both probably critically important to her as well.

Sure, FOX is no bargain, but what would Schuster say about NBC/MSNBC? Or Dan Rather about CBS?

[Jennicut]

19. That is true, NBC and CBS are not that great either.

Don't get me started on ABC, I think they are right behind Faux.

[otohara]

18. As Someone Who Sued Clear Channel

this lady is in for a real shocker - all of her whiny co-workers will become ever so faithful to FOX if they are called to give a deposition, all will lie in fear of losing their jobs. The attorney for FOX will be a son of a bitch - with endless funds. FOX will point to every 40+ woman working there and say SEE, we don't discriminate.

The only satisfaction I got in the end was a pitiful amount of money and the guy who fired me, eventually got fired and was never able to keep a job in radio again. He loved working in radio.