Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Fox News on Brink: Murdoch Brothers’ Force Out of Roger Ailes Coming, No Defense from Megyn Kelly

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The word is sweeping through the media, led by New York Magazine, that Roger Ailes is out as head of Fox News. James and Lachlan Murdoch have quietly sanctioned the bad news and allowed it to spread. The party is over.

Of interest: there’s never been a defense of Ailes from Fox News’s biggest anchor, Megyn Kelly. Nothing. All the others spoke up, to varying degrees. But Kelly has remained mum.

Now the Ailes exit — in the middle of a presidential campaign–in the middle of the Republican convention. Just crazy. Don’t think it’s not orchestrated. If Ailes leaves Fox News, who would run it? There is no heir apparent. And the Murdochs have already signaled the end of nutty ring wing partisan broadcasting. With Ailes out, Fox broadcasters might start acting like human beings and saying sensible things.

The move to oust Ailes is bigger than what just happened in Turkey. When News Corp wants something done, they make sure it happens. The defense of Ailes has been minimal at best. But I know better than most– when they want you out, News Corp knows how to spread the word fast.

This is gonna be good.

Oh yeah– do I feel bad for Roger Ailes? I do, actually. We had ten great years and one bad day, when he was a coward. But for a decade he was a stand up guy.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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