Murdoch Vows Fox Without Ailes is Still Fox

Fox News Channel is minus founding leader Roger Ailes but not its direction, Rupert Murdoch vowed.

“I am personally committed to ensuring that Fox News remains a distinctive, powerful voice. Our nation needs a robust Fox News to resonate from every corner of the country,” Murdoch said in a statement Thursday after Ailes, 76, resigned under pressure as chief executive while fighting a workplace misconduct suit.

The vacuum left by his departure after two decades will be filled for now by Murdoch, 85, the executive chairman of network parent 21st Century Fox. He will run Fox News and its sister Fox Business Network, which Ailes had also led, until a successor is found.

Former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson’s lawsuit alleges she was forced out by Ailes after she spurned his sexual advances. Ailes has denied the claims and did not comment on his resignation.

But Carlson’s attorneys did.

“We hope that all businesses now understand that women will no longer tolerate sexual harassment and reputable companies will no longer shield those who abuse women,” lawyers Nancy Erika Smith and Martin Hyman said in a statement.

Read more at The Associated Press.