A Trapped Fox, and Much More!
In 2018 FOX News had to pay 10 million dollars to settle several discrimination lawsuits filed by 18 employees; some were current at the time while others were former ones. The cases ranged from claims of discrimination based on race, age, and pregnancy. Several complaints preceded one of the cases, but no one took any action towards those complaints. In addition, FOX denied all allegations. The plaintiffs included Fox News reporters who appear on radio and television, including Kelly Wright, a black network employee since 2003.
In his complaint, Wright alleged that the network’s “plantation-style administration” had marginalized him. According to The New York Times, the plaintiffs would be obligated to dismiss their claims and seek employment elsewhere, never returning to Fox News’ parent firm, 21st Century Fox. The parties would be prohibited from discussing their complaints but not from publishing their settlement sums.
The agreement closes another chapter in the network’s tumultuous history of controversies. A series of sexual harassment charges previously rocked the network, leading to the departure of numerous influential executives, including Bill O’Reilly and then-chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, in 2017.
FOX News is not the only company with discrimination lawsuits in court. There’s another case for Uber, as some drivers reported that passengers gave them a low rating on the app because of their race or color. Thus, leading later on to Uber firing them because of their low ratings. Those are not the only two cases. Want to hear more? BNP Paribas was found guilty of sexual discrimination by a female trader. Stacey Macken testified before the tribunal that her primarily male coworkers habitually humiliated and sexily treated her, including leaving a witch’s hat on her desk. Things do not stop at that. Stacey’s performance reviews were carried out in a way that made her contributions seem light. Thus, she missed out on bonuses and promotions that went directly to her male colleagues. The above cases are just samples. However, courts around the globe are full of all sorts of discrimination cases.1
But why do people harass or bully each other in the first place? On National Stop Bullying Day, let’s explore more about bullying and harassment.
(To be continued on the next blogs)
1Kevin Breuninge & Dan Mangan, Business Insider, Jun 29 2021. Accessed 20 August 2021, https://www.businessinsider.com/fox-news-settles-discrimination-lawsuits-for-around-10-million-2018-5
1Reuters, Sept, 11, 2019, Accessed 20 August 2021, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-bnpparibas-discrimination/london-broker-wins-sexual-discrimination-lawsuit-against-bnp-paribas-idUKKCN1VW2G1?edition-redirect=uk David Mangion, Skillscast, 08 Jun 2021. Accessed 20 August 2021, https://www.skillcast.com/blog/12-notorious-uk-discrimination-cases
1Josh Eidelson and Bloomberg, Fortune, October 26, 2020. Accessed 20 August 2021, https://fortune.com/2020/10/26/uber-lawsuit-drivers-fired-low-ratings-racial-discrimination/
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