Fox News President Roger Ailes thinks Sarah Palin 'is an idiot'

UPDATE: Fox News executive disputes claim Roger Ailes thinks Sarah Palin ‘is an idiot’

Roger Ailes, the president of the Fox News Channel, is not fond of former Alaska governor and Fox News contributor Sarah Palin, according to sources.

“He thinks things are going in a bad direction," a Republican close to Ailes told Gabriel Sherman of the New York Magazine. "Roger is worried about the future of the country. He thinks the election of Obama is a disaster. He thinks Palin is an idiot. He thinks she’s stupid. He helped boost her up. People like Sarah Palin haven’t elevated the conservative movement."

Ailes was also frustrated with Palin after she refused to heed his advise in the aftermath of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, referring to Palin as a "loose cannon."

He advised Palin to "lie low" and wait to respond to media reports highlighting some of her violent rhetoric, but instead of waiting, Palin accused her critics of "blood libel."

"Especially within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn," Palin said via Facebook. "That is reprehensible."

She joined the Fox News Channel as a contributor in 2010.

Despite his alleged troubles with Palin, Ailes recently defended her from MSNBC host Chris Matthews, who said it was ""

"People tell me all the time it was truly pathetic that I was the one who gave Chris Matthews his start on television," Ailes said, according to MediaBistro. He gave Matthews his first show “Politics with Chris Matthews” in 1994.