Conflict of Interests at FOX

Is it any coincidence that FOX News had Wan Juilliams on the Geraldo Rivera Midnight Special to discuss the Herb Cain settlements?

For many journalists, the crystallizing moment was the revelation that Washington Post writer Juan Williams, one of Thomas' most ardent defenders, was himself an alleged harasser. The Post had printed a Williams column minimizing the gravity of the charges against Thomas without disclosing that Williams had been accused of verbally abusing female staff members over a period of at least four years. Post management also initially held back the paper's media writer, Howard Kurtz, from reporting on the angry reaction among Post staff members. It wasn't until WRC-TV, a local NBC affiliate, broke the story that the Post mentioned the controversy in its pages. And only after a protest by 116 newsroom employees did the paper concede that the charges against Williams were founded. Unlike most incidents of sexual harassment in newsrooms, the Williams case was widely reported, largely because of its intersection with the Thomas hearings and the conflict-of-interest question it raised.

I didn't see Wan's performance, so perhaps he copped to his sordid history. And maybe Howie Kurtz will cop to his disgraceful cowardly role in the cover-up. Hope springs eternal.