SHOCK: Another Fox News Scandal Explodes Open
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Gee, another day, another Fox News scandal. Back in the news is former Fox News host Andrea Tantaros, who as I understand it, already has turned down multiple offers from Fox to settle. She is now claiming that her computer was hacked and key-logging software was installed to keep her under surveillance. She also claims to be the victim of a social media smear campaign. I have no idea if any of this is true and Tantaros doesn’t strike me as totally credible. But let me say this… employers do install key-logging software routinely to keep an eye on employees. As for the smear campaign… Fox News is notorious for it. So, it is not a huge stretch of the imagination to believe all this.
Of course, Fox News is denying all of this. I would expect nothing less one way or the other. Susan Estrich, a lawyer representing Ailes, also said the suit has no merit. “Ms. Tantaros and her attorney continue to file one lawsuit after another in an obvious attempt to get publicity,” she said in an email. “And any suit arising out of her employment at Fox News belongs in arbitration, as they well know.” It is hard to tell really what is going on here, but I haven’t heard of Tantaros being in the media eye lately. Suddenly she is… there’s a possibility she is cooking these allegations up to stay ‘seen’ out there.
From Bloomberg:
Former Fox News host Andrea Tantaros stepped up her fight with her ex-employer claiming in a new lawsuit that she was a victim of hacking, electronic surveillance and a social media harassment campaign that mirrors the plot of a “Homeland” episode.
Fox News operatives broke into her personal computer, planted key-logging and other surveillance software on it and then used the information “to intimidate, terrorize and crush her career through an endless stream of lewd, offensive and career-damaging social media posts, blog entries and commentary,” Tantaros claims in the lawsuit.
“The outlandish merges with reality in the world of Fox News,” she said in the complaint, filed Monday in New York federal court.
Dechert LLP, the law firm representing Fox News, rejected the allegations in an emailed statement.
“Fox News and its executives flatly deny that they conducted any electronic surveillance of Ms. Tantaros,” the law firm said. “They have no knowledge of the anonymous or pseudonymous tweets described in her complaint.”
Tantaros’ new lawsuit builds on her previous allegations, claiming that the company engaged in “bizarre and shocking” behavior designed to “emotionally torture” her into surrendering her legal claims. But if she had a really strong case, I would think Fox News would have settled with her as they did Gretchen Carlson, who was awarded $20 million for her sexual harassment claims against Roger Ailes.
Tantaros’ complaint also refers to a so-called “Black Room,” set up by Ailes to illegally secure journalists’ phone records and credit reports. The use of fake social-media accounts has been a part of Fox News’ repertoire of dirty tricks since at least 2008, according to the complaint, which cited a David Folkenflik book, “Murdoch’s World: The Last of the Old Media Empires,” to make the assertion. Now, I have actually heard this one was true and it would not surprise me if it was. But again, it’s the whole lack of ‘evidence’ thing that keeps me in doubt here. It has the feel of Tantaros wanting a pay day and fame out of this. Her accusations stretch her credibility to the extreme. I guess we will see if anything comes of this, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
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