00:00Fox News has removed an online column by executive VP and executive editor John Moody
00:05following intense criticism online and from gay rights organizations.
00:09The network said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday,
00:12John Moody's column does not reflect the views or values of Fox News and has been removed.
00:17Moody, objecting to an effort to attract more diverse U.S. Olympians for the Winter Games,
00:22wrote on Wednesday,
00:30The response to the piece was shaped in part by Moody's lofty title.
00:51He's been with Fox News since the beginning, though a network insider cautioned that he has
00:56no editorial oversight on any platform. This individual said that as a result of his status
01:01and experience at the network, the column was not put through the proper vetting process.
01:05Three gay rights organizations provided statements to THR on Friday criticizing the piece.
01:10President and CEO of GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis said,
01:13The executive vice president of Fox News targeted some of our nation's top athletes
01:18with vicious anti-LGBTQ and biased rhetoric at what should be the proudest moment of their lives.
01:24She continued,
01:25These athletes are at the Olympics because they already won by qualifying to represent the United States
01:31on the world stage. And they did so despite facing discrimination from places like Fox News
01:36throughout their careers.
01:37Human rights campaign senior national press secretary Steven Peters said,
01:41The USOC does not have quotas for its Olympic delegation, and to suggest that race, sexuality,
01:47or gender orientation are the reasons these incredible athletes made the cut is insulting,
01:51repugnant, and dismissive of a lifetime of hard work.
01:54And deputy director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights Catherine Saccamira said the column's
02:00racist and homophobic sentiment demeans our U.S. Olympic athletes, who should be celebrated as they represent our country.
02:07For more on this story, go to THR.com. Until next time, for The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
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