When Fox News’ chief Washington correspondent James Rosen left the network in December, the company did not give a reason.
But according to a report in NPR, Rosen left amid “scrutiny of his behavior at the network.” The report, based on interviews with eight of Rosen’s former colleagues at Fox News’ Washington bureau, said that “he had an established pattern of flirting aggressively with many peers and had made sexual advances toward three female Fox News journalists, including two reporters and a producer.”
Rosen’s departure came during a period of increased scrutiny at companies around the country over the allegations of improper sexual behavior of men in positions of power. Fox News in particular has struggled to deal with the fallout from sexual misconduct scandals. Roger Ailes, the late Fox News chairman and chief executive, was ousted in July 2016 after sexual harassment allegations by former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson and more than two dozen women. Bill O’Reilly, one of the network’s most famous hosts, left in spring 2017 after reports that millions of dollars in settlements were paid out to people complaining of sexual harassment by O’Reilly.
Rosen, too, was a high-profile figure who had been with the network for nearly 20 years. His reporting on U.S. intelligence about North Korea prompted the Justice Department to conduct an investigation into his sources during President Barack Obama’s second term, a move that was widely denounced by First Amendment advocates.
Fox News did not announce Rosen’s departure on air in December, NPR reported. The network did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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