Riaan Icala lomkhiqizi we-Fox News lokucwasa likaRupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp. linikeza umbono obanzi ngezinkinga zamasiko ezisolwayo zenethiwekhi, ukusebenzelana namaRiphabhulikhi avelele kanye nokukhombana ngeminwe kulandela icala lokwehliswa kwesithunzi lika-$1.6-billion.
U-Abby Grossberg, osesebenze ezindabeni ze-TV iminyaka engamashumi amabili, wamangalela uFox, Fox News, U-Tucker Carlson kanye nabakhiqizi abaningana ngasekupheleni kukaMsombuluko, bethi inethiwekhi igcwele ukuziphatha okucwasa ngokobulili, okungafaneleki kwabesifazane kanye nokuziphatha okuhlukumezayo.
Icala likaGrossberg lisola ukucwasa okusekelwe kubulili, inkolo nokukhubazeka. Usola ukuthi “ubuqhwaga obuqhubekayo nokukhishwa umoya” kwambangela “ukucindezeleka nokukhathazeka okukhulu kangangokuthi izilonda zakhe zesisu zaqubuka futhi waba nobuhlungu obudlulele.”
Icala elinamakhasi angama-79, elifakwe enkantolo yenhlangano eNew York, liphakamisa imibuzo mayelana nokuthi ngabe iFox News isilwenze ibe yisimanje isiko lendawo yokusebenza kusukela ngaleso sikhathi. umsunguli uRoger Ailes waphoqeleka ukuba aphume ngo-2016 phakathi kwezinsolo zokuhlukunyezwa ngokocansi, eziqale zaphakanyiswa ngowayekade ekhona ihange uGretchen Carlson.
Ezinye izibalo ezivelele zeFox News selokhu zehla, okuhlanganisa uBill O’Reilly owayeyinkanyezi yokuqala futhi U-Eric Bollingowayengumphathi weFox News Specialists.
“I-Fox News Media ihlanganyele nommeli ozimele wangaphandle ukuze aphenye ngokushesha ukukhathazeka okuvezwe nguNks Grossberg, okwenziwe ngemuva kokubuyekezwa okubucayi kokusebenza,” kusho isitatimende senethiwekhi.
Abantu abasondelene neFox News bathi inethiwekhi yenze izinyathelo zokuthuthukisa isiko lebhizinisi, ifaka Suzanne Scott njengesikhulu esiphezulu ngo-2018 – okuwukuphela kwenduna yesifazane emlandweni wenethiwekhi weminyaka engaphezu kwengama-25. Bamncoma ngokukhulisa isibalo sabesifazane eqenjini lakhe eliphezulu.
Isikhalazo sikaGrossberg sinezinsolo zokuthi abameli bakaFox bamcindezela ukuthi anikeze ubufakazi obudukisayo Icala lokwehliswa kwesithunzi se-Dominion Voting Systems lika-$1.6-billion. I-Fox News iziphika ngokuqinile izimangalo zakhe.
Isiteshi sezindaba se-conservative cable solwa ngokugqugquzela amanga ngamabomu kaMongameli wangaphambilini uTrump kanye nabasekeli bakhe mayelana nokhetho lwango-2020 oluntshontshwa ngosizo lwemishini yokuvota ye-Dominion nesoftware. Kade kukhona ukulalelwa okuhlukile ngoLwesibili eDelaware ukuqala ukukala ukufaneleka kwalelo cala.
“Izinsolo zakhe mayelana necala le-Dominion azinasisekelo futhi sizomvikela ngokuqinile uFox kuzo zonke izimangalo zakhe ezingokomthetho ezingenasisekelo,” kusho i-Fox News esitatimendeni sayo.
U-Grossberg wasebenza kwa-Fox News iminyaka engaphezu kwemithathu, okokuqala njengomkhiqizi ophezulu wokubhukha wombukiso ka-Maria Bartiromo ngaphambi kokushintshela ekubeni umkhiqizi ophezulu kanye nenhloko yokubhukha yombukiso odumile ka-Tucker Carlson wangoSepthemba. (Ecaleni, uthe “wehliswa esikhundleni engazi” endimeni yakhe yomdidiyeli omkhulu ngasekupheleni kukaNovemba.)
Ecaleni, uGrossberg uthi uzwe abaphathi besilisa bekhuluma ngobulili futhi belulaza izinkulumo mayelana ne-Bartiromo, okuhlanganisa nokuthi umshicileli wezindaba zezimali “wayehlanya,” “eyamenopausal,” “hysterical” kanye “ne-diva.”
Esinye isikhulu senethiwekhi kuthiwa sizame ukusola uGrossberg Icala likaDominion ngokumelene neFox Newsemsola ngokuthi “ukungakwazi kwakhe ukuphatha i-diva [i.e. Bartiromo]” idale icala lenethiwekhi, okuholele ekuqulweni kwecala lokwehliswa kwesithunzi se-blockbuster.
Odabeni lwe-Dominion, indima ka-Bartiromo ekhuthaza izimangalo ezingelona iqiniso zokusabalala ukukhwabanisa kwabavoti sekuhlolisiswe kakhulu. Icala likaGrossberg lisola ukuthi isikhulu – uRalph Giordano, iphini likamongameli wezindaba kuFox Business Network – wabe esefuna “ukumphoqa” ukuthi “abe inhloli kuNks. Bartiromo” ukuze uGrossberg enze “isiqalo esihlanzekile” kunethiwekhi.
Ngemuva kokusebenza ngaphansi kwezinyanga ezinhlanu embukisweni kaCarlson, uGrossberg wacela ukuya ekhefini lezokwelapha maphakathi noJanuwari.
Lapho ethi uxoxa ngalesi simo nomphathi, uThomas Fox, umdidiyeli ophezulu wokuhlela, uthi watshelwa, “Sonke sicindezelekile. Lena ithoni kaTucker kanye nejubane lohlelo nje.”
NgoFebhuwari, wacela ukwelulekwa ikhefu ngokululekwa ngumelaphi wakhe.
Emhlanganweni wokudingida izicelo zakhe zomthetho ngasekuqaleni kwaleli sonto, uGrossberg nommeli wakhe benqabile ukwamukela isixazululo esihlongozwayo. UFox wabe esemangalela umdidiyeli futhi wambeka “elivini eliphoqelelwe lokuphatha,” ngokusho kwecala. UFox usesihoxisile isenzo sakhe.
Icala lichaze ukuthi wethuka kanjani ngosuku lwakhe lokuqala esebenzela umbukiso kaCarlson ngoSepthemba.
Ufike ehhovisi ezobona “izithombe eziningi ezinkulu neziqhumayo zikaNancy Pelosi egqoke isudi ecwebezelayo eveza umgqa wakhe. Izithombe zifakwe kukhompuyutha yakhe nakwezinye izindawo ehhovisi,” kusho icala.
Ngosuku olulandelayo, ngokwecala, umdidiyeli omkhulu wohlelo luka-Carlson, u-Justin Wells, wabizela u-Grossberg ehhovisi nomunye uzakwabo, u-Alexander McCaskill, owayekhona.
U-Wells kuthiwa wabuza u-Grossberg “umbuzo wocansi ongakhululekile mayelana nomphathi wakhe wangaphambili: ‘Ingabe u-Maria Bartiromo [sleeping with] Kevin McCarthy?’ Ethukile, uNkz. Grossberg waphendula ngokuthi ‘Cha,’ wabe esephuma ngokushesha egumbini,” kusho icala.
Abasebenzi be-“Tucker Carlson Tonight” “babevame ukuhlanganyela ezingxoxweni zeqembu, eziholwa nguMnu. McCaskill, lapho kwasakazwa imibono engafanele yabesifazane njengezinto okufanele bahlulelwe ngokusekelwe ekubukekeni kwabo,” kusho u-Grossberg.
“Kulezi zingxoxo, akekho umuntu wesifazane, noma ngabe wayengusopolitiki waseRiphabhulikhi noma isisebenzi wesifazane kwaFox News, owayephephile ukuthi angavele abe yisisulu sokucwasa ngobulili, ukuphawula okululazayo,” kusho icala.
Umsakazi weFox News uTucker Carlson, oboniswe lapha esiteshini sakhe senethiwekhi ngo-2018, waqanjwa njengommangalelwa ecaleni elifakwe umdidiyeli ohlelweni lwakhe.
(UJennifer S. Altman/For The Times)
Icala likhomba isigameko okusolwa kuso ngo-Okthoba, lapho u-Tudor Dixon owayengenele isikhundla sikagubernatori waseMichigan wayehlelelwe ukuvela njengesimenywa ohlelweni luka-Carlson.
“Ngaphambili [Dixon’s] ekufikeni, kwalandela ingxoxo eshubile neyobulili egunjini lezindaba mayelana nokuthi uNkz. Dixon noma ophikisana naye, u-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, ‘wayeshisa kakhulu nangaphezulu. [sexually desirable]’” kusho icala, ephawula ukuthi umdidiyeli “waze waphenya ihhovisi ngemibono yabo.”
Ngenkathi uKhongolose uKat Cammack (R-Fla.) evela kumabonakude ngoJanuwari esitezi seNdlu, “uMnu. UMcCaskill wahlekisa ngesisindo sakhe nokubukeka kwakhe ngokuthi ‘ukhuluphele njengoKelly Clarkson,’” ngokusho kwecala.
“Izinkulumo ezinyanyeka kangaka azizange zenziwe ngamadoda avela ohlelweni lukaCarlson, kusho icala.
Kwesinye isigameko, icala lisolwa, uMcCaskill uphawule “ngegumbi likamama” lenethiwekhi, lapho abasebenzi bakwaFox News bekwazi ukumpompa ubisi lwebele, “bekuwukumosha indawo”. Isikhulu kuthiwa sithe lesi sikhala kufanele siguqulwe sibe “igumbi lemibhede yokushukwa ukuze abafana bagcobe amasende,” kubhekiselwa kusigaba sika. Carlson ngezindlela zokuthi amadoda akhuphule amazinga e-testosterone.
Icala lika-Grossberg liqukethe namazwibela okuxhumana okusolwa ukuthi phakathi kuka-Grossberg no-Carlson, kudingidwa ngemizamo yakhe yokuqinisekisa ukuvela kuka-Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) ngesikhathi bezabalaza ukuqoqa amavoti ukuze bawine isikhundla sikaSomlomo weNdlu.
UGrossberg ubhale ukuthi ubebhekene nengwadla ngenxa yabasebenzi bakaMcCarthy, abesaba ukuthi uzobhekana nokuphindiselwa emoyeni wumcwaningi odumile uFrank Luntz.
UMcCarthy, wabhala, ngokusho kwecala, “wayesaba, okuyinto ehlekisayo. Uma engakwazi ukubhekana nawe, uzolwa kanjani noBiden namaDems? Ngemuva kokulahlekelwa okungu-7 kungamsiza kuphela.”
Ngokusho kwecala, uCarlson waphendula, “Uzoba isiphukuphuku esiyigwala. Okungenzeka ukuthi uyikho.”
UCarlson wabe eseqhubeka: “Ngethemba ngempela ukuthi uzokwenza [appears on the show]. Ngizoba mnene, ngoba yilokho engiyikho. Kodwa ngeke ngibe nenhliziyo embi kakhulu. Ngifuna ukusiza ukulungisa lokhu.”
