For Gretchen Carlson, a Career Marked by Sexual Harassment

By Mark Joyella 

Years before she would accuse one of the most powerful men in television news of sexual harassment, former Fox News Channel host Gretchen Carlson wrote about her experiences as a young reporter. “I’ve always considered myself a strong woman, not afraid to stand up for myself,” Carlson wrote in 2013. “But in the face of sexual harassment I was silent.”

In a story published in The Huffington Post, Carlson described a series of incidents–with local television photographers and high-level network executives–that went unreported for fear of what speaking out might do to her career. “After each incident, I spent sleepless nights wondering what I should do next. Should I tell someone? But whom could I tell? In my heart I knew that I wouldn’t be believed. These men were powerful, and I had no power. So I stayed silent.”

While Carlson didn’t name any names in 2013, she named one of the biggest in her sexual harassment lawsuit filed WednesdayRoger Ailes, chief executive of Fox News, and her longtime boss. Her suit also acused former Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy, of harassment that created a hostile work environment.

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The HuffPo story was written four years after Carlson says she reported Doocy to her supervisor. In the story, she writes that women cannot let fear keep them quiet. “Harassers get a pass in our culture, and it’s clear to me that we have to speak with one voice on this matter and say it’s wrong and we aren’t going to stand for it.”

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