Letter to the Editor – Carolyn Kaiser – 5-3-2017
Back in the day Paul Harvey had a segment on radio – “The rest of the story.” Today we look at Bill O’Reilly and ‘his story.’
1) First lawsuit I am aware of is from 2002 with a ‘Junior Producer’ Ms. Bernstein.
2) We know that Fox Associate Producer Andrea Mackris lawsuit was settled in late 2004. We also know in settlement language it is managements/ employer’s common practice to insert language of neutrality as in ‘no fault.’
3) In multiple written news sources it is learned that 5 women ‘reached settlements’ totaling about $13 million dollars.
4) During the investigations we learned of his inappropriate behaviors, his lewd comments, sexual harassment, phone sex to name a few…
5) There is a minority of people who have been speaking truth to power, standing up for fairness and equally for forever! That said, the mantra of the ‘good ole boy’s club’ remains very much alive.
It was during an internal investigation that Rupert Murdoch’s two sons James and Lachlan found evidence that enough was enough. Among other incidents they found multiple situations where Bill had significant influence over the female’s career, when that subordinate refused his attempts at sexual relationships; their careers were halted. They decided to remove him from that network.
There are already flashes out there stating he will be offered options to be on air. I’m sure with his $25 million dollar severance he’ll be able to take a few days to decide his best option.
In reality we’ll have to watch- was it the loss of money with loss of advisors or are they really wanting to change the image of FOX as stated? What are your thoughts about people of power who treat others in harassing, disparaging, offensive, and invasive ways?
If they are speaking truth; you’ll see a change in Human Resources messaging, performance expectations, and communications. There will be a cultural shift to respect of peers and encourage front line employees voices to be heard.
Carolyn Kaiser
Elk Mound