The Herald-Sun | News14 | Daily Tar Heel
The Fox News Chairman and CEO spoke to about 350 people, including young journalists, Thursday as part of a special lecture series at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He started by telling them to change majors, which, Melody Butts reports, “elicited at least a few eye rolls.” Here’s what else he said:
- “If you’re going into journalism if you care, then you’re going into the wrong profession … I usually ask (journalists) if they want to change the world in the way it wants to be changed.”
- “Democracy depends on freedom of the press. But freedom depends on fairness in the press. There has to be more than one point of view.”
- “Remember, the last time all of us got lined up together, we were lined up by two guys – Hitler and Stalin. If there’s an alternative point of view, don’t wet your pants. … Suck it up and say, ‘Hey, there’s room for everything.’ “
- “We’re the only news organization who has not had layoffs because of economic conditions. Why? Because we win.”
- His strength: “I pick good people … although some people point out that most of them are blond … when women get into television, they dye their hair blond.”
- On Jon Stewart: “I don’t think he could make a living without Fox News. I think he likes Fox.”
- On Newt: “Newt is trying to get a job at CNN because he knows he can’t come back to Fox News.”
- On the Fox News mole: “The mole shows a culture that believes in theft, a lack of loyalty, turning on his colleagues, lying to management, and there are some real, ethical, serious questions about it.”
UNC J-school publication Reesenews.org had hoped to livestream Ailes’ talk but was denied permission. During the Q&A following his talk, Ailes said he rejected the request because “I just don’t know who they are.” The talk was live tweeted by UNC senior Sara Gregory and by New York magazine’s Gabriel Sherman, who is writing a book on Ailes.
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