Gone in Philly for Being Pro BLM
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WTXF (Philly) Legal Analyst says he was fired from the Fox O&O because being “too pro-Black Lives Matter.”
Philly Mag writes that Ken Rothweiler alleges that the Fox O&O fired him earlier this year after an ongoing back-and-forth with news director Jim Driscoll over some of Rothweiler’s social media stances that, according to Rothweiler, were deemed “too pro-Black Lives Matter and too anti-cop.”
Philly Mag obtained a May 31st email that was sent by Rothweiler to Driscoll, on which the attorney cc’d more than 30 employees of Fox 29, including on-air talent such as Alex Holley and Mike Jerrick. The email addressed concerns with what Rothweiler called Driscoll’s “very upsetting” remarks.”
“Your words during our last meeting still ring in my ears,” Rothweiler wrote in the email. “You had said to me that I was ‘too pro-Black Lives Matter and too anti-cop.'”
Driscoll, who did not respond to Philly Mag’s request for comment, replied to Rothweiler’s email, saying that he never mentioned Black Lives Matter or the police in their conversation and that he only wanted Rothweiler to be less political in his legal analysis.
Rothweiler had been with The Firm’s station for over a decade.
Driscoll promoted Rothweiler in 2016, giving him the title of Fox 29 Legal Analyst, a paid, contracted position. After the promotion, Rothweiler says he noticed that he was being “monitored and grilled” about his social media posts.
“I’m a liberal, there’s no denying that,” Rothweiler says. “But when I go on-air, I speak the facts according to the law and nothing else. When my integrity began to be called into question because I wouldn’t play both sides in certain cases that I clearly saw as being only one way in the eye of the law — issues arose.”
“Jim Driscoll told me outright that he found my stances and social media posts to be too pro-Black Lives Matter and too anti-cop,” Rothweiler says. “I debated with him on how problematic his approach was and he pretty much made it clear that he was stripping me of my legal analyst title and terminating my contract for good. After 11 years of being at Fox 29, he fired me based on his flawed interpretation of my fair and legal perspectives.”
“Ken, your offensive words are alarming in one respect — You are making things up,” Driscoll responded to the email. “Never once did I utter the words you write in this email. Never once did I ever talk to you about BLM or about our police force. The only thing I ever asked you to be is fair and not be political in your legal analysis.”
“My calling you out must be frustrating for you as, unlike others on this email chain, you do not control my life or my career,” Rothweiler fired back at Driscoll in the email thread. “If you really think I slandered you then file a legal action against me. That will give me an opportunity to put others under oath and solicit their testimony. You always said I was the best legal analyst which is the reason why I was the only one you gave a contract to. If you want to pursue this by calling me a liar you will find out just how good a trial lawyer I am.”
Insiders at the station tell FTVLive that there is more where that came from.
Stay tuned….
