Reply #33: Equal rights watchdog sues Fox News for harassing women

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Equal rights watchdog sues Fox News for harassing women

Julian Borger in Washington
Wednesday November 9, 2005
The Guardian


Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel is being sued by the US equal employment opportunity commission for harassing and discriminating against its female staff, it was reported yesterday. The EEOC commission, a federal agency, accused Fox of creating a "hostile work environment" for women because of their sex, after investigating discrimination claims by a former employee, Kim Weiler.

Its report singles out Joe Chillemi, vice president in charge of promotions and advertising at Fox, who it alleged "routinely used obscenities and vulgarities when describing women or their body parts". The lawsuit, filed in a federal court, alleged that Mr Chillemi "routinely cursed at and otherwise denigrated women employees", telling them to "be a man".


"At a department discussion about a segment on sexism in the workplace, Chillemi said that in choosing who to hire 'if it came down between a man or a woman, of course I'd pick the man. The woman would most likely get pregnant and leave'," the lawsuit alleged.
The commission also claimed Fox News routinely relegated female employees to freelance work, with less job security and fewer benefits. Ms Weiler was "constructively discharged", according to the commission report. That meant that "conditions became so intolerable, she was unable to work there", Judy Keenan, an EEOC lawyer, said.

Steven Mintz, a lawyer who represented Fox News during the investigation, told the New York Times: "We investigated the allegations and charges that were made and found them to be baseless ... Fox News questions the motivations behind the charges."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1637199,00.html