Bill O’Reilly Thrives at Fox News, Even as Harassment Settlements Add Up.
'About $13 million has been paid out over the years to address complaints from women about Mr.
O’Reilly’s behavior. He denies the claims have merit.
For nearly two decades, Bill O’Reilly has been Fox News’s top asset, building the No. 1 program in
cable news for a network that has pulled in billions of dollars in revenues for its parent company,
21st Century Fox.
![[Image: attachment.php?aid=1553]](http://rogue-nation3.com/attachment.php?aid=1553)
Behind the scenes, the company has repeatedly stood by Mr. O’Reilly as he faced a series of
allegations of sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior.
An investigation by The New York Times has found a total of five women who 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. The agreements totaled about $13 million.
Two settlements came after the network’s former chairman, Roger Ailes, was dismissed last summer
in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal, when the company said it did not tolerate behavior that
“disrespects women or contributes to an uncomfortable work environment.”
The women who made allegations against Mr. O’Reilly either worked for him or appeared on his show.
They have complained about a wide range of behavior, including verbal abuse, lewd comments,
unwanted advances and phone calls in which it sounded as if Mr. O’Reilly was masturbating,
according to documents and interviews.
The reporting suggests a pattern: As an influential figure in the newsroom, Mr. O’Reilly would create
a bond with some women by offering advice and promising to help them professionally. He then would
pursue sexual relationships with them, causing some to fear that if they rebuffed him, their careers
would stall.
Of the five settlements, two were previously known — one for about $9 million in 2004 with a producer,
and another struck last year with a former on-air personality, which The Times reported on in January.
The Times has learned new details related to those cases.
Representatives for 21st Century Fox would not discuss specific accusations against Mr. O’Reilly,
but in a written statement to The Times the company acknowledged it had addressed the issue with him.
“21st Century Fox takes matters of workplace behavior very seriously,” the statement said.
“Notwithstanding the fact that no current or former Fox News employee ever took advantage of the 21st
Century Fox hotline to raise a concern about Bill O’Reilly, even anonymously, we have looked into these
matters over the last few months and discussed them with Mr. O’Reilly.
While he denies the merits of these claims, Mr. O’Reilly has resolved those he regarded as his personal
responsibility. Mr. O’Reilly is fully committed to supporting our efforts to improve the environment for all
our employees at Fox News.”
According to legal experts, companies occasionally settle disputes that they believe have little merit
because it is less risky than taking the matters to trial, which can be costly and create a string of
embarrassing headlines.
The revelations about Mr. O’Reilly, 67, come after sexual harassment accusations against Mr. Ailes led
to an internal investigation that found women at Fox News faced harassment. Current and former Fox
News employees told The Times that they feared making complaints to network executives or the
human resources department.'
SOURCE:
The amounts of money involved in the media today is frightening.
'About $13 million has been paid out over the years to address complaints from women about Mr.
O’Reilly’s behavior. He denies the claims have merit.
For nearly two decades, Bill O’Reilly has been Fox News’s top asset, building the No. 1 program in
cable news for a network that has pulled in billions of dollars in revenues for its parent company,
21st Century Fox.
Behind the scenes, the company has repeatedly stood by Mr. O’Reilly as he faced a series of
allegations of sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior.
An investigation by The New York Times has found a total of five women who 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. The agreements totaled about $13 million.
Two settlements came after the network’s former chairman, Roger Ailes, was dismissed last summer
in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal, when the company said it did not tolerate behavior that
“disrespects women or contributes to an uncomfortable work environment.”
The women who made allegations against Mr. O’Reilly either worked for him or appeared on his show.
They have complained about a wide range of behavior, including verbal abuse, lewd comments,
unwanted advances and phone calls in which it sounded as if Mr. O’Reilly was masturbating,
according to documents and interviews.
The reporting suggests a pattern: As an influential figure in the newsroom, Mr. O’Reilly would create
a bond with some women by offering advice and promising to help them professionally. He then would
pursue sexual relationships with them, causing some to fear that if they rebuffed him, their careers
would stall.
Of the five settlements, two were previously known — one for about $9 million in 2004 with a producer,
and another struck last year with a former on-air personality, which The Times reported on in January.
The Times has learned new details related to those cases.
Representatives for 21st Century Fox would not discuss specific accusations against Mr. O’Reilly,
but in a written statement to The Times the company acknowledged it had addressed the issue with him.
“21st Century Fox takes matters of workplace behavior very seriously,” the statement said.
“Notwithstanding the fact that no current or former Fox News employee ever took advantage of the 21st
Century Fox hotline to raise a concern about Bill O’Reilly, even anonymously, we have looked into these
matters over the last few months and discussed them with Mr. O’Reilly.
While he denies the merits of these claims, Mr. O’Reilly has resolved those he regarded as his personal
responsibility. Mr. O’Reilly is fully committed to supporting our efforts to improve the environment for all
our employees at Fox News.”
According to legal experts, companies occasionally settle disputes that they believe have little merit
because it is less risky than taking the matters to trial, which can be costly and create a string of
embarrassing headlines.
The revelations about Mr. O’Reilly, 67, come after sexual harassment accusations against Mr. Ailes led
to an internal investigation that found women at Fox News faced harassment. Current and former Fox
News employees told The Times that they feared making complaints to network executives or the
human resources department.'
SOURCE:
The amounts of money involved in the media today is frightening.
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.