Fox News is run by Roger E. Ailes, a former Republican strategist, who was personally involved in the contracts for Mr. Gingrich, Ms. Palin and others. Although there are no federal prohibitions against people being on the payroll of a television or radio station while running for office — or contemplating such a run — executives at competing networks have watched Fox’s handling of the could-be candidates with some astonishment.
One such executive on Tuesday called it unethical to have a presidential candidate on a network payroll.
If a candidate is thinking about running, as Mr. Huckabee and Ms. Palin have said they are, they should be treated as de facto candidates, this executive said. He requested anonymity for fear of retribution by Fox.
Those of us who have made attention to Fox's PR department over the years know that retribution is, indeed, likely. Say something nasty about them and they're likely to issue a press release with highlights from your divorce settlement, or whatever.