Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is attracting controversy for the way she described her experience as a commentator on Fox News.
Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is attracting controversy for the way she described her experience as a commentator on Fox News.
The Washington Post called her Thursday interview with CNN as “cagey” and pointed out that she would not confirm or deny any personal accounts of sexual harassment at Fox News which has been under fire for such claims.
Host Jake Tapper asked Palin, “Did you ever witness or experience, God forbid, anything like that at Fox?” She responded by saying, “I wouldn't put up with anything that would be perceived as intimidating or harassing.”
Tapper then followed up with, “...I wonder, was that part of the reason you left?” She answered, “...you can ask them why I'm no longer with Fox. You know, I'm not going to speak for them. My contract wasn't renewed...that's the line.”
He said, “I don't want to be a jerk, but it sounds like you experienced something.”
According to Palin, “...it was just time to part ways....”
Meanwhile, the Huffington Post accuses her of victim blaming during the interview.
Palin had said to Tapper, “If a woman believes that she is being intimidating and harassed, she needs to stand up and do something about it and not stick around for a paycheck for years and years and years, and then after the fact complain about what she went through.”
However, she prefaced the comment by saying about Fox News, “The corporate culture there obviously has to change. Women don’t deserve, they should not ever have to put up with any kind of intimidating workspace.”
The network has been in the headlines for its recent ouster of high-profile host Bill O’Reilly and last year’s removal of chairman Roger Ailes--both over sexual harassment charges.
Newsweek reports that "Fox News will have paid out more than $85 million to make multiple sexual harassment allegations go away following news that the cable network’s former top star Bill O’Reilly may get a $25 million severance after he was fired this week."
