title:  Fox News’ Roger Ailes Has Actually Been Harassing Female Journalists For Decades
text: This morning, the world found out that former Fox News anchor, Gretchen Carlson, was suing CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment after being fired from the network. Her complaint is that she was fired because she wouldn t sleep with him, and that women who didn t complain or rebuff him received preferential treatment.Her account rings true, especially to those of us who have likewise experienced that kind of harassment in the workplace, and the retaliation that so often comes with it despite all the laws and company policies on the books. It s further bolstered by the fact that Ailes has a long history of being an openly dirty old man who has zero regard for women as anything more than his sex toys: While interviewing Randi Harrison, a twenty-something out-of-work producer who had come in from Florida, Ailes steered the conversation onto uncomfortable terrain. According to Harrison, Ailes looked over at his NBC office couch and said,  I have helped a lot of women get ahead and advance their careers in the broadcast television industry.  They were discussing her salary. Ailes offered $400 a week. Harrison told him it was a lowball figure. Ailes made a counteroffer:  If you agree to have sex with me whenever I want, I will add an extra hundred dollars a week.' I guess we ll be in touch,  Harrison said, getting up to leave. Ailes maneuvered around his desk and gave her a hug.  I remember seeing all the windows in his office and wondering,  Does he do it here?  she later said.  I was in tears by the time I hit the street.' That comes from a book called The Loudest Voice in the Room, and Fox News claims the allegations in the book are false, as companies are wont to do when their CEOs turn out to be nothing more than sexist, disgusting pigs.That s not all, though. Ailes reportedly once called down to the control booth to yell that a laptop was blocking his view of one of his host s legs, and he wanted it moved so he could have a better view. A senior executive also said that Ailes once told him he wasn t paying another female host to wear pantsuits, and that he wanted to see more of her legs.He has a thing for women s legs, according to that executive.There are, of course, those who will say Carlson is either lying (why would she? She had one of the top-rated shows there so she wasn t fired for poor performance), or that she brought this on herself. The latter will be either those who think women encourage harassment and rape, or those who believe that, since she worked for Fox News and helped perpetuate rape culture, she somehow deserves this. They are idiotic sexists no matter where they fall on the political spectrum.The former will be mostly those who think women are vindictive bitches, and are just out to ruin men s lives. These are misogynists who think women have too much power these days and need to be cut down.At the time of this posting, Fox News had yet to issue a statement on the matter.Featured image by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images