NEW YORK – Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, issued the below statement in response to new revelations of sexual harassment by Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, Color Of Change also launched a petition targeting advertisers at Fox:
“Bill O’Reilly’s advertisers are out of excuses. Now is the time for these corporations to make a clear choice: do they continue sponsoring a man who shamelessly traffics in racism and sexism, or do they finally cut ties and pull their ads? After years of complicity, silence is no longer an option.
“As horrifying as these new revelations of sexual harassment are, no advertiser can claim it’s the first time they’re hearing about O’Reilly’s long, documented history of sexism and racism. From physically abusing his ex-wife and sexually harassing one of his producers to lying about being attacked during the 1992 Los Angeles riots and denigrating Congresswoman Maxine Waters on-air, Bill O’Reilly’s track record of sexual harassment and race baiting is hardly a secret. Fox News and O’Reilly’s advertisers have simply chosen to look the other way. Make no mistake—every time “The Factor” goes to commercial it shows the businesses and corporations that keep the show alive, that pay O’Reilly’s salary, that pay for the lawyers who fight the victims of O’Reilly’s sexual harassment. If these brands think that this behavior would be acceptable from their own employees they should come out and say so.
“Now, it’s up to companies like Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Hulu and Mitsubishi to finally take a stand against this deplorable behavior. Fox News will continue shielding O’Reilly unless his advertisers hold the network’s feet to the fire and pull their money from his show. Fox News and 21st Century Fox promised to clean up their shop after Roger Ailes resigned, but it’s clear that was a lie. As Color Of Change saw when we successfully pressured advertisers to drop Glenn Beck’s show in 2009, Fox News and the Murdochs only listen when they hear the sound of money rushing out the door.
“At this point, no company can continue advertising on O’Reilly’s show without facing blowback from consumers. Dropping their ads from his show, while important, is hardly taking a brave stand. It’s time for corporations who have long advertised on bigoted programs like O’Reilly’s to start taking their ethical responsibilities to Americans seriously. Black folks, women, and many other Americans are paying attention more than ever to who takes stands for them out of the spotlight and who only stands up only when it’s a PR disaster not to.”
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Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over one million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.