Fox News is claiming that a column complaining about diversity on Team USA at the 2018 Olympics "does not reflect views or values of Fox News." But the column was written by John Moody, Fox's own executive vice president and executive editor.
Last night, I posted about Moody's shockingly bigoted column on FoxNews.com complaining about diversity on the 2018 U.S. Olympics teams. Without doing any apparent investigation into the abilities of the current Team USA, Moody suggested that our Olympics teams cannot be both diverse and top-notch. He wrote:
Unless it’s changed overnight, the motto of the Olympics, since 1894, has been “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” It appears the U.S. Olympic Committee would like to change that to “Darker, Gayer, Different.” If your goal is to win medals, that won’t work.
The column was disturbing coming from anyone in a news organization. But Moody is the executive vice president and executive editor of Fox News. Yet Fox News is claiming the views are not its own. From Deadline:
“John Moody’s column does not reflect the views or values of FOX News and has been removed,” Fox News said in a statement.
According to a Fox News insider, the column was not vetted before it was posted; the source blamed editors “too deferential” to Moody “given his longevity” at the network. Back in 2016, Moody was among those whose names were being bandied about as a possible Roger Ailes replacement.
So who was supposed to vet the column that didn't? I'd love to know.
Regardless, the fact that these are not just the open views of a top Fox executive but ones he wanted to make a point of sharing speaks a lot more loudly about the views and values of Fox than its feeble attempt to distance itself from an embarrassing incident.
(John Moody image via screen grab.)
NOTE TO FOX “NEWS” SUITS
He needs to go. Otherwise, he will be the topic of discussion on national, local and internet radio stations across America. We won’t stop until he’s out.