Fox News CEO Roger Ailes emailed with Politico’s Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen, to talk about a new book by Bloomberg View columnist Jonathan Alter. Alter’s book is about the 2012 election campaign, but there are also elements about the intersection of the media and politics, including a number of points about the Fox News chairman and CEO.
In the emails to Allen and VandeHei, Ailes disputes most of the things Alter writes about him in his book.
Allegation: “Tales of his paranoia had circulated for years, like the time he tried to order bombproof glass for his office because he thought homosexuals outside News Corp. headquarters on Sixth Avenue might shoot at him.”
AdvertisementAiles: “He says I tried to bombproof the office by ordering bombproof glass because I thought that homosexuals might shoot at me. First of all, Alter must be homophobic to even think like that. If a bomb goes off the whole damn building goes down, it doesn’t matter what glass you have. It’s a stupid accusation. I came into this office 17 years ago, the same windows exist and the blinds are frequently open.”
Allegation: “[A]fter Murdoch pushed him to moderate Fox’s coverage of Obama, Ailes threatened to quit.”
Ailes: “Rupert Murdoch never asked me to ease up on Obama and I never threatened to resign.”
They also got a response to Ailes’ response from Alter:
Alter, during a break between interviews on his book tour, told us: “The question is, do you believe me or Roger Ailes?”
Alter said his scoops “came from current or former News Corp. employees.” Saying how surprised he was that Ailes would engage “at this level,” Alter added: “Roger is a bully. And like a lot of bullies, he can dish it out but he can’t take it.”