The hits just keep coming for Fox News. As if racial discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuits weren’t enough, the network now faces allegations of gender and disability discrimination. Earlier this week, Diana Falzone, a reporter at the network, accused the conservative news station of “discriminating against her on the basis of her gender and her fight against a chronic disease.” She filed a lawsuit on Monday in the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, claiming that “she had been barred from further appearances after writing an op-ed column for Fox News disclosing that she had endometriosis and was likely to be infertile.”
The hits just keep coming for Fox News. As if racial discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuits weren’t enough, the network now faces allegations of gender and disability discrimination. Earlier this week, Diana Falzone, a reporter at the network, accused the conservative news station of “discriminating against her on the basis of her gender and her fight against a chronic disease.” She filed a lawsuit on Monday in the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, claiming that “she had been barred from further appearances after writing an op-ed column for Fox News disclosing that she had endometriosis and was likely to be infertile.”
Apparently, Ms. Falzone was granted approval to write the column, titled “Women Should Never Suffer in Silence,” from her supervisors. According to the lawsuit, shortly after the column was published, her supervisor, Refet Kaplan, informed her that network executives had “barred her from appearing on the air on Fox News or its website.” When asked why she was being barred three days after the column ran, the network executives failed to give a reason for their decision.
Before her sudden barring, Ms. Falzone only ever received positive performance evaluations, leading her to believe that discrimination likely played a role in her being barred. According to her lawyer, Nancy Erika Smith, “the issues raised in Diana Falzone’s lawsuit are a concern for all women. Fox News never banned her male counterparts who have discussed their personal health issues on air. Indeed, those men saw their careers advance.”
Unfortunately for the network, Ms. Falzone’s claim is one of many against it. Things began going south for the news station back when six women accused Roger Ailes, the network’s former chief, of inappropriate behavior. Then last month Bill O’Reilly, “the network’s most popular host,” was accused of sexual harassment by five women, and “11 current and former employees filed a class-action lawsuit against the network accusing it of racial discrimination.” On top of all that, earlier this week, “Fox News co-president Bill Shine resigned from the company, following accusations that he aided Roger Ailes.”
When asked about Ms. Falzone’s discrimination claims, a network spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter. But one thing is for certain, things clearly need to change at Fox News. From sexual harassment to racial and gender discrimination, one can’t help but wonder if the network can survive all of these hits.
Sources:
Another Fox News Employee Accuses the Network of Gender Discrimination
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