I'd love to know the details behind this story: Brian Lewis, executive vp corporate communications, was ousted after an investigation found breach of contract and "issues relating to financial irregularities"
From The Hollywood Reporter...
"After an extensive internal investigation of Brian Lewis' conduct by Fox News, it was determined that he should be terminated for cause, specifically for issues relating to financial irregularities, as well as for multiple, material and significant breaches of his employment contract," a company spokesperson said Tuesday. "He was terminated for cause on July 25."
He was escorted out of the building nearly a month ago, and it's only coming out now? Whatever he did was bad enough to be fired, but yet, they still protected him by allowing his "on vacation" e-mail bounce-back to remain, they delayed the announcement of his firing until someone got wind of it (in this case the Hollywood Reporter), and they only took him off the website on Tuesday (according to the Hollywood Reporter article). Something fishy is going on here.
The New York Daily News has more about Lewis...
Among media reporters who cover the Fox News Channel, Lewis — who rarely spoke to the press — was known as the “puppet master” for maintaining a list of journalists that he and his cohorts considered enemies of the right-leaning network. Getting on that blacklist is typically an honor reserved for those who dare criticize the channel — fairly or not — or the TV personalities who appear on it. Journalists in the Fox News doghouse have allegedly been banned from appearing as guests on the network and are urged, via nasty emails and unreturned phone calls, not to cover the channel.
This isn't just any guy who got escorted out the door. This is Roger Ailes' right hand man. There has to be a good story here. I hope reporters keeping working on finding out what it is.
UPDATE: New York Magazine has more on the story. The article describes the Lewis/Ailes relationship, and takes a stab at guessing the actual reason for his firing, but it's just speculation.
