Sean Hannity has repeatedly flouted Fox News rules with no real consequences, and other employees are furious about the apparent double standard.
The conservative network's most popular broadcaster operates by a different set of ethical and editorial standards than other Fox News employees, and the problem has only gotten worse since the departures of the late Roger Ailes and former Hannity executive producer Bill Shine, reported The Daily Beast.
Fox News has defended Hannity when it was revealed he was a client of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who had frequently appeared on his show without disclosing their professional relationship.
Hannity also defied Fox News by taking the stage, along with the network's Jeanine Pirro, at a Trump rally in Missouri just ahead of the 2018 midterms, despite promising earlier that he would only interview the president beforehand.
“All those people in the back are fake news,” Hannity told the crowd, pointing to reports covering the rally -- including journalists for Fox News.
Hannity himself regularly promotes dubious reporting, and Fox News management has ordered him to stop referring to those frequently guests as "investigative reporters" because their work "passes none of the network's editorial standards."
The broadcaster has ignored that directive, and sometimes even refers to those independent contributors as "Fox News investigative reporters."
Fox News employees complained to The Daily Beast that Hannity's political activism was "embarrassing," and they were frustrated the network appeared unwilling or unable to hold him to the same standards as other broadcasters.
The network sided with Hannity when asked to comment on the website's report.
“Sean Hannity’s status as the most watched show in cable news is a testament to our audience’s overwhelming loyalty and passion for his opinion," a Fox News spokesperson said. "We value his unique perspective and he has our full support.”