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| 21st Century Fox Says No Decision Made on Ailes’s Future | 21st Century Fox Says No Decision Made on Ailes’s Future |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| CLEVELAND — This was supposed to be Fox News Channel’s big week, a time to flex its muscles and flaunt its ratings dominance as the long-reigning media king of the Republican National Convention. | CLEVELAND — This was supposed to be Fox News Channel’s big week, a time to flex its muscles and flaunt its ratings dominance as the long-reigning media king of the Republican National Convention. |
| Instead, the cable news network has been buffeted by a whirlwind of speculation and the specter of a public relations debacle as serious doubts were raised about whether its co-founder and chairman, Roger Ailes, would remain at the helm of the network. | |
| It started with a report by New York magazine on Monday saying that Rupert Murdoch and his sons, Lachlan and James — the three men who sit atop Fox News’s corporate parent, 21st Century Fox — had come to the conclusion that “Ailes needs to go,” after accusations of sexual harassment by a former anchor, Gretchen Carlson. (Ms. Carlson filed her lawsuit on July 6, after her contract was not renewed in June. Mr. Ailes has vehemently denied the accusations.) | |
| The article was followed 90 minutes later by a terse statement from the company: “This matter is not yet resolved and the review is not concluded.” | The article was followed 90 minutes later by a terse statement from the company: “This matter is not yet resolved and the review is not concluded.” |
| That chilly comment set off alarm bells at Fox News and in the television industry at large for what it did not say. The only previous public comment by 21st Century Fox took care to note that Mr. Ailes had its “full confidence” and that he had “served the company brilliantly over the last two decades.” | That chilly comment set off alarm bells at Fox News and in the television industry at large for what it did not say. The only previous public comment by 21st Century Fox took care to note that Mr. Ailes had its “full confidence” and that he had “served the company brilliantly over the last two decades.” |
| And, roughly two weeks after Ms. Carlson filed her lawsuit, interviews with people inside and outside the network — none of whom would speak for attribution — indicated a struggle within Fox News and 21st Century Fox over Mr. Ailes’s fate, which now hinges on the findings of the law firm retained to investigate the accusations, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. | And, roughly two weeks after Ms. Carlson filed her lawsuit, interviews with people inside and outside the network — none of whom would speak for attribution — indicated a struggle within Fox News and 21st Century Fox over Mr. Ailes’s fate, which now hinges on the findings of the law firm retained to investigate the accusations, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. |
| In initial interviews with Fox News staff members, investigators for Paul, Weiss turned up disconcerting findings about the omnipotence of Mr. Ailes. Some people felt pressured to publicly support him in a climate that could intimidate others into silence, according to a person briefed on the early stages of the investigation. | In initial interviews with Fox News staff members, investigators for Paul, Weiss turned up disconcerting findings about the omnipotence of Mr. Ailes. Some people felt pressured to publicly support him in a climate that could intimidate others into silence, according to a person briefed on the early stages of the investigation. |
| In addition, a campaign inside Fox News to rally support for Mr. Ailes included an op-ed article from the Fox Business Network anchor Neil Cavuto in Business Insider, in which he vouched for Mr. Ailes’s character and said that the accusations being made against him were “sick.” | In addition, a campaign inside Fox News to rally support for Mr. Ailes included an op-ed article from the Fox Business Network anchor Neil Cavuto in Business Insider, in which he vouched for Mr. Ailes’s character and said that the accusations being made against him were “sick.” |
| Mr. Cavuto holds senior vice president and managing editor titles at Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, and his comments could be seen as chilling to anyone who was considering stepping forward with sensitive allegations. | Mr. Cavuto holds senior vice president and managing editor titles at Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, and his comments could be seen as chilling to anyone who was considering stepping forward with sensitive allegations. |
| Mr. Cavuto, who wrote the article while recuperating from open-heart surgery, said in an interview that the implication had not dawned on him. “I had no Machiavellian motive or sinister intention,” he said. | Mr. Cavuto, who wrote the article while recuperating from open-heart surgery, said in an interview that the implication had not dawned on him. “I had no Machiavellian motive or sinister intention,” he said. |
| “My only point was just to say this doesn’t ring with the guy I know,” he said, adding that he had worked with Mr. Ailes closely for decades. “It was so far from what I had seen — as if I would ever condone that behavior.” | “My only point was just to say this doesn’t ring with the guy I know,” he said, adding that he had worked with Mr. Ailes closely for decades. “It was so far from what I had seen — as if I would ever condone that behavior.” |
| Several other Fox News Channel stars have come out in support of Mr. Ailes, including the anchors Greta Van Susteren, Harris Faulkner and Martha MacCallum. | Several other Fox News Channel stars have come out in support of Mr. Ailes, including the anchors Greta Van Susteren, Harris Faulkner and Martha MacCallum. |
| On Monday, Brit Hume, the longtime Fox anchor, speaking outside the Fox News production studios here, said, “It’s inconceivable to me that any conclusions could have been reached at this stage.” Mr. Hume has spoken publicly in support of Mr. Ailes since the suit was first filed. | On Monday, Brit Hume, the longtime Fox anchor, speaking outside the Fox News production studios here, said, “It’s inconceivable to me that any conclusions could have been reached at this stage.” Mr. Hume has spoken publicly in support of Mr. Ailes since the suit was first filed. |
| The idea of Fox News without Mr. Ailes is difficult to fathom. As the network co-founder, his personality is ingrained in the network’s brash approach to the news, which he has described as an antidote to a biased mainstream news media. | The idea of Fox News without Mr. Ailes is difficult to fathom. As the network co-founder, his personality is ingrained in the network’s brash approach to the news, which he has described as an antidote to a biased mainstream news media. |
| That his future is now in doubt represents a fundamental change in his unassailable status at the top of the 20-year-old network. | That his future is now in doubt represents a fundamental change in his unassailable status at the top of the 20-year-old network. |
| Ms. Carlson, 50, filed her lawsuit on July 6, saying she was ousted from her weekday afternoon show on Fox News after rebuffing sexual advances from Mr. Ailes, 76, and complaining about harassment. | Ms. Carlson, 50, filed her lawsuit on July 6, saying she was ousted from her weekday afternoon show on Fox News after rebuffing sexual advances from Mr. Ailes, 76, and complaining about harassment. |
| Ms. Carlson accused Mr. Ailes of ogling her in his office and calling her “sexy.” | Ms. Carlson accused Mr. Ailes of ogling her in his office and calling her “sexy.” |
| Her description of sexual harassment and retaliation was followed by accounts from other women who say Mr. Ailes acted inappropriately in professional settings between the mid-1960s and the late 1980s. | Her description of sexual harassment and retaliation was followed by accounts from other women who say Mr. Ailes acted inappropriately in professional settings between the mid-1960s and the late 1980s. |
| But in voicing support for Mr. Ailes, several of his defenders questioned Ms. Carlson’s motives and wondered why she waited until her contract was not renewed to file a sexual harassment lawsuit. | But in voicing support for Mr. Ailes, several of his defenders questioned Ms. Carlson’s motives and wondered why she waited until her contract was not renewed to file a sexual harassment lawsuit. |
| Mr. Ailes was unequivocal in his response on the day Ms. Carlson’s lawsuit was filed. | Mr. Ailes was unequivocal in his response on the day Ms. Carlson’s lawsuit was filed. |
| “Gretchen Carlson’s allegations are false,” he wrote in a statement. | “Gretchen Carlson’s allegations are false,” he wrote in a statement. |
| Fox News has been the No. 1-rated cable news station for 15 years, and represents about 20 percent of all profits for 21st Century Fox. | Fox News has been the No. 1-rated cable news station for 15 years, and represents about 20 percent of all profits for 21st Century Fox. |
| Until now, it was widely assumed that Fox News’s profitability would help ensure Mr. Ailes’s position atop the network. Now the company has made it clear that what it calls the “matter” involving Mr. Ailes is bigger than corporate earnings. | Until now, it was widely assumed that Fox News’s profitability would help ensure Mr. Ailes’s position atop the network. Now the company has made it clear that what it calls the “matter” involving Mr. Ailes is bigger than corporate earnings. |