If Huddy had some sort of physical altercation with a co-worker, that’s plenty of reason for termination. Beyond that, I watched his work on numerous occasions. Nothing distinguished; in fact, he seemed to have a penchant for doing most of his work from the studio, not exactly a calling card for a foreign correspondent.
Fox has much better people on the international beat, including Greg Palkot. If you ever get a chance, watch the documentary he produced (along with his crew) while embedded with US Marines in Fallujah. It received no attention from critics or journalism prize juries because it aired on Fox, but it is an outstanding piece of journalism.
Conor Powell, who also reports from Jerusalem, is much better than Huddy. Ditto for Leland Vittert when he was assigned to the bureau. His sister, BTW, had a trashy reputation at the network—yet, Fox gave her a syndicated daytime talk show (with Mike Jerrick) that was designed to compete with Kelly Ripa’s program. After that project failed, she also bombed at WNYW, the Fox station in New York, and it was clear FNC had no real interest in bringing her back.
So, what’s a fading anchor babe in her 40s supposed to do? She knew Fox was in full panic mode and O’Reilly had come on to her. Like others, she decided to pad her 401K and claim a big settlement, as her new, primary retirement plan.
Same template for Gretchen Carlson and Lis Wiehl. Carlson begged to leave “Fox and Friends” for her own show. Roger Ailes obliged. She bombed at 2 pm, but she still had her claim against Ailes in her back pocket, and new management (the Murdoch spawn) who were willing to accept anything she said to push Ailes out the door. So, Fox was more than willing to write her a $20 million check, because it helped the younger Murdochs get rid of their rival, once and for all.
As for the claims against O’Reilly, I have no doubt he is capable of piggish behavior. But Lis Wiehl willingly worked alongside him for almost 20 years—she even co-hosted his radio show for five years. O’Reilly kept her on the roster at Fox and helped her get publishing contracts for her series of mystery novels. Guess the money was too good to pass up. But, with a Harvard law degree (and past experience as a prosecutor), you’d think she’d have other career options if working with O’Reilly was so brutal.
And Wiehl was in a predicament similar to Carlson. Not being used as much as a Fox contributor; she was never a candidate for the anchor chair, and a little old to sign on with a law firm. So, play the O’Reilly card and walk away with an even bigger check. Also, you’ve got to wonder what sort of “preferences” Billy must be hiding, given his willingness to give Wiehl $30 million of his own money.
As the father of three daughters, I have no tolerance for anyone who harasses, degrades or assaults women. But I find it curious that bright, capable, well-educated career women would willingly endure such “hellish” conditions for so long, then suddenly reach a point of no return, just as their careers at the network are ending.