in abrahamson's case, people call it a glass cliff.u reach the top, then you're pushed off. >>> let's talk about another story developing this week, at&t and this deal to buy dircectv for potentially $50 billion, comes after the comcast and time warner cable deal. what does this mean for the phones apartment home? >> this may be announced as early as this afternoon. the boards of the two companies are meeting today to approve this deal. it affects a lot of people at home. one out of four people watching right now either has directv or at&t u-verse. i don't think their service, their packages will change right away. but this is further consolidation in an industry that seems to have fewer and fewer players, comcast and time warner cable are merging. if at&t and directv also merge, it will be one fewer option for consumers about how to get television, how to pay for television every month. the reason why they're doing this, why all this consolidation is happening, everything is moving to the internet in one way or another, the way we wat

abrahamson is probably already on the stage. then they'll give out those on air degrees. brian, i would be stunned if abrahamson said anything overt because i think she'll sue. do you? >> i kd ken ol letta that, he first wrote about this issue of unequal pay between abrahamson and her predecessor. the new york sims said their pay packages are basically equal. he said it's possible she could sue and abram done talked about the possibility. i think she'll make a couple of clever remarks about this. it's fun to be working at this commencement address. these students had no idea they'd be on national televisiotelevisiol. >> we're looking at jill abrahamson now making her way to the stage along with those professors. alex, young women who are graduating today. what will be the takeaway for them, do you think? >> this is going to be a really interesting speech for them. jill abrahamson was celebrated because she rose to the top of her field, the first executive editor of "the new york times." that's a really big deal. when we're looking at that level of journalism, it's a level

. >>> when we come back, ""the new york times" fires joe abrahamson. our panel discusses whether the "times" is waging its own war on women. heat shields are compromised. we have multiple failures. are those thrusters burning? that's a negative. what's that alarm? fuel cell two is down. i'm going to have to guide her in manually. this is very exciting. but i'm at my stop. come again? i'm watching this on the train. it's so hard to leave. good luck with everything. with the u-verse tv app, the u-verse revolves around you the u-verse revolves around you >>> let's play the big part. >> the point i was just making, though. why then would her successor in her old job make more money than she did? that doesn't make sense to me. >> people were talking on the new fox news show "outnumbered" about the sudden firing of the "new york times" top editor jill abrahamson. we're back now with the panel. this controversy has grown so much that "new york times" editor was forced to put out a new statement on saturday. let's put this up on the screen. i decided that jill

executive editor jill abrahamson fired.ired after complaining she was paid less than male predecessor. the "new york times" denying. that is abrahamson a victim of the war on women? getting a different pay? our political panel is back. byron? >> there is question about what the pay was and how different it was. jill abrahamson has not spoken publicly. clearly had friends and associates say things to the press that she discovered she was paid less as editor than predecessor and paid less than keller was when she managing editor. the "times" came out and said no, it's not true, her pay was not substantially less and last year she earned more than keller last we're year. we don't know the facts on this story looks like a lot of controversy in that news organization. i n't know what's behind the scene last book editorial board said they essentially wanted the benghazi investigation shut down they thought it was silly, my paraphrased words secretive one she has covered in decades. tension between her and the ed toward board. als

solesberger himself taking another shot and another stam at abrahamson's dismissile, and then abrahamson the commencement ceremony for wake forest university. >> sure, losing a job you love hurts, but the work i revere, journalism that holds powerful people and institutions accountable, is what makes our democracy so resilient. what's next for me? i don't know. so i'm in exactly the same boat as many of you. >> join me now, emily, then edit or over fleet, emily, are you astounded how ugly this entire thing has gotten? i just cannot believe every day that passes more leaks, more articles, more facts coming out, solesberger him coming out to basically be like she was terrible? it's head-spinning, got son bad and so public so fast. >> it's true. the media is obsessed with "the new york times," with this story, and so i think part of what we're seeing here is a kind of feeding frenzy where everyone is thinking about this problem at the "new york times" and taking sides. >> we have seen battling kind of accounts of what was prompted her ouster. originally pay equity, kind of -- reporting that

"new york times" has fired its top editor, jill abrahamson, she is out.y it's because she thought she wasn't paid the same wage as men in her position at the "times." the report comes from ken aletta who works at the new yorker magazine. the history the "new york times" a very liberal newspaper and bought into the war on women political pose. in april it editorialized about the claim that american women earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. a claim we have debunked here. anyway, the "times" put forth, quote: it reflects overdiscrimination as well as more nuances gender based factors like the fact that women are disproportionately concentrated in the lowest paying fields and there is no doubt that the pay gap is real, unquote. apparently jill abrahamson hired a law lawyer to investigate why she was not receiving the same compensation than men received in the past. if that's true, the "times" could be in for legal trouble as well as having a pr nightmare on its hands. the newspaper denies miss abrahamson was not paid fairly -- so, the two leading gend

what would happen if abrahamson punched holes in the wall.the man named, the response is basically, bros will be bros. >> i should have a lawyer with me for this part. shoochbt i somei have a temper. in each case. we should have somebody ahead of me. >> another fact? nobody called him pushy. instead, he was described by colleagues as passionate. joining me now, the editor and chief of glamour magazine, cindy levy who launched this series and i was lucky enough to participate. we need to be talking more about women in the workplace. what are your thoughts on this whole exchange? the revelations? punching holes in the office walls? >> it was extremely confusing. that's honestly what i hear most from young women. they're kind of confused about what they're supposed to be acting like as a woman leader. you can't be too soft or too kind or too gentle because people will think you don't have the graff taus to lead a company but if you're difficult like jill is accused of being, then you're out. >> one has a hard time imagining a woman who, if she h

"new york times" has fired its top editor, jill abrahamson, she is out.it's because she thought she wasn't paid the same wage as men in her position at the "times." the report comes from ken aletta who works at the new yorker magazine. the history the "new york times" a very liberal newspaper and bought into the war on women political pose. in april it editorialized about the claim that american women earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. a claim we have debunked here. anyway, the "times" put forth, quote: it reflects overdiscrimination as well as more nuances gender based factors like the fact that women are disproportionately concentrated in the lowest paying fields and there is no doubt that the pay gap is real, unquote. apparently jill abrahamson hired a law lawyer to investigate why she was not receiving the same compensation than men received in the past. if that's true, the "times" ing a be in for legal pr nightmare on its hands. the newspaper denies miss abrahamson was not paid fairly -- so, the two leading gender equality promoters, the oba

not jill abrahamson, the iron lady. she got her notebook, pulled out the facts, rebutted every charge and killed the theme. she went eye-to-eye with "60 minutes." they blanked. it was on this campus, a half century ago, i decided to become a journalist, ons blind by spending several days with a visiting "new york times" legend, scotty ruston. little did i realize that decades later i would be close friends with another "new york times" legend. she isn't a pipe-smoking contemplative columnist. she is a thoughtful, courageous editor, with a new york accent so thick we may need a translator this morning. she is one of the most powerful women in the world who always has time for her many friends. it's one of the pleasures of my life to be her colleague. and today, it is with such pride that i present your commencement speaker, my dear friend, jill abram son. [applause] [applause] [applause] [applause] >> i think the only real news here today is your graduation from this great university. first of all, congratulations. [appl

i want to ask you "new york times" abrahamson stepping down appointed to the post in 2011.n. she will be replaced by the current managing editor of the paper. >> the "new york times" has been pushing the idea there is a war on women. talking points in the democratic party. i think it's going to be very interesting to see how this news hits that particular newsroom. given that's what they seem to be so concerned about the role of women in the workplace. >> byron, i think it's interesting that she was purend out or fired or however you want to say it it she made the statement and actually we talked about it here "on the record." she made the statement that the obama administration is the most secretive administration she has ever covered. she has covered white houses for decades and about the same time is that the editorial board was saying that benghazi, everything is out there the administration. interesting she got shoved out. >> she did say that this is really stunning news. because she had only been the he cannive ed at for three years. and this is like a summary executi

that's where jill abrahamson just finished making her first public comments since her public firing from "times". she didn't shy away from the controversy, but made it the central theme of her address and immediately launched into a story about successes and failures going all the way back to her childhood. >> it meant more to our father to see us deal with a setback and try to bounce back than to watch how we handled our successes. show what you are made of, he would say. graduating from wake forest means all of you have experienced success already. and some of you -- and now i'm talking to anyone who has been dumped -- not gotten the job you really wanted, or received those horrible rejection letters from grad school. you know the sting of losing or not getting something you badly want. when that happens, show what you are made of. >> everybody has been talking about this. a former colleague wrote that seeing jill abrahamson fired was like watching, quote, her head get chopped off in the gold light of day. let me bring in crystal bakrystd leslie jane seymour. what do you make of all th

why was jill abrahamson dismissed?was unhappy. when he hired her two-and-a-half years ago basically said the reason i hesitated, i was worried about her management style. he became convinced her management style was rough. women, on the other hand come back and say yeah you would say a man was tough, and you're saying a woman is pushy. and -- second, which fed into that narrative he had, she found out that she was paid less than her predecessor was. both as managing editor when she was managing editor and when she was executive editor. and she went and raised that issue, and then hired a lawyer to politely ask about that issue. that's fed into the narrative. she was pushy. >> how much less was she paid? >> i'm going to actually write something more about that. >> so there is more reporting to be done on that. >> the "times" has pushed back ken, saying her pay was comparable. >> not the same but comparable. we'll see how comparable it was. >> wow. >> and is there more do you think, ken, to the equal pay issue? there are

. >> i think jill abrahamson is right in this case. if you look at the reaction that the white house had to the release of the ben rhodes e-mail, the white house said we didn't release it because it wasn't about benghazi because it didn't pass the lab test. >> let me say one thing. it was released as part of a court order and the court order was because there was a request for benghazi information. >> exactly. freedom of information act request. and you should talk to the state department about why it wasn't released. basically, the state department and white house is pointing the finger at each other saying no one had any real responsibility to do this. that does not build confidence and that's the one single reason that tips speaker boehner over the line into pointing a select committee. >> why is the editorial board, though, so opposed to at least getting to the bottom of the facts. maybe at the end nothing was suspicious. there's enough suspicious information that has not been answered. why is the editorial board so -- calling it a

female executive editor at "the new york times," one of the reasons the paper reportedly fired jill abrahamson was over pay. she asked to be paid the same as a man who previously held her job. "the times" paid her $475,000 in 2011 while paying the man with the same job nearly $100,000 more. is the paper now joining the so-called war on women? here for a fair and balanced debate, alan colmes and david webb, both are radio hosts and fox news contributors. i have a feeling that's the only thing they'll agree on. alan, why has this issue struck such a nerve? >> well, it's "the new york times." among conservatives, "the new york times," best of the liberal media. if -- >> how could they do this -- >> i don't know that they have. i'm not defending "the times." according to "the new york times" in response to an article published in "new york" magazine, they claim although the base pay was different, the total package was more than the previous editor got. but i don't know the -- i didn't see the numbers. >> i don't know whether it's more disturbing that she was not paid the same for the same job or

abrahamson was accused of public mistreatment of colleagues and denying the allegation of unequal pay after promoting someone who clashed with abramson to be the first we african-american executive. abramson claimed weeks ago her compensation was lower than her predecessor, bill keller. >> she was not fired clearly beavers the pay disparity. that fed into a narrative she was difficult to work with. >> we have a former usa towed executive and a fox news contributor and former bush administration program and sign your writer for the "national journal." what do you make of sulzberger getting killed in the press. >> they bungled it. the reason they had to put something out on saturday was because of all the sunday shows who will talk about how "new york times" really bungled it. the problem is it is pathetic he had to attack jail, the woman he shoved out the door. >> pathetic because of what -- he is defending himself against a lost coverage that was favorable to abramson? >> they spent a lot of ink on the equal pay issue. now, it turns out there wasn't equal pay although "new york times"

but even jill abrahamson from "the new york times" has called this the most secretive administration> we covered that here on "the real story." we have to go. i've got to go. john scott in for shepard smith today. >> next time you leave a comment on a website, could you be sued? and what about the website? could it be sued for your thoughts? that's essentially the question going before a court of appeals. the case centers around comments about a former nfl cheerleader and high school teacher who had sex with one of her students. this case could go all the way to the supreme court and could have a huge impact on how we all use the web. we'll break it down in the next hour. >> thanks, john. >>> benghazi heating up on the hill. >> you dismissed the idea that this attack was, in fact, a demonstration that went awry and was based on a youtube video out of los angeles? >> yes, sir, short answer. >> thank you. >> we're going to talk to the head of the organization that brought the latest controversial e-mails to light, they sued for them. >>> and a report released by the malaysian governmen

abrahamson has been replaced by whoging editor dean baquet becomes the first african-american to hold the post. he was accused of quashing a story on the involvement of phone companies in the bush ministrations domestic servants program while working at "the los angeles times." he received complaints from top u.s. intelligence officials at the time, but says that played no role in his decision. the french photojournalist camille lepage has died while covering the conflict in central african republic. her body was found murdered after french troops stopped the vehicle driven by christian militants. friends and colleagues say camille lepage was dedicated to documenting africa's overlooked conflicts. she was 26 years old. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we turn now to the future of the internet. the federal communications commission or fcc is scheduled to vote today on new rules that may effectively abandon net neutrality, the concept of a free and open internet. the fcc announced plans last month t

. >> you know who's newly available, jill abrahamson. >> that is true. that is true. >> she used to be the competitive? >> she's an extraordinary power woman but it goes to show you, never before has it been easier to attain power with social media and connectivity. it's never been faster to lose it. she was a huge influential voice in the media world. yesterday's news, still things shaking up. >> hello. >> we were college classmates. >> i can give you a lot more to make fun on john. >> did you have a murse. >> he didn't have a murse but there's more incriminating things. >> julia borston was in our class, too. are there any other sectors that jump out to you as big areas that will be discussed? >> i think the main sector where we see women really driving entrepreneurship is still in the lifestyle and consumer arina. they're doing it in dynamic, unconventional ways. we're seeing different businesses that are revolutionizing retale as we know it. we see these women that are turning their personal brands into huge, million dollar businesses. it's very, ver