At a recent Republican fundraiser in Florida, Fox News contributor Dick Morris earned an additional $6,000 for the local Republicans by auctioning off a tour of Fox News, with himself as tour guide. Unfortunately for whoever made the winning bid, the tour will not happen, Morris has been reprimanded by Fox and has reportedly "profusely apologized" for his lapse in judgment.
Media Matters had the original scoop:
Contacted by Media Matters about the auction, Morris emailed: "FoxNews has no involvement in this auction nor have they either approved or sanctioned it. It was simply a private, personal offer of a personal meeting in NYC and a tour of the Fox studios."
Media Matters subsequently asked Fox News executive vice president Bill Shine -- whom Morris cc'd on his reply -- if Fox News viewed the auction as appropriate since it benefits a political party, and whether the tour would be permitted to occur. Media Matters also asked Morris if he could disclose how much he was paid for the appearance. Shine and Morris have not replied to those questions as of posting time.
...In April 2010, Fox News executives prevented host Sean Hannity from taping his show at a Cincinnati Tea Party event which charged admission and had "all proceeds" benefiting the organization. Executives were reportedly "furious," but The Los Angeles Times noted that "[w]hile there have been post-mortem discussions about the incident, it does not appear that they have resulted in any serious disciplinary measures taken against any staffers involved."
While it's not clear to me whether Shine ever responded to Media Matters, he did respond to TVNewser:
Bill Shine, executive vice president of programming for Fox News, told TVNewser that “The tour will absolutely not take place nor would something like that have ever taken place if we were aware of it.” Shine also said he spoke with Morris yesterday and reprimanded him. We’re told Morris apologized profusely and knows this was a major mistake. Additionally the tour has been canceled.
Morris usually appears every Monday night on Hannity but was absent last night.
No big deal. At least, it shouldn’t be.