Fox News Digs Itself Another Hole By Refusing to Air Ad Criticizing Sexist Comments By Hosts

Impact

After having dug itself a hole last week when the all-male panel of Lou Dobbs, Erick Erickson, and Juan Williams, all made blatantly sexist and misogynistic remarks about a study which highlighted the growing role of women as breadwinners in American households, the Fox Business Network is making a concerted attempt to dig it deeper.

Despite the panel having been slammed by Fox News hosts Megyn Kelly and Greta Van Susteren for their comments, the network has now refused to run an ad by UltraViolet, a group advocating for women's equality, which calls upon Fox to fire the pundits.

The ad was reportedly set to air during the Fox Business show After the Bell, until Fox executives decided to can it. While UltraViolet was told the decision was made for copyright reasons, it highlights a complete lack of backbone on the part of the network, and an attempt to avoid further embarrassment for the pundits rather than condemn their sexist remarks.

The ad pokes fun at Dobb's, with the voice-over saying, "Lou Dobbs has a problem ... Women are winning the bread ... Even his own network isn't safe from this scourge of lady breadwinners." It then calls for the network to fire Dobbs, Erickson, and Williams, and "spare them the pain of equality." 

Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of UltraViolet, told the Huffington Post that:

"It appears the men at Fox News have lost their minds. The fact that they won't air this ad shows that the company is standing by Dobbs and Erickson and Williams and everyone else. The biggest statement it sends is, 'We're okay with the backward thinking of the sexist, misogynist men leading our programming.'"

And it's hard to argue with that. Apparently Fox Business is okay with its pundits saying that women working outside the home are responsible for ruining America. Shovel, shovel, shovel.