Roger Ailes, the top Fox executive the mainstream media likes to gig, took it on the chin again this week. His crime: Ailes had the audacity to stand up the musty Council on Foreign Relations and their panel of news biggies called to discuss the importance of international news.
As he introduced his cast of lower-level TV news execs, Council President Richard Haass noted, to audience laughs, “For the record, I want to note that an invitation was extended to the president of Fox News.” (Actually, Ailes is Fox News chairman and CEO.)
Politico piled on with a headline, “Fox’s Roger Ailes skips CFR media panel.”
An Ailes insult? Hardly. We checked in with Fox. They responded in an incredulous are you kidding me tone. First, the other TV types were news division brass, not corporate chairs. Ailes runs Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Twentieth Television, Fox Television Stations and My Network TV.
What’s more it turns out he actually had a long-standing commitment for the evening of May 7: Fetting his boss. He was co-chair of the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s 16th Annual Dinner which honored News Corp. Chairman & CEO Rupert Murdoch.
