Women's Groups Rebuke Fox News' Watters' Sexist 'Trope'

Fox News host Jesse Watters is facing backlash over his claims that female journalists sleep with their sources "all the time" to get scoops.

Elisa Lees Munoz, executive director of the International Women's Media Foundation, called the comments "tired."

"It is totally beyond the pale," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's such a trope, it's so tired, and why is it coming out now? . . . I don't think it's any different than any other way that professional women are maligned in any profession, which is that a woman can't possibly do her job well if she's not also using her body to get ahead."

Watters was discussing criticism of Clint Eastwood's new movie "Richard Jewell," which depicts the late journalist Kathy Scruggs as a reporter who traded sex for stories.

"Just as an example, this happens all the time," the Fox News host declared. "Ali Watkins was a reporter for many, many years at many distinguished publications. She slept with one of her sources, allegedly, for four years and broke a lot of scoops according to this Politico report here."

Carolyn McGourty Supple, who co-founded the group Press Forward to advocate for safe, civil and diverse workplaces in journalism, told THR the stereotype was "incredibly harmful."

"It was irresponsible to say on air," she said. "It sounded anecdotal and not based in reality. Saying stuff like that has very harmful effects."

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