A report says James Rosen, the chief Washington correspondent for Fox News, quietly left after colleagues made sexual harassment allegations against him.
James Rosen, the chief Washington correspondent for Fox News, quietly left the network at the end of 2017 after 18 years. On Wednesday, a report from NPR suggested why: Several of his colleagues had made a string of sexual harassment allegations against him.
Rosen, who is married with children, made "overt physical and sexual overtures," to three Fox News colleagues, according to the NPR report, which was based on interviews with eight of his former colleagues.
He was accused of grabbing a women's breast in a taxi in 2001 and then trying to steal her sources. He was also accused of trying to kiss a younger woman reporter in an elevator after she rebuffed him, according to the report. He asked her to keep the incident quiet and then offered to help her get on Bret Baier's evening newscast, "Special Report," the article said.
Rosen is the latest in a string of high-profile men in the news media to be accused of "inappropriate behavior," including several at Fox. Roger Ailes, the former Fox News chief executive, was forced out in 2016 after Gretchen Carlson leveled harassment allegations against him. Fox News also parted ways with its top host, Bill O'Reilly, after advertisers dropped the show in response to a string of claims that he had harassed women at the news network.
The network also parted ways with another host, Eric Bolling, after misconduct accusations. Ailes, O'Reilly and Bolling denied the claims. Rosen's departure was the first since the parent company hired a law firm to investigate the various claims, though it is not clear whether that investigation is related to his departure.
Rosen's Facebook page features photos of his family alongside promotions for his book projects. He edited, "A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth Century," by William F. Buckley Jr.
Rosen has covered the White House and State Department for Fox News, and The Washington Post reported that the Justice Department had ordered an investigation of him after his reports on classified information related to North Korea.
Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Attempts to contact Rosen on Wednesday, after the NPR report was published, were unsuccessful, and Rosen declined to comment to NPR.
Also on Wednesday, The Washington Post said it had suspended Joel Achenbach, a science writer, for 90 days without pay for "inappropriate workplace conduct" involving the newspaper's female employees. The paper said he was the first reporter to be disciplined for misconduct. Achenbach said in a statement that he was sorry for unprofessional conduct.