Roger Ailes is no longer the chairman and CEO at Fox News, but that hasn’t stopped claims of sexual harassment from hounding the media power player.
The former director of booking for Fox News, Laurie Luhn, has accused the recently resigned Ailes of over 20 years of sexual harassment. This most recent set of allegations against Ailes appeared in a story from the Daily Intelligencer wing of New York magazine and they paint a remarkably grim picture of the cable outlet. Luhn described the experience as “psychological torture” and claims Fox News not only knew about the behavior, but actively covered it up as well. She told the Daily Intelligencer that she believes the situation is what caused her to be hospitalized and experience a number of mental breakdowns.
Luhn says she ended up going along with Ailes’ advances because of his position of power and thought it might help her career. She also states that she was required to lure young Fox News employees into one-on-one situations that were likely to end in sexual harassment. “He’s a predator,” she said.
According to Luhn, she catered to the right at Fox News and used telegenic and articulate personalities to help sell the war in Iraq.
As she was promoted through the ranks at Fox, Luhn worked harder and harder to please Ailes. She zealously promoted the network’s right-wing agenda. “I was very proud of the product. I was very proud of how we handled 9/11. Very proud of how we handled the run-up to the Iraq War,” she said. “My job was to sell the war. I needed to get people on the air that were attractive and articulate and could convey the importance of this campaign. It was a drumbeat.”
Although her exit from the company in 2011 (complete with a $3.15 million settlement) was filled with a number of non-disclosure clauses, Luhn recounted her experiences in an 11-hour interview session that is stuffed with damning charges leveled against her former boss. She spoke about being videotaped by Ailes, being coerced into engaging in “sadomasochistic sex with another woman” on multiple occasions and a push for Luhn to bring young women to him.
“You’re going to find me ‘Roger’s Angels.’ You’re going to find me whores,” Luhn recalls Ailes saying.
The full Daily Intelligencer story is definitely worth your time. Open a new window/tab and give it a read.
(Via Daily Intelligencer)