Ronan Farrow issued an apology after several women who had previously settled sexual harassment claims with Fox News attacked him for praising the network’s handling of such allegations.
Farrow, 31, who has reported extensively on sexual misconduct in the media industry, released his book Catch and Kill earlier this month, which shed light on NBC News’ alleged response to accusations directed toward network executives.
“Let me be clear: I in no way intended to suggest that networks like Fox have fully addressed these issues,” Farrow told CNN. “One of the lessons of the past few years is that there’s still a long way to go. I’ve heard what these women have said and join with them in the hopes that people in power are listening.”
“I’m sorry if my comments implied anything else — it certainly wasn’t my intention,” Farrow added.
Four former Fox News staffers — Diana Falzone, Tamara Holder, Juliet Huddy, and Julie Roginsky — sent a letter to Farrow on Thursday about him “lavishly” praising Fox News for their handling of the accusations that top Fox personalities faced.
“While we appreciate the work you have done to expose and explore sexual assault, harassment and retaliation in the news and entertainment industries, we are curious as to the basis of your effusive praise of Fox News for its response to the revelations by women who described the toxic work environment they faced,” the former employees wrote to Farrow.
Last week, Farrow was interviewed by Fox News’ Bret Baier and he said the network “has done a great job of confronting some of the issues,” and later added that “now there’s a tough conversation at NBC.”
Farrow reached out to all four women, however, Holder, Huddy, and Roginsky all criticized his attempt to explain his comments.
UPDATE: Fox News told the Washington Examiner, “Since the 2016 departure of Roger Ailes, FOX News has worked tirelessly to completely change the company culture. Over the past three years, we have created an entirely new reporting structure, more than tripled the size of our HR footprint, instituted mandatory in-person sexual harassment training, started quarterly company meetings and mentoring events as well as implemented a zero tolerance policy regarding workplace misconduct for which we engage outside independent firms to handle investigations. No other company has implemented such a comprehensive and continuous overhaul. We are incredibly proud of our team and will continue to emphasize transparency across all FOX News Media.”
