Should Fox News fire Bill O'Reilly? | The Tylt

A New York Times investigation found that O'Reilly and Fox have settled with at least five women—to the tune of $13 million—to silence potential lawsuits or negative publicity against O'Reilly and his show. The news comes as former Fox News Channel chairman Roger Ailes was pushed from his position after allegations of sexual harassment.  

The reporting suggests a pattern: As an influential figure in the newsroom, Mr. O’Reilly would create a bond with some women by offering advice and promising to help them professionally. He then would pursue sexual relationships with them, causing some to fear that if they rebuffed him, their careers would stall.

Critics say there's a culture which allows sexual harassment to go unchallenged at Fox News. Firing O'Reilly would send a message that the company is serious about addressing its problem. This sort of harassment should not be defended, regardless of how famous or important the person is. 

“Just like other prominent and controversial people,” the statement read, “I’m vulnerable to lawsuits from individuals who want me to pay them to avoid negative publicity. In my more than 20 years at Fox News Channel, no one has ever filed a complaint about me with the Human Resources Department, even on the anonymous hotline.

“But most importantly, I’m a father who cares deeply for my children and who would do anything to avoid hurting them in any way. And so I have put to rest any controversies to spare my children.

It's unlikely Fox will fire O'Reilly—in fact the network just renewed O'Reilly's contract. "The O'Relly Factor" pulls in $446 million of advertising revenue alone. A cynical view of Fox suggests the company would prefer to keep its golden goose—at least for now. 

Conservative viewers see the report as another liberal smear against O'Reilly. Like with so many other things, they say this is another case of fake news.