After Harassment Scandals, Fox News Names First Female CEO
*By Alisha Haridasani*
Fox News named Suzanne Scott its new chief executive Thursday, making her the first woman to lead the top-rated cable news network, which has been mired in sexual harassment scandals for almost two years.
Scott, who had been promoted to director of programming last year, first joined Fox News when it was founded in 1996. As chief executive, she will oversee Fox News and Fox Business, reporting directly to Fox executive chairman Rupert Murdoch and his son, Lachlan. The younger Murdoch was recently appointed chairman and chief executive of the part of the Fox empire that remains after Disney takes its TV and film studios. The so-called New Fox will focus on the cable network’s news, sports, business, and local channels.
Scott’s appointment is a “refreshing change” for the network that has come under intense scrutiny for its culture, said Jeanine Poggi, media reporter at Ad Age. “It will essentially give some fresh voices to the network.”
Scott worked for 20 years under Roger Ailes, the former chairman and CEO of Fox news who was forced out in 2016 after mounting sexual harassment allegations against him and the network's biggest star, Bill O'Reilly.
After the scandals ー and the [millions of dollars in settlements](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/business/media/fox-news-discrimination-lawsuits.html) ー Fox had vowed to shake up its management and corporate culture.
But Scott was also reportedly named in lawsuits against Fox for enabling Ailes’s behavior, according to [The New York Times.](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/17/business/media/fox-news-suzanne-scott.html)
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/redstones-score-a-win-against-cbs).
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