OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.
A Fox News reporter claims she is being muzzled and she went off script, according to The BizPac Review.
Ivory Hecker stated that Fox News has been withholding information from viewers.
Hecker said, “Before we get to that story, I want to let you the viewers know that Fox Corp. has been muzzling me to keep certain information from you the viewers.”
“And from what I’m gathering, I am not the only reporter being subjected to this,” Hecker said.
“I am going to be releasing some recordings about what goes on behind the scenes at Fox because it applies to you the viewers.”
“I found a nonprofit journalism group called Project Veritas that’s gonna help put that out tomorrow, so tune in to them.”
“But as for this heatwave across Texas, you can see what it’s doing to AC units.”
James O’Keefe said, “There are those who’ve had enough. Who live like they’re dying.”
“There are going to be hundreds more of them.”
“Thousands who exhibit a special form of moral courage, follow their conscience and record what happens with a hidden camera to observe behaviors for the world to see. BE BRAVE. DO SOMETHING. If not us, who? If not now, when?” O’Keefe said.
Hecker stated, “True journalism can’t exist in an environment of censorship. True journalism needs an environment of free speech.”
From The BizPac Review:
In a live, on-air segment that was supposed to be about the heatwave hitting Texas and destroying air conditioning units, one local Fox 26 Houston reporter went off-script.
Field reporter Ivory Hecker surprised viewers in her Monday report when she went rogue, taking a moment to tease an exclusive on what she claims is the “muzzling” that goes on behind the scenes at Fox News.
Hecker went on to say that Fox Corp. has actively been keeping “certain information” from viewers.
The reporter then went on with previously scheduled programming and neither of the two anchors back at the studio addressed her bombshell report when cameras panned back to them.
Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe posted about Hecker’s announcement, which he called a “world exclusive,” on his Telegram page saying, Hecker, who blew the whistle on her own station “has a story to tell.” She claims to have “witnessed corruption and censorship first hand. Best of all, she got it on tape”.
O’Keefe went on to tease the exclusive, saying, “Stay tuned for the recordings of her superiors and colleagues, tomorrow.”
The Project Veritas founder ended the statement in an appeal to viewers.
Hecker told Newsweek that a human resources dispute with Fox “had taken a dark turn last August” after interviewing an unnamed subject for her news station in Houston. She claimed she was told to keep silent about opposing “censorship” months after.
Hecker expanded, saying the network “didn’t like what the interview subject had said, and they went on to internally harass and defame me.”
She went on to say in her statement to Newsweek that she knew she was not working for a journalistic organization after being called into an HR meeting in December and being “told to keep my support for free speech and opposition to censorship to myself—that those were not matters to be publicly spoken about.”
The exclusive report is set to be released on Tuesday night along with a one-on-one interview with O’Keefe, according to a Project Veritas spokesperson who confirmed to Newsweek.
Earlier this year, Project Veritas won an early round of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times regarding a recording of a CNN tech director who unknowingly discussed the network’s propaganda and showed Facebook executives warning employees they will be found and terminated if they leak information.
Fox 26 Houston has reportedly remained silent on Hecker’s bombshell announcement. No word yet on whether the reporter has faced consequences for her off-script reporting.
