Fox News responds after Geraldo Rivera was grilled on Twitter for tweets about Matt Lauer – By Andrew Clark (indystar.com) / Nov 29 2017
The internet has been aflame most of the day with takes and responses to accusations that NBC’s Matt Lauer sexually harassed multiple women in his position of power at the network.
There were some controversial takes, and Geraldo Rivera was among them.
Sad about @MLauer great guy, highly skilled & empathetic w guests & a real gentleman to my family & me. News is a flirty business & it seems like current epidemic of #SexHarassmentAllegations may be criminalizing courtship & conflating it w predation. What about #GarrisonKeillor?
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
According to Variety, which conducted a two-month investigation into Lauer’s behavior, Lauer has given a female colleague a sex toy as a present, exposed himself to another woman in his office and quizzed female producers about who they’ve slept with. The New York Times also reported on additional complaints to NBC News about Lauer’s behavior.
Lauer was fired from NBC News after the original complaint.
Rivera added more after his original tweet.
A jerk's a jerk in dating. #SexHarassment should be confined to situations where superior imposes himself on subordinate who feels unable to complain because of power of perp or feared consequences to victim's employment. Shouldn't be used to get even w bad bosses or hated ex's
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
Heard well-regarded women in media today suggesting morning shows go to an all-female format. That should be as unacceptably retro as the other way around.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
#SexHarassment allegations should require: 1-made in a timely fashion-say w/n 5 yrs. 2-some contemporaneous corroboration, like witnesses, electronic or written communications. W $ settlements in multi-millions slight chance exists some victims are motivated by more than justice
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
This issue is so red hot right now there is no room for any thought or opinion but hang em high. If News wasn’t (formerly) a flirty biz then how do we explain so many newsroom courtships that have led to happy marriages?
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 29, 2017
After this story was published, Fox News sent IndyStar the following statement in response to Rivera’s tweets:
“Geraldo’s tweets do not reflect the views of FOX News or its management. We were troubled by his comments and are addressing them with him.”
Rivera eventually hit Twitter with an apology of his own.
Reaction to my tweets today on #sexharassment makes clear
I didn't sufficiently explain that this is a horrendous problem
long hidden-Harassers are deviants who deserve what is coming
to them-Often victims are too frightened to come
forward in a timely fashion-I humbly apologize— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 30, 2017
Naturally, the Twitter universe had takes in response to Rivera’s original take. Here’s what people had to say.
Geraldo, do you think locking the door of your office and showing an unwilling participant your genitals is just "flirting?" If so, I would love to hear what you think constitutes sexual harassment.
— Jenna Quigley (@JBomb11) November 29, 2017
https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/935992497515454468
https://twitter.com/AshleyAlese/status/935990051594522625
Live look at Geraldo Rivera pic.twitter.com/WzhVuTC2hr
— johnny trash (@theMATThatter__) November 29, 2017
(Note: there are many more twitter responses, please click the link at the end to read all)
Twitter also began circulating a clip from a 1991 Barbara Walters interview in which Bette Midler said that in the 1970s Rivera and his producer drugged and groped her without her consent.
https://twitter.com/kinseyschofield/status/785860160510099456
PB/TK – You betcha FOX was gonna issue a response to Geraldo’s tweets to save face for their own 2016 humiliation of sexual harassment ignorance and hush money payoffs. I’m sure media is gonna do lots of searching into Geraldo’s not so squeaky past
