OPINION:
Fox News is on a rolling, plunging, rocky ride of late, with all the sexual harassment allegations, suits, settlements, claim and the rest — and now, this.
Black anchor Kelly Wright has joined a handful of former and present staffers accusing the cable outlet of racial discrimination. He’s the only black male anchor at Fox; he announced his intent to file separate charges during a press conference with his attorney, Doug Wigdor.
He also announced he was joining the separate race discrimination suit filed by a dozen other plaintiffs against Fox, alleging race discrimination as well.
“This hurts,” Wright said, the Blaze reported. “This hurts. I am here reluctantly because I prefer sitting behind an anchor desk delivering news to you, the viewer — reporting, delivering the news. … I am here reluctantly because I am not against any man or woman at Fox News. The truth is I admire, I like and even love the people who I work with and for. But I don’t like what they do.”
Gulp. Here comes the stunner. Wright first made clear that he’s not joined forces with any left-wing organization to try and take down Fox. He also added his belief that Fox would continue to grow and thrive, due in large part to the millions of watchers who trust in the company mission.
And then this: “But when that trust is broken with various employees because of racial bias, something has to be done.”
So what’d Wright personally experience at Fox that met the criteria, he believed, for racial discrimination?
Wigdor stepped in to explain.
“Mr. [Bill] O’Reilly would not permit Mr. Wright to come on his show to discuss how America could focus on achieving racial reconciliation in the midst of growing racial hostility,” the attorney said. “Instead, Mr. O’Reilly told Mr. Wright that he should call up Roger Ailes and Bill Shine and offer to sing the national anthem at the Fox News town hall. Rather than viewing Mr. Wright as the two-time Emmy award recipient he is, Mr. O’Reilly saw Mr. Wright as a singing entertainer.”
Wright was later asked to appear on O’Reilly’s news talk show to discuss the Ferguson, Missouri, racial upsets and divide. At that time, Wright asked O’Reilly to show “Beyond the Dream,” a series of stories about positive contributions blacks have made to their communities.
“Mr. O’Reilly refused because it showed blacks in too positive a light,” Wigdor said, the Blaze reported, “declaring that he, Mr. O’Reilly, knew black America better than anyone.”
Fox has denied the allegations in Wright’s suit, as well as the charges contained in the previous race discrimination suit filed by a dozen other plaintiffs.And the company, through a spokesperson, vowed to “vigorously defend these cases.”
Woe is Fox, though. And woe are conservatives across the country who have watched with growing alarm the seeming endless allegations of sexual harassment against big names at the one outlet that used to represent the free-market, small-government side of arguments — and now this.
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