Scott became Fox News Media’s first female CEO in May 2018 and is proving herself an adept and forward-thinking leader. She oversaw the launch of Fox Nation, Fox News’ new digital subscription-based streaming service, and guided Fox News Channel to its third consecutive year as No. 1 in all of cable and 17th straight year as No. 1 in cable news. Scott is proud to say she’s installed more women in prominent anchor or host roles than any other cable news network. On changes at Fox News in the #MeToo era, she says, “We launched an open and transparent newsroom located on the same floor as my office, expanded our HR team and instituted mandatory sensitivity training across the board for all employees,” among other initiatives.
What specifically does your company do to support and elevate the women who work there?
I’m extremely proud to say that the senior leadership of FOX News Media is now comprised predominantly of women, including our newly installed president of FOX Business, Lauren Petterson. Having been one of very few women at the executive level earlier in my career, I can remember looking around the conference room table just five years ago and there were less than a handful of women. When I conduct meetings today, more than half of the seats at the table are occupied by women. I have also installed more women in prominent anchor or host roles than any other cable news network. Additionally, we run a phenomenal “Women in Drones” program to provide female pilots with unique opportunities in the field. And we have one of the most diverse multimedia reporter training programs in the industry, which has led to on-air roles for many talented female correspondents who are now breaking news on all of our platforms.
What advice would you give your 13-year-old self?
I have a daughter who is 13, so this hits home for me. Give 110% to your commitments and embrace your strength and power with confidence…and outside of school, find something you love to do, that you are good at where you can use your talents and strengths to grow, expand your social network and expand your skills.
What changes, if any, has your company enacted since the dawning of the #MeToo movement, and what results have ensued?
FOX News Media takes issues of workplace conduct extremely seriously. We have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior and have enhanced our reporting channels to ensure our employees feel comfortable raising any issues they encounter. We launched an open and transparent newsroom located on the same floor as my office, expanded our HR team and instituted mandatory sensitivity training across the board for all employees. I also host quarterly company addresses and monthly women’s breakfasts to ensure there are various open lines of increased communication throughout the organization. This is an issue that is incredibly important to me, and we have worked extremely hard to become a leader in this field by transforming the entire culture over the last three years.
