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Fox News earned a reputation for being the conservative, traditionalist alternative to the “woke” left-wing corporate and media culture, but the reality is much different, according to a leaked memo made public on Monday.
The Daily Signal reported exclusively that corporate management at the network has adopted a full-on “woke” stance regarding gender identity.
“Fox News employees are allowed to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity, rather than their biological sex, and permitted to dress in alignment with their preferred gender. They must also be addressed by their preferred name and pronouns in the workplace,” the outlet reported on Monday.
“These are just a few of the policies outlined in the company handbook, dated January 2021, a copy of which was shared with The Daily Signal. Fox also offers to help employees come up with a ‘Workplace Transition Plan’ to ease their gender transition at work,” the outlet continued.
The latest disclosures have emerged during a period when conservatives have been expressing growing unease regarding the utilization of activist language like “gender-affirming care” in the website articles of Fox Digital. Furthermore, there has been criticism regarding the consistent use of female pronouns for individuals who were assigned male at birth, such as TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney and swimmer Lia Thomas (formerly known as Will Thomas).
In June 2022, Fox came under heavy criticism for an on-air segment that praised a child’s gender transition, portraying it as an “inspiration to others.” The segment briefly featured California state Sen. Scott Weiner, a Democrat with far-left views, who advocated for loosening sex offender registry requirements concerning minors involved in sodomy.
Additionally, the segment highlighted activists’ claims that denying a child the opportunity to undergo a gender transition could potentially lead to thoughts of suicide, The Daily Signal noted further.
The outlet also anonymously quoted several Fox News staffers who criticized the woke policy agenda.
“They want you to think it’s this place that supports traditionally conservative values,” a former producer for “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” told the outlet. “But in reality, they’re pushing this nonsense behind the scenes.”
A current employee at Fox News told The Daily Signal that, following the cancellation of Carlson’s show in April, producers for the new 8 p.m. program, “Fox News Tonight,” were instructed not to criticize Mulvaney. The source revealed that this directive came from high-level executives within the network.
The report noted further:
Under the category “Gender Transition,” Fox’s employee handbook promises that the company is dedicated to “expanding and strengthening” efforts to “sustain a more inclusive work environment.” The Fox employee handbook is posted on Workday, where employees can see company guidelines or policies, a former employee told The Daily Signal.
“Employees who are transitioning their gender have the right to be open about their transition if they so choose, and to work in an environment free of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation, and without fear of consequences or transphobia for living openly,” the policy says, according to the outlet.
Referencing the Human Rights Campaign, a prominent LGBTQ organization in the United States, the Fox handbook includes definitions of various LGBTQ terms that encompass terms such as cisgender, gender expression, gender-fluid, gender identity, gender non-conforming, gender transition, LGBTQ, non-binary, and transgender.
A report on Sunday claimed that the network was forced to lay off an entire division of journalists, though some have questioned its validity.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, Fox laid off its entire investigative unit on Friday, a decision linked to the network’s massive $787.5 million defamation lawsuit settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, also last month.
“I think producers, management, et cetera [are being laid-off],” a former Fox News staffer was also quoted as saying. “They are trying to get money off the books before June 30. They have to save money because of the [Dominion] lawsuit.”
But according to a report from the New York Daily News, the investigative unit was not eliminated but merely reorganized.
