Bill O’Reilly Sexual Harassment Case

Pressure continued to mount on Fox News on Tuesday to address harassment accusations against its top-rated host, Bill O’Reilly, as the National Organization for Women called for his ouster and five companies said they were pulling their advertisements from his show.
NOW has called for Mr. O’Reilly to be fired and for an independent investigation to be conducted into the culture at Fox News.
“Mr. O’Reilly’s case is part of a larger culture that condones the harassment and objectification of women at Fox News,” Terry O’Neill, president of NOW, said in a news release Tuesday. “Men like Mr. O’Reilly and Mr. Ailes will never be stopped as long as their behavior is allowed to continue, even supported, by their employer.” She referred to Roger Ailes, the former chairman and chief executive, who left Fox after he was accused of sexual harassment. Mr. Ailes has denied the accusations.
“For too long women have endured dangerous sexism at the hands of powerful men and powerful institutions,” Ms. O’Neill added. “Fox News is too big and too influential to simply let this go. Women have the right to go to work without facing harassment. Fox News apparently doesn’t get that basic concept.”
Also on Tuesday morning, three more advertisers — BMW of North America, Untuckit and Constant Contact — joined the list of firms who have said that they were withdrawing their ads from Mr. O’Reilly’s show, “The O’Reilly Factor.’’ BMW North America said the company had made the decision “in light of the recent New York Times investigation.”
This weekend, The Times published an investigation that found that five women who had accused Mr. O’Reilly of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior received settlements totaling about $13 million.
The move by BMW came after Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai said on Monday that they were canceling their ads on Mr. O’Reilly’s show. Mercedes-Benz cited “ the importance of women in every aspect of our business.” Hyundai cited “the recent and disturbing allegations” and a desire to work with companies that “share our values of inclusion and diversity.”
Aaron Sanandres, the chief executive of Untuckit, a men’s clothing marketer, said: “This morning we instructed our media buyer to reallocate our ad dollars to other shows. We will continue to closely monitor the situation but believe this is the right decision at this time.”
 © Lucas Jackson/Reuters A likeness of Bill O’Reilly on the News Corporation building in Manhattan. Mr. O’Reilly’s program draws millions of viewers. Lark-Marie Antón, the chief communications officer for the Endurance International Group, which owns Constant Contact, said: “Based on the recent allegations and our strong commitment to inclusion, respect and tolerance in the workplace, we have decided to pull Constant Contacts ads from ‘The O’Reilly Factor.”’
Ms. Anton said it was possible that Constant Contact ads could appear during Tuesday’s broadcast of “The O’Reilly Factor.” “While the cancellation request is effective immediately, it may take up to 24 hours to be implemented,” she said.
If more advertisers flee Mr. O’Reilly’s program, Fox News and its parent company, 21st Century Fox, may be forced to respond. “The O’Reilly Factor,” which draws almost four million viewers a night, generated more than $446 million in advertising revenue from 2014 through 2016, according to the research firm Kantar Media.
Representatives for Fox News and 21st Century Fox could not immediately be reached for comment. Mr. O’Reilly has said that the accusations against him are without merit and that his fame has made him a target “for those who would harm me and my employer, the Fox News Channel.”
Twenty-first Century Fox has extended Mr. O’Reilly’s contract, which had been set to expire this year, according to people familiar with the matter. When the company agreed to the extension, it was aware of multiple settlements that had been reached with women who had complained about his behavior, and it structured the deal to include more leverage over his behavior, according to people familiar with the matter.
At the same time, the legal troubles for Fox News continued. Monica Douglas, a black Fox News employee, on Tuesday joined a lawsuit that was filed last week against Fox News by two other women, asserting that they were subjected to racial harassment at the network. The suit was filed in State Supreme Court in the Bronx.