FOX NEWS WORKPL ACE
PROFESSIONALISM
AND INCLUSION COUNCIL
CLOSING REPORTDECEMBER

2022

The FOX News Workplace Professionalism and Inclusion
Council (“WPIC”) was created in 2017, in a settlementagreement between Twenty-First Century FOX, Inc.
(“21CF”) and its shareholders.1 In that agreement’s
Commitment Statement, FOX obligated itself to abusiness practice that does not tolerate sexual abuse,harassment, race discrimination, and all other formsof discrimination.
The role of the WPIC has been to provide independent
oversight and guidance to ensure that thesecommitments are met. The first official meeting was heldon April 3, 2018, at the New York Offices of 21CF.
Over the past five years, the WPIC has assessed FOX
News Media’s (“FNM”) practices and procedures inrecruitment, hiring, advancement, and workplace civility.
It has reviewed anti-harassment and anti-discrimination
training, the adequacy of mechanisms for receiving
complaints, and its investigation procedures. The WPIC
has made recommendations to FNM management
about these areas and, in each case, assessed its
response. The WPIC has also reported its findings to theNominating and Corporate Governance Committee of theFox Corporation (“FOX”) Board of Directors. Much of thework of the WPIC over these past five years is detailed
in the public reports accessible on both the FOX andFNM websites.
The purpose of this final report is two-fold: 1) to sharehigh-level reflections about the factors that contributed
to FNM’s progress and the work of the WPIC, and 2) tospotlight progress and significant milestones over the
past 5 years.

REFLECTIONS ON THE WORK OF THE WPICAND COMPANY PROGRESS
Now that our term has concluded, we share several
factors that contributed to the FNM’s progress and the
WPIC’s achievement of its objectives.
• Commitment and engagement from the top, including
the FNM CEO and the FOX Board of Directors.
Consistent with its Charter, the WPIC met regularly
with the Chair of the FOX Nominating and Corporate
Governance (“NCG”) Committee and the full FOX
Board. It is now standard practice for Boards to engage
meaningfully on organizational culture, diversity andinclusion, and reports of harassment in the workplace;that was not always the case pre-2017. The NCG
Committee here has been deeply engaged, particularly
concerning qualitative and quantitative findings. It
also did not shy away from asking tough questions.
The WPICs data-driven approach has contributed toFOX's ability to assess its employees’ perceptions andcalibrate its solutions surgically and strategically.
• Strong internal control functions, including the FNM
HR and Legal teams. The HR and Legal functions
at FNM are led and staffed by very experienced
professionals. Most joined the company in 2017 or later;
they have overseen the introduction and refinementof robust training, policies (including a revised
comprehensive Employee Handbook), and processes
for reporting and investigations of complaints. The
leaders of these departments also participate regularly
in meetings of the FOX Board of Directors.
• Leveraging internal and external expertise forinsights and solutions. A unique aspect of the last
five years is the close and sustained collaborationthat has been achieved between the WPIC (which
comprises four independent external members) andFOX leadership. This “outside-in” perspective creates

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C
 ity of Monroe Employees’ Retirement System v Murdoch et al, Delaware Chancery Court, No. 2017-0833

L to R: Bernard Gugar, General Counsel & EVP, Corporate Development, FNM; Kevin Lord, EVP HR and Chief HR Officer FOX; Sylvia Hewlett,
WPIC Board Member and CEO of Hewlett Consulting Partners and Chair Emeritus of the Center for Talent Innovation; Lauren Hallam,
SVP, Human Resources, FOX, Brande Stellings, WPIC Board Member and Principal Consultant, Vestry Laight; Carl Guida, VP, Employment
Litigation, FNM; Virgil Smith, WPIC Board Member and Principal, Smith Edwards Group, LLC; Honorable Barbara Jones, WPIC Board
Member and Partner, Bracewell LLP; Marsheila Hayes, VP, Diversity & Inclusion, FOX; Angie Reynoso, Associate HR Generalist, FOX

friction – but in this case productive friction that led
to robust discussion and an examination of issues andsolutions. A foundation of mutual trust was achieved
and has been crucial. The collaboration between
the internal and external members of the WPIC has
resulted in the collection of sensitive quantitativeand qualitative data and the creation of an “Inclusion
Index” (detailed more fully below). Fielding thesesurveys resulted in a breakthrough moment and,coupled with FNM’s solution orientation, marks apivotal moment in FNM’s culture change journey. FOX
has also leveraged its internal expertise, includingthat of its Head of Diversity and Inclusion as well as
its Learning and Development team. For example,
over one-third of FOX employees currently participate
in an Employee Resource Group. Managers — fromnew recruits to seasoned leaders — also benefit froma suite of learning opportunities, many of which

incorporate elements of inclusive leadership andpsychological safety.
• Confronting and addressing hot spots – andcelebrating bright spots. An important lever for
culture change is leaning into discomfort. As detailed
in prior reports and below, the 2020 employee survey
surfaced troubling differences in perception between
Black employees and other demographic cohorts.
In addition to this hot spot, there were opportunities
for improvement in other areas. The FNM team hasdone an impressive job following up with additional,
focused assessments and tailored solutions toimprove employee experiences (detailed more fully
below and in the 2022 report). Culture is also set bywhat we celebrate. The launch of the Spotlight Awards
in 2021 provides opportunities to celebrate employees
across a range of corporate values (detailed below).

PROGRESS OF THE WPIC TERMSPECIFIC MILESTONESThis final report provides insights on the phases of work,
including the results of the 2020 company-wide survey,
a subsequent pulse survey, the development of an
Inclusion Index, and on-going, data-driven
deep dives to ward off the emergence of new hot
spots in the FNM culture. In addition, we include brief
descriptions of strategies that have been put in place
and recommendations for continued assessment
and solutions.

1. Fielding a company-wide employee survey. In late2019 after much discussion, the WPIC and FNM
Human Resources agreed to conduct an employee
survey to be administered by Great Places to Work(“GPTW”). There was consensus that a guaranteeof anonymity was critical to the survey, to provide
employees with a high degree of comfort that their
responses would be confidential. It was also agreed
that a central focus should be a deep dive into theincidence of sexual misconduct and retaliatory
behavior at FNM, and an exploration of the efficacy ofthe company’s complaint procedures and processes.
The WPIC collaborated with GPTW and the FNM HR
team to formulate survey questions that addressed
these and other important issues. One of the many
recommendations we produced is that the survey
design should permit FNM to benchmark findings
against other media companies.

A significant achievement of FNM Legal and Human
Resources was introducing and conducting Inclusionand Harassment Prevention Training, which focuseson interrupting unconscious bias, and preventing
discrimination and harassment. The WPIC offeredvaluable feedback on making certain aspects of the
training more relatable, emphasizing positive behavior
that employees should embrace and demonstrate.
FNM revised its training materials to incorporate the
WPIC’s feedback.
During its five-year term, the WPIC met with a rangeof FNM executives, toured the headquarters building
and became familiar with behind-the-scenes work ofvarious teams. This allowed WPIC members to gain abetter understanding of what goes into creating thefinal news product. The WPIC saw first-hand thediversity within leadership, management, and the rankand-file at FNM, and heard about the opportunities
for advancement for women and under-represented
employees within the company. The WPIC asked theemployees they met about their own professional
development within FNM, and noted both a strong
entrepreneurial spirit among employees, andextraordinary longevity of many FNM careers.

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3. Identifying challenges faced by Black employees
and other employees. Analysis of the survey results
revealed an acute gap in the scores for engagement
and the overall experience given by Black andMulti-Racial employees in comparison to all otherdemographic groups.
4. Immediate responses. In response to these findings,
FNM, with input from the WPIC and the FNM Diversity
Council, developed a number of follow-up initiatives
designed to improve employee experience and ensurethat FNM is a Great Place to Work for ALL employees.
These efforts were led by CEO Suzanne Scott who asked
each of her direct reports to identify and set forth action
steps that responded to the findings of the survey.

The 2020 GPTW company-wide survey was a great
success. It surfaced a great deal of valuable data,
produced hundreds of verbatim comments thatprovided important insight into the corporate culture,and resulted in FNM being certified as a Great Place
to Work.
2. Creation of an Inclusion Index. To create a quick andeasy way to take a snapshot of the corporate culture
and track it through time, the WPIC, in collaboration
with the FNM HR team and GPTW, identified a clusterof survey questions that map and measure interactions
and behaviors. The idea here is to establish an“Inclusion Index” that can be tracked through time.
Such a “Barometer” is immensely useful in determining
whether a corporate culture is moving in the right
direction. It also provides an early warning system,
allowing a company to quickly engage with employees
who feel unheard, unseen, or otherwise excluded.

L to R: Jake Canull, Director, Client Success & Growth, Eskalera; Marsheila Hayes, VP, Diversity &Inclusion, FOX; Dane E. Holmes, Co-founder and CEO, Eskalera; Olympia Crist, Associate, Client
Experience & Growth Manager, Eskalara

The WPIC’s recommendations centered on a follow-up
Pulse survey, the launch of an inclusive-skill building
platform, and the roll-out of focus group discussions
to drill down into areas of concern. Pulse surveys areshort-form and designed to drill down into pockets inan organization that need attention, either because they
are hot spots or bright spots. FNM also rolled out an
inclusive-skill building platform that upskills employees
throughout the organization, helps drive a culture ofbelonging, and provides aggregated insights back to the
executive team on areas to focus on. In February of 2021,
FNM conducted such a survey, leaning on advice fromthe WPIC and our inclusive-skill-building technology
partner, a respected employee experience technology
firm that works with Fortune 500 businesses. The idea
was to create a thorough-going analysis of employee
concerns uncovered by a combination of results from theGPTW survey, and aggregated insights gleaned from ourtechnology partner. The Pulse survey results paired withthe results from our inclusive-skill-building platform
were encouraging in that the data revealed an uptick in
the Inclusion Index. The beginning action steps taken by
FNM were already having an impact.
In June of 2022, FNM rolled out a series of Learning
Paths and focus group circle discussions, again working
with our inclusive-skill-building technology partnerand leaning on advice from the WPIC. These focus
groups explored employee sentiment in skillfully led
open-ended conversations. Like the Pulse surveys andLearning Paths they targeted hot spots as well as brightspots and focused a great deal of attention on Black
talent at all levels of the organization. One management
response to these focus groups has been the creationof Listening Sessions for Black employees to better
understand the subtlety of the issues facing them, andto create closer bonds within FNM’s Black employees’community. These have been well received and are
already contributing to enhanced engagement and asense of “being seen and heard.” Overall, the focus

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group discussions powered by our inclusive-skill-building
technology partner have been a great success. They haverevealed a much more nuanced picture of FNM’s culture,pin-pointed challenges and shown that the company
is moving in the right direction. But they have also
underscored the importance of continued commitment
at the top of the house (the FNM CEO and the FOX Boardof Directors), and unrelenting leadership energy thatcurrently comes from FNM’s excellent HR team.
OTHER KEY AREAS OF CONCERN AND FOCUS
Pandemic and Lockdown. The WPIC was briefed on thesteps FOX took to stay on the air and fulfill its missionof keeping the public informed while also significantly
reducing its footprint at its physical locations to ensure
the health and safety of its employees. A specific concern
was the mental health of employees and FOX provided
additional services to address this issue. For many
employees working remotely, FOX posted numerous
helpful resources on its intranet, including businessspecific Remote Work Guides and a webinar series through
FOX Learning & Development that taught practicaltechniques for cultivating creativity during the enforced
isolation of lockdown and full-time remote work.

out High-Octane Mentoring (“HOM”) in November 2021.
This is a de facto sponsorship program with a customized
name. FNM wisely decided that the word “sponsor”
would not fit well with the culture. The WPIC – which has
considerable expertise in the leadership development
space – was invited to help design this initiative. It has
been a great success, led by Suzanne Scott and her direct
reports and rolled out by the FNM HR team. In its first
iteration it comprised of sixteen senior level mentors, andsixteen middle level mentees. The mentees comprise ofa carefully chosen diverse portfolio of high achieving upand-comers. Eight (three Black, four Asian, one Hispanic)out of sixteen mentees were diverse.

High-Octane Mentoring. Many companies have found thatwhile mentors are valuable for a wide range of employees,
including those at the entry-level, high-potential
employees in the middle levels need sponsors if they areto advance to the executive ranks. This is particularly
true for Black employees who benefit enormously
from sponsorship. Studies show that African American
managers with sponsors are 65% more likely to progressto the next level than those without. Unfortunately, due
to the absence of shared social networks, only 5% of
high-achieving Black talent across corporate America
win sponsorship. To remedy this problem and address
one of the most troubling issues uncovered in the 2020
company-wide survey and 2021 Pulse survey, FNM rolled

Employee Development and Recognition. The WPIC
has been an enthusiastic champion of FNM’s creative
approach to employee recognition. Of special note are the
newly implemented Spotlight Awards. In 2021, there were
331 nominations across a total of six award categories.
• Impact Award given to employees, teams, ordepartments whose work had one of the most positive
impacts on the company. One winner.
• Inclusion Ambassador of the Year Award for
employees who lead by example in celebrating,engaging, and advocating for diverse communities andvoices inside and outside the company. One winner.

• Innovator of The Year Award for employees, teams, ordepartments whose consistent hard work, dedication,and outside-of-the-box creative thinking led toinnovative changes throughout the business and took
FNM to new heights. One winner.
• Rising Star Award for employees who showed exemplary
work ethic and growth throughout the year. One aspectthat makes these awards unique is that employees
nominate their colleagues for them, and the leadershipteam then reviews the nominations. Five winners.
• Unsung Hero Award, for employees whose work isvital to the business but often goes unnoticed. Four
winners, including an employee who lost his life
during FNM’s coverage of the war in Ukraine.
• Community Service Award, for employees who
have dedicated their time and energy to their local
communities and are most active in company
volunteer efforts. Four winners.
All nominations were received and scored by an internal
committee of senior leaders representing different
departments and disciplines across FNM. A short list of
finalists was then shared with the CEO’s direct reports,
who then voted on the finalists. The CEO and FNM’s
President & Executive Editor selected the final winners.

Improving and embedding sexual harassment training.
Annual training for sexual harassment is now mandatory
in New York State, but, at the urging of the WPIC, FNM has
gone the extra mile, bringing into the company a ‘best inclass’ external trainer, producing multi-media content andseeking to continually upgrade and refresh programmingso that it remains sticky and relevant. Monitoring sexual
harassment and its accompaniment - retaliatory behavior is central to the WPIC’s mission. Members of the WPIC arepleased and proud that the excellent initiatives in this area
are celebrated and widely known across FNM.
Ramping up ERGs at FOX News Media. The WPIC has
been vocal in its support for recent expansion in the scopeand scale of Employee Resource Groups at FNM. At many
blue-chip companies, ERGs reinforce that shared identity
by hosting events that celebrate heritage and create
differentiated networks that burnish brands and advancecareers. FOX now has eight ERGs, and they are increasingly
active on all three fronts. In addition, at the suggestionof the WPIC, FNM board members of the FOX ERGs were
pulled in to serve as an internal sounding board when our
inclusive-skill-building technology partner fine-tuned
protocols for the 2021/2022 Learning Paths and focus
group discussions. Following those discussions, FNM plans
to develop additional, FNM-specific ERGs to encourage
engagement and foster a deeper sense of belonging acrossthe intersecting identity facets of FOX News employees.
The eight FOX ERGs are as follows: ABLE – Employees with
Disabilities; ACE – Asian American Employees; BLK+ - Black
Employees; HOLA – Hispanic or Latinx Employees; PRIDE– LGBTQ+ Employees; VETS – Military Veterans; WiT –Women in Tech; and Women@FOX – Women at FOX.
FOX Weather Diversity Outreach Strategy. This initiative,
which is designed to engage diverse populations within theweather community, has had the enthusiastic endorsementof the WPIC. Successful roll-out of this program is based onfour pillars: (i) outreach to strategic universities, including
Mississippi State University, which has one of the largest
meteorological departments in the country; (ii) visibility

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within premier industry organizations such as the American
Meteorological Society; (iii) championing diversity in theweather community through strong partnerships between
the weather initiative and diversity journalism organizations(NABJ, AAJA, NAHJ, NLGJA) and Historically Black
Colleges & Universities (HBCUs); and (iv) cultivation ofinternal development opportunities, including leveraging
and scaling best practices across the organization throughtraining and development opportunities and developing
internal pipelines for talent mobility.
Complaint Investigation Process. As mentioned earlier,with guidance from the WPIC, FNM has created an effective
process for employees to register complaints related toharassing, discriminatory or retaliatory conduct. In recent
years, the company has created multiple avenues forreporting: employees may contact their Manager, Human
Resources, the Legal Department, or the 24/7 outside
Alert Line. As a result, reporting options are much better
known in 2022 than in 2017. Employees now learn of thereporting process at many points of time throughout theiremployment journey, including new hire orientation, annual
training, postings in common areas, and the annual reacknowledgment of the employee handbook. As is true
for many companies, HR and Legal are responsible formanaging the complaint process. In addition, this processprovides for the hiring of independent outside counsel toconduct investigations when circumstances warrant.
GLINT Survey Platform. In the summer of 2022, FOX
contracted with LinkedIn’s GLINT, a people-analytics
platform that provides sophisticated survey development
support, including onboarding and exit surveys and Ad Hoc
Pulse surveys. The WPIC has endorsed this choice. In the
future, this platform will provide great flexibility, allowing
FNM to leverage GLINT’s offerings and conduct surveys
on an ‘as needed’ basis and target challenges at both themicro and the macro level. In a recent meeting with GLINT
and the FNM Human Resources team, the WPIC urged thatin 2023 GLINT commit to continuing the Inclusion Index andconducting surveys to determine whether there has been any

“backsliding” on the sexual misconduct front as employees
return to work. We are very cognizant that harassment ispartially an in-person problem.

FOX NEWS WORKPLACE PROFESSIONALISM AND INCLUSION COUNCIL (WPIC) MEMBERS

Conclusion. The WPIC commends FNM on the progress
it has made in its culture change journey. To sustain its
progress, FNM should continue to leverage internaland external expertise. Regularly and continuallyassessing employees’ perceptions provides invaluable
insight into bright spots and hot spots, which helps
the company grow its people to their full potential andmitigate reputational risk. The individual members of
the WPIC have agreed to the request from FNM to servean additional six months in consultative roles on an asneeded basis.

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Bernard Gugar
FOX News Media General Counsel
and Executive Vice President ofCorporate Development

Sylvia A. Hewlett
CEO of Hewlett Consulting Partners
and founding president of the Center
for Talent Innovation

Virgil L. Smith
Principal, Smith Edwards Group LLC

Brande Stellings
Principal, Vestry Laight LLC

Honorable Barbara S. Jones, (Ret.)
Partner, Bracewell LLP

Kevin Lord
Executive Vice President,
and Chief Human Resources Officer,
Fox Corporation