Update, judith regan, news corporation, roger ailes, top

Judith Regan Wins Her Slanging Match

The virtues of going quietly are much overstated. Book publisher Judith Regan, an incredibly aggressive executive in an incredibly passive industry, was offered $6m after being fired by her employer, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. After she threatened to expose a call from a Murdoch henchman — urging her not to testify against her former lover, Bernie Kerik — the terms improved. Maybe she could have gotten a better deal if Kerik still had the potential to embarrass the former Republican front-runner, Rudy Giuliani. Even so, the rumored $20m-$25m payoff in today's settlement is a nice improvement over Murdoch's initial offer. (Update: Another source says more like $10m, though definitions may vary.) Even after legal fees, and a slanging match (anti-semite! Giu-lovers!) with some of the dirtiest players in politics and media. If anyone could out-slang Roger Ailes, the former Nixon aide who built up Fox News for Murdoch, it's Judith Regan.

4:57 PM on Fri Jan 25 2008
By Nick Denton
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10 comments

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larrydarrell at 05:07 PM on 01/25/08
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sub-headline: job curses god.
dweeb at 05:09 PM on 01/25/08
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Off to go dust off my resume.

See y'all over at careers.newscorp.com.

BTW, anyone know any loquacious murders?
Colonel Mustard at 05:15 PM on 01/25/08
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Connectedness Index: 301

Every time you say "[Judith Regan's] former lover, Bernie Kerik" I turn to stone.
Nic Fit at 05:16 PM on 01/25/08
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But is sleeping with Bernard Kerik really worth $25 million?
SarahHeartburn at 05:17 PM on 01/25/08
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Connectedness Index: 309

@Colonel Mustard: I get queasy. Lover doesn´t quite do it justice. Ugly-bumper?
naboo at 05:33 PM on 01/25/08
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I think we have a winner in the "Who would Denton go straight for?" sweepstakes.
Michael Jahn at 11:55 AM on 01/26/08
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Connectedness Index: 142

@larrydarrell: Anyone who fucks over the book publishing industry IS a god in my book.
Ummwhat at 03:54 PM on 01/26/08
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@Colonel Mustard: Anytime anyone uses the word lover I think of Will Farrell and Rachel Dratch eating lamb chops in a hot tub at the prestigious Welsely Arms.
Penscribe at 08:53 PM on 01/26/08
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NewsCorp issued a statement stating she did NOT make anti-semitic comments, and this is the only item we read? Come on, people can hate Judith Regan, but we just learned her business was dismantled for false reasons. There HAS to be more of a story here.
B4MURDOCH at 06:00 PM on 02/08/08
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I was her HS boyfriend. Men made her the way she is now and are still out to get her, because she threatens them and won't take their crap. She wouldn't have gone near Kerik, except that he looks like her father..... figure that one out!
Nasty? Never to me or her friends, but she was always painfully honest and demanded respect. The real issue here is not the snide rumors about her "executive skills".... It's the power of Murdoch's Evil Empire to threaten individual rights, in this case hers, that needs to be examined and exposed.