Fox News Founder Roger Ailes Dead at 77
Cause of death not given.
Roger Ailes, who founded and built news powerhouse Fox News, died today at the age of 77. No one has released a cause of death. His wife released this statement via CNBC:
In a statement to Drudge Report, his wife Elizabeth Ailes said, “I am profoundly sad and heartbroken to report that my husband, Roger Ailes, passed away this morning. Roger was a loving husband to me, to his son Zachary, and a loyal friend to many. He was also a patriot, profoundly grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise—and to give back. During a career that stretched over more than five decades, his work in entertainment, in politics, and in news affected the lives of many millions. And so even as we mourn his death, we celebrate his life…”
Ailes worked as a political consultant and producer in the 1960s and 1970s, which is when he started to formulate ideas for what would eventually become Fox News. From CNN Money:
Long before Fox News, Ailes was a Republican operative who saw long before most what television could do for the party.
As an aide to President Richard Nixon in 1970, he prepared a 300-page memo titled, “A Plan for Putting the GOP on TV News.”
“Today television news is watched more often than people read newspapers, than people listen to the radio, than people read or gather any other form of communication,” the memo read. “The reason: People are lazy. With television you just sit — watch — listen. The thinking is done for you.”
But a lot of his ideas for Fox News came from Joseph Coors, the beer magnate, “who in 1974 asked him to be the news director at Television News Inc., a network that supplied free video to local stations to inject conservative content into broadcasts.” But it shut down in less than a year. That station’s slogan “fair and balanced” became the infamous slogan of Fox News.
In the 1990s, Ailes left his post as president of CNBC to create Fox News.
Scandals
Ailes lost his job as CEO and Chairman of Fox News when former anchor Gretchen Carlson sued him for sexual harassment, which gave other females the courage to also come forward. He sent this resignation letter:
https://twitter.com/kelseymsutton/status/756222513881972736
Former anchor Megyn Kelly detailed sexual harassment she endured from Ailes in her memoir released last November.
Leftie Reaction
Of course those on the left have immediately jumped on his death.
Roger Ailes has died. Wow. Sending deep and heartfelt condolences to everyone who was abused, harassed, exploited, and unjustly fired by him
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) May 18, 2017
What did Roger Ailes die of, aside from perfect timing
— Chase Mitchell (@ChaseMit) May 18, 2017
Roger Ailes has died. Another proud Confederate monument taken down this week. Smdh.
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) May 18, 2017
I bet Roger Ailes' hell and Carrie Fisher's heaven are the same place.
— Erin FREEDOM Ryan (@morninggloria) May 18, 2017
Roger Ailes died? After 2016 I think I'd forgotten that was a thing that could happen to assholes.
— Amal El-Mohtar (@tithenai) May 18, 2017
[S] Having achieved his mission of destroying democracy in the U.S., Roger Ailes dissolves into a cloud of bats. https://t.co/URAFZaRr5p
— Paul and Storm (@paulandstorm) May 18, 2017
https://twitter.com/pattymo/status/865200570558279681
skirts at Fox News today will be lowered to half-mast
— Alexandra Petri (@petridishes) May 18, 2017
Ben Shapiro with the mic drop:
I notice that many of the same people who mourned Ted Kennedy are celebrating the death of Roger Ailes.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 18, 2017
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Comments
I’ll say it again…
“social media” is a curse in this generation. It permits and then amplifies the very most vile inclinations of a relative few, and that is taken as indicative of many.
It should be deplored and ignored.
Ah, the compassionate left.
Leftist democrats once again show a total lack of moral fiber.
Now we know why he stepped down so easily: likely there was an underlying health issue, and he did not feel like fighting it.
I was in the regular work force when sexual harassment became a thing. Before that, people noticed a difference between harmless flirtation and the kind of nasty crowding that is sexual harassment. I have experienced both, and I can guarantee that everyone around me could also tell the difference.
That changed. Now, it is all harassment.
Another thing that happens is that women will throw themselves at men they think are wealthy or politically powerful. I have seen several examples of men (Bob Packwood, Sen. Kennedy, Bob Filner, Bill Clinton) who got spoiled to that kind of behavior, and failed to recognize that, once the age gap gets too great, the women are no longer doing that.
Will ol Roger get his 72 office bimbos now?
By coincidence I was reading the acknowledgements of Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates which I finished this morning and unknown to myself at the time of Roger Ailes passing, author Brian Killmeade wrote: “First, I have to credit my role models for this project and for GWSS(George Washington’s Secret Six which I am reading now-Paul), beginning with the most vital: Roger Ailes. I always sectioned off my love of history from my passion for news, but talking with and observing Roger Ailes shape Fox News, it became clear to me that the only way to truly appreciate how special this nation is is to understand our past and the hurdles we had to clear to even exist.”
i believe Shep Smith in his tribute alluded to a fall from which he did not recover. i hope my ears didn’t deceive me on that one.
Rest well, good and faithful servant.