TV News Host Says He Was Denied Job at ABC News Solely for Being White

Elex Michaelson (Jerod Harris / Getty for Kairos Society)
Jerod Harris / Getty for Kairos Society)

News anchor Elex Michaelson of Los Angeles’s FOX affiliate tweeted Monday that he had been told by an executive at ABC News that he could not become a network correspondent because ABC was not hiring white men for the job.

Michaelson now works as a news anchor for FOX 11 KTTV, and hosts his own weekly statewide program, The Issue Is. He has led coverage of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations — and riots — that have risen across Southern California.
He related his story of discrimination in the context of newly-emerging allegations about racism at ABC News.

Michaelson linked to an article by Yashar Ali at HuffPost about “Barbara Fedida, a powerful ABC News executive, [who allegely] has an extensive history of insensitive comments.” Fedida is alleged to have made a reference to “pick[ing] cotton” while speaking to Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts, who is African American.

Fedida, who has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, said through her attorney: “Throughout my career, I have been a champion for increased diversity in network news.”

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, is available for pre-order. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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