Sexual harassment is apparently not the only thing toxic about Fox News’ culture.
New York magazine reports that there are mounting allegations that there was also blatant racial discrimination at the network and that next week, seven black Fox News employees plan to join an existing racial discrimination suit filed last month.
The original lawsuit, brought by two African-American employees, alleges that Fox News’ longtime comptroller, Judy Slater, subjected members of Fox’s payroll staff to racial insults. Slater also allegedly demanded that black employees hold “arm-wrestling matches” with white female employees in her office.
“Forcing a black woman employee to ‘fight’ for the amusement and pleasure of her white superiors is horrifying,” the letter states.
Slater was let go in light of the lawsuit.
But wait—there’s more!
Fox’s accounting director, Tammy Efinger, is also being fingered in this racist clusterfuck. Lawyers say that Efinger bragged about wanting to “fight” a black employee and did nothing but laugh when Slater hurled her racial animus.
Fox News recently cut ties with its most successful host, Bill O’Reilly, after news of a $13 million payout to sexual harassment accusers became public.
Advertisers abandoned O’Reilly’s daily prime-time show in droves, and Fox made his dismissal official Wednesday.
A day before that announcement, a former black employee came forward to say that O’Reilly leered at her and made grunting noises when he passed her desk, saying that he also once referred to her as “hot chocolate.”
Read more at New York magazine.