NEW YORK MAGAZINE CAME OUT
WITH A BOMBSHELL STORY INVOLVING A WOMAN WHO USED TO WORK FOR
ROGER AILES AND WHO ALLEGES THAT SHE WAS SEXUALLY HARASSED, NOT
FOR A FEW YEARS BUT FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS.
THE WOMAN WHO
SHARED HER STORY, IS
LAURIE LUHN.
DESPITE THE FACT, SHE SIGNED A
NONDISCLOSURE
AGREEMENT WITH FOX NEWS.
SHE SHARED SOME
DETAILS ABOUT WHAT SHE
EXPERIENCED.
THEY DID NOT RELY ON THE NARRATIVE OF ONE
INDIVIDUAL, THEY ACTUALLY HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE THEY REACHED OUT
TO THE CONFIRMED WHAT LUHN HAD SAID ABOUT ROGER AILES AND HER
EXPERIENCES AT FOX NEWS.
IT'S A LONG PIECE, I RECOMMEND YOU READ
IT.
WE WILL GO THROUGH PARTS OF THE PIECE THAT STOOD OUT TO ME
THE MOST.
SHE TALKS A LOT ABOUT WHEN THEY FIRST MET.
WHEN THEY
FIRST MET SHE WAS NOT DOING WELL FINANCIALLY AT ALL.
SHE WAS VERY
BROKE AND APPARENTLY THEY MET AT A DINNER.
SHE SAID THAT SHE
PROBABLY HAD TOLD HIM THAT SHE WAS HAVING TROUBLE PAYING HER
BILLS.
SHE SAYS THE FOLLOWING.
THIS WAS THE FIRST MEETING WHERE
THEY TALK ABOUT WORK AND STUFF
LIKE THAT.
TO HER AT THE TIME IT WAS A LOT OF MONEY.
THIS
HAPPENED IN THE 80S.
THEY HAVE THIS DINNER ABOUT TWO YEARS LATER.
THIS IS THE DINNER TWO YEARS
LATER.
SO HE MOVE THINGS PRETTY QUICKLY.
SHE SAYS THAT SHE KNEW
WHAT SHE WAS GETTING HERSELF
INTO.
AFTER SHE KIND OF ASSUMED THAT MAYBE HE IS GOING TO TRY TO
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HER, BUT HE HAD INVITED HER OVER TO HIS
HOTEL.
SO ONE THING HE WOULD DO ACCORDING TO HER IS HE WOULD
RECORD HER DOING DEGRADING
THINGS SO HE COULD LATER USE THAT AS LEVERAGE AGAINST HER.
A
KIND OF BECOMES A VICIOUS CYCLE.
YOU KNOW THAT HE IS HELPING YOU
PAY YOUR BILLS AND HAS THESE VIDEOS OF YOU, AND IF YOU
CONTEST
ANYTHING WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO?
YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT
RETALIATION.
BY THE WAY, THIS PIECE DOES NOT MAKE HER LOOK
GOOD EITHER.
TELLING THE STORY MAKES HER LOOK TERRIBLE, IT
MAKES ROGER AILES LOOK TERRIBLE
AS WELL.
BUT IT IS INSANELY BRAVE TO SHARE THE STORY.
LET ME
GIVE YOU MORE AND THEN WE WILL
TALK.
>> SOME OF THE STUFF IS STOMACH TURNING.
>>HE APPARENTLY LIKE TO DO THIS THING WHERE HE WOULD TAKE HER
HANDS AND PUT THEM ON HIS
TEMPLES.
>>IT WAS THE OPPOSITE?
>>HE WOULD PUT HIS HANDS ON HER TEMPLES?
>>THE DESCRIPTION WAS IT WAS ALWAYS THE ON MY KNEES HOLD MY
TEMPLES ROUTINE.
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT CORRECTION.
WHILE THAT WOULD
HAPPEN SHE SAYS THAT HE WOULD SAY ñ THAT
IS JUST A FEW OF THE
EXAMPLES THAT SHE MENTIONS IN THE PIECE.
SHE HAD SEVERE MENTAL
BREAKDOWNS, SHE WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR QUITE A WHILE.
SHE ALLEGES
THAT FOX HAD SENT HER TO A SPECIFIC PSYCHIATRIST WHO
DRUGGED HER AND SAID THAT SHE
WAS IN THIS DRUGGED UP HAZE FOR A YEAR.
WHEN SHE FINALLY STOPPED
TAKING THE DRUG SHE REALIZED THAT SHE HAD GONE THROUGH THIS
TERRIBLE THING FOR DECADES.
>>AT THE END OF THE DAY I FEEL BAD FOR HER.
A LOT OF PEOPLE
THINK THAT SHE WANTED THE MONEY
SO SHE DID IT.
THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFICULT IT CAN
BE TO BREAK INTO CERTAIN FIELDS.
THE LEVERAGE THAT HE HAD AND ALL
OF THAT.
BUT REGARDLESS I FEEL BAD FOR HER.
AT THE END OF THE
DAY, THIS DUDE IS GOING DOWN.
SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE NOW TALKED WITH
THE LAW OFFICE.
HE HAS APPARENTLY SEXUALLY HARASSED
DOZENS OF WOMEN, IT IS JUST MORE FUEL FOR THE FIRE.
>>YES, AGAIN THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT.
SHE ALSO
ALLEGES THAT AFTER A WHILE HE WOULD ONLY HAVE PHONE SEX WITH
HER, AND FINALLY HE HAD DECIDED THAT HE WAS GOING TO PUT HER IN
A POSITION TO RECRUIT YOUNG WOMEN TO MEET WITH HIM SO HE
COULD DO THE SAME THING TO THEM.
WHEN THAT STARTED HAPPENING,
THAT WAS WHEN SHE STARTED TO PROTEST EVERYTHING THAT WAS
GOING ON.
THAT WAS WHEN ROGER AILES OFFERED HER A SEVERANCE
AND SHE ALSO HAD TO SIGN THAT
NONDISCLOSURE FORM.
COMING OUT SHE IS NOT ONLY SHINING A
NEGATIVE LIGHT ON HERSELF, I THINK THAT WHEN IT COMES TO
CASES OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IS A LOT MORE COMPLICATED, THEN SHE
COMPLIED SO IT IS HER FAULT.
ROGER AILES IS A PERSON IN A
POSITION OF POWER, SHE WAS BROKE, AND HE HAD THAT LEVERAGE
OVER HER WITH THE VIDEOS ALMOST
IMMEDIATELY.
IT SUCKS THAT SHE KIND OF WENT THROUGH THIS DOWNWARD SPIRAL
AND ALSO HAD SOME MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES WHICH SHE WAS OPEN
ABOUT IN THE NEW YORK TIMES PIECE.
>> IT'S EASY FOR SOME PEOPLE TO SAY THAT SHE SIGNED THE THINGS
THAT SHE SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SAY ANYTHING.
BUT GENERALLY I DON'T THINK THAT WE TAKE THESE SORTS OF SIGNED
LEGAL DOCUMENTS AS SERIOUSLY WHEN THE PERSON SIGNING IS
BEING BLACKMAILED SEXUALLY.
>>EXACTLY.
FINALLY, WHAT I THOUGHT WAS REALLY INTERESTING,
AS RECENTLY AS LAST YEAR SHE SENT ROGER AILES A LETTER.
AT
THIS POINT SHE IS NO LONGER
WORKING AT FOX NEWS, OR IS NOT ANYWHERE NEAR FOX NEWS.
BUT SHE
SENT HIM A LETTER AND YOU HAVE TO READ IT TO YOU GUYS BECAUSE I
THINK IT'S
VERY INTERESTING.
I COMMEND HER FOR BEING OPEN AND
HONEST AND SHARING THAT LETTER WITH THE PUBLICATION AND NOT
TRYING TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE SHE WAS COMPLETELY FIGHTING
EVERYTHING.
WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED FOR THAT LONG YOU
GRIEVE AND YOU REACT IN WEIRD
WAYS.
I AM NOT A PSYCHOLOGIST AND DON'T WANT TO GET INTO
DETAILS, BUT SHE IS NOT SOMEONE WHO WAS COMING OUT THERE TO JUST
SMEAR ROGER AILES.
AND COMING OUT AND BEING AS OPEN AND HONEST
AS SHE HAS BEEN, SHE IS
POTENTIALLY SMEARING HERSELF.
>>AND SUFFERING FINANCIAL AND LEGAL COMPLICATIONS.
IT APPEARS THAT SHE IS DOING IT TO HELP OTHER WOMEN WHO HAD
THE SAME SITUATION.
>> THERE WAS REALLY NOTHING IN IT FOR HER BY COMING FORWARD.
>>SO FAR.