Geraldo Rivera (Credit: Mark Taylor /Wikipedia)
Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera apologized after his tweets about sexual harassment. In tweets yesterday, he claimed “news is a flirty business” and “the current epidemic of #SexHarassmentAllegations may be criminalizing courtship & conflating it w predation.”
Rivera also suggested sexual harassment may be “used to get even w bad bosses or hated ex’s” and added a “slight chance exists some victims are motivated by more than justice.” He called for allegations to be “made in a timely fashion-say w/n 5 yrs” and with “some contemporaneous corroboration.” Rivera is a “roaming correspondent-at-large for Fox News” and has worked for the network since 2001.
He also said he was “sad about” Matt Lauer, who NBC News fired yesterday after an allegation of sexual misconduct. Rivera defended Lauer as a “great guy, highly skilled & empathetic w guests & a real gentleman to my family & me.”
After online criticism of his remarks, Rivera said on Twitter, “I didn’t sufficiently explain that this is a horrendous problem long hidden-Harassers are deviants who deserve what is coming to them-Often victims are too frightened to come forward in a timely fashion-I humbly apologize.”
Fox News also weighed in on his tweets, saying in a statement to the Washington Post, “we were troublef by his comments and are addressing them with him.” Fox News also distanced itself from his tweets. iMediaEthics has written to Fox News to ask how it was “addressing” the tweets with him.
Sad about @MLauer great guy, highly skilled & empathetic w guests & a real gentleman to my family & me. News is a flirty business & it seems like current epidemic of #SexHarassmentAllegations may be criminalizing courtship & conflating it w predation. What about #GarrisonKeillor?
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
A jerk's a jerk in dating. #SexHarassment should be confined to situations where superior imposes himself on subordinate who feels unable to complain because of power of perp or feared consequences to victim's employment. Shouldn't be used to get even w bad bosses or hated ex's
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
Heard well-regarded women in media today suggesting morning shows go to an all-female format. That should be as unacceptably retro as the other way around.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
#SexHarassment allegations should require: 1-made in a timely fashion-say w/n 5 yrs. 2-some contemporaneous corroboration, like witnesses, electronic or written communications. W $ settlements in multi-millions slight chance exists some victims are motivated by more than justice
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
This issue is so red hot right now there is no room for any thought or opinion but hang em high. If News wasn’t (formerly) a flirty biz then how do we explain so many newsroom courtships that have led to happy marriages?
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
Reaction to my tweets today on #sexharassment makes clear
I didn't sufficiently explain that this is a horrendous problem
long hidden-Harassers are deviants who deserve what is coming
to them-Often victims are too frightened to come
forward in a timely fashion-I humbly apologize— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 30, 2017
