It turns out Fox News’ firing of its racist 19-year comptroller was more likely the result of a pending lawsuit for discrimination rather than the sudden discovery and “appropriate action” taken “within two weeks of this being brought to our attention,” as Fox previously claimed.
As I wrote in an earlier post, it strained credulity that the outlandishly racist behavior Judy Slater, a high-level employee, reportedly engaged in had escaped the notice of Fox management for those 19 years she worked there until just recently. Some of that shocking behavior included throwing up her hands in the “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture made famous by Black Lives Matter when an African American employee came to say goodnight.
The complaint seems to bear out my suspicions. For example, on Page 23, Paragraph 92, it discusses a former employee named Natasha Beekharry who worked directly under Slater:
92. In or about August 2015, Fox was contacted by legal counsel for Ms. Beekharry to provide the Company with notice of the racial discrimination Slater engaged in. Upon information and belief, Ms. Beekharry experienced much of the same conduct alleged herein on behalf of Ms. Brown and Ms. Wright.
[…]
94. Purportedly, as a result of Ms. Beekharry’s claims, Fox agreed to send Slater to training/counseling sessions in connection with her anger and racial intolerance.
That was nearly a year and a half before Fox claimed Slater’s behavior was “brought to our attention.”
It’s a pattern similar to the blind eye Fox turned toward former CEO Roger Ailes’ sexual harassment.
Coincidentally, this complaint was filed the same day Bill O’Reilly mocked African American Congresswoman Maxine Waters in the morning over her “James Brown wig.” O’Reilly issued a rare apology to Waters afterward – then went on to smear her that night as a welfare-loving demagogue.
As I also wrote, even if Fox management was somehow blindsided by Slater’s bigotry, they certainly have a lot of ‘splaining to do about why it has tolerated the long-standing, blatant race baiting that regularly spews out of the network.
Watch O’Reilly claim he can’t hear a word Waters said because of her wig below, from the March 28, 2017 Fox & Friends. Then ask yourself if his apology wasn’t due to the lawsuit.
Correction: The amount of time since Ms. Beekharry complained to Fox was incorrectly determined as nearly two and a half years.
