Ivory Hecker, a television news reporter from Houston, Texas, announced during a live broadcast that she is being silenced by her own network and is planning to share secret recordings via Project Veritas tomorrow.
Hecker made the unusual announcement live on Fox station KRIV on Monday. She was expected to report on a local heatwave that is causing power outages across the region when she said that the channel's parent company had been "muzzling" her and other reporters to keep quiet about unspecified "information" before announcing the "behind the scenes" evidence would be shared on Tuesday.
'Fox Corp Has Been Muzzling Me'
"I want to let you, the viewers, know that Fox Corp has been muzzling me to keep certain information from you, the viewers," Hecker said. "And from what I'm gathering I am not the only reporter being subjected to this. I am going to be releasing some recordings about what goes on behind the scenes at Fox because it applies you, the viewers."
"I found a non-profit journalism group called Project Veritas who's going to help put that out tomorrow. So, tune into them," she added before going right back to delivering her live report on the blistering Texas heat.
Hecker Says She Was 'Harassed' for Opposing Censorship
Hecker told Newsweek that her dispute with Fox "had taken a dark turn last August" after interviewing an unspecified person. She noted she was told to keep quiet about opposing "censorship" months later.
"They decided they didn't like what the interview subject had said, and they went on to internally harass and defame me," Hecker said. "I knew I was not working for a journalistic organization when I was called into an HR meeting in December and was told to keep my support for free speech and opposition to censorship to myself—that those were not matters to be publicly spoken about."
"True journalism can't exist in an environment of censorship," added Hecker. "True journalism needs an environment of free speech."
Project Veritas Confirms Sit-Down Interview with Hecker, Video Footage to be Released
A spokesperson for Project Veritas confirmed to The Daily Beast that the right-wing activist group will be publishing a sit-down interview with Hecker on Tuesday evening. Besides interviewing the reporter about her claims of corruption related to Fox, Project Veritas said it will also publish some of Hecker's recordings and videos that she claims is evidence that supports her allegations. Project Veritas is best known for its undercover "sting" operations on media outlets and liberal political organizations.
