A local news reporter for Fox 26 in Houston was fired after announcing on-air the company that owns the station has been “muzzling” her reporting and planned an expose with the help of Project Veritas.
Ivory Hecker, a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor for the station, said she planned to release “behind the scenes” recordings about the Fox Corporation during a live broadcast on Monday. Project Veritas revealed on Tuesday that Hecker had been informed of her suspension from Fox 26, sharing a phone recording provided to the conservative activist group.
Soon after, the Daily Beast reported Hecker told the news outlet she had been fired.
“I have been longing to part ways with this strange, slightly unhinged corporation since last August when I realized what they were,” she said, adding she has “zero interest in working for another corporation. They all toe the same line.”
Fox 26, which confirmed to multiple news outlets that Hecker had been fired, also issued a statement on the situation.
“FOX 26 adheres to the highest editorial standards of accuracy and impartiality,” a spokeswoman for the station told the Washington Examiner. “This incident involves nothing more than a disgruntled former employee seeking publicity by promoting a false narrative produced through selective editing and misrepresentation.”
HOUSTON REPORTER SAYS NETWORK ‘MUZZLING’ HER AND TEASES RELEASE OF AUDIO WHILE LIVE ON-AIR
On Tuesday, a video published by Project Veritas showed Hecker sitting down for an interview with the group’s founder, James O’Keefe, and video and audio clips of some of her superiors at Fox 26.
Hecker raised concerns about the station cracking down on reporting related to certain topics, including Bitcoin and a doctor promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19.
One clip claimed to show Lee Meier, assistant news director at the station, saying, “It’s not just about the viewers; it’s about what our CEO reads; it’s about what our GM reads.”
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Project Veritas has earned a mixed record for its operations, including allegations of misleading editing.
In response to Fox 26, O’Keefe released a statement on Telegram noting Hecker “actually wasn’t a former employee when she went live on air and sat down with Project Veritas, so [Fox 26] statement is factually incorrect.”
