21st Century Fox sets workplace council at Fox News

After a chaotic period of revelations of and complaints about sexual harassment and discrimination at its Fox News operations, 21st Century Fox said it had created a workplace council at the unit to advise senior management on matters ranging from workplace environment and recruitment to advancement of women and minorities.

The move comes after more than a year of responding to multiple shareholders who contacted Fox to express concerns about Fox News and the various legal entanglements that had arisen since the ouster of former Fox News chief Roger Ailes in the summer of 2016.

21st Century Fox said the matter had been resolved through creation of the new workplace group, and said it would receive a payment of $90 million, less fees and expenses awarded by the court to attorneys, from third-party insurers, as a result. Ailes, who died earlier this year, had denied multiple claims of sexual harassment levied at him by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson and several other female employees of and female contributors to Fox News.

“We are pleased to have resolved this matter with 21CF in a constructive way that will drive meaningful benefits for shareholders of 21CF and Fox News employees,” said Max Berger, founding partner at Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, a law firm representing the City of Monroe Employees’ Retirement System, a 21st Century Fox shareholder. (RTRS)