Following another sexual harassment lawsuit filed today by a Fox News contributor, the network’s new Human Resources director sent an email to staffers telling them they have options to report bad workplace behavior.
“Particularly in light of some of the accounts published over the last few days,” writes Kevin Lord in an email obtained by TVNewser, “I wanted to re-emphasize the message we have been conveying at our training sessions for several months.”
Lord’s note came a few hours after Fox News was hit with a suit by current contributor Julie Roginsky and just days after two current accounting employees sued the network for “years-long relentless racial animus.”
“If any employee has any concerns about behavior in our workplace, I urge you to raise those concerns with me,” writes Lord, adding that other executives inside and outside the company are available.
Lord says staffers can also reach out to Dianne Brandi, the network’s General Counsel, as well as 21st Century Fox’s compliance officer Gerson Zweifach, and Michele Hirshman, a lawyer with outside firm Paul Weiss which conducted the investigation that led to the ouster of Fox News chief Roger Ailes last summer.
Roginsky’s lawyers made a point of stating in their case that Roginsky “was never advised that Fox News had a policy prohibiting sexual harassment, nor was she made aware of any reporting mechanism or policy prohibiting retaliation against those who complained about sexual harassment.”
“We want you to give you every opportunity to be heard through a vehicle of your choice, so that we can attempt to address your concerns promptly and confidentially,” writes Lord.