At least 52 advertisers have yanked their sponsorship from Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" as top-rated host Bill O'Reilly fends off allegations of serial sexual harassment. A network famous for its conservative slant and appeal to Christian family values can afford nothing short of a zero-tolerance policy when employees engage in tawdry and sexually exploitative conduct.

The list of allegations against O'Reilly is long and credible. So credible, in fact, that the network opted to settle at least five cases out of court and pay $13 million to women who claimed O'Reilly had bullied, harassed or threatened to harm their careers if they didn't yield to his sexual advances.

Instead of continuing to make excuses for O'Reilly and make hush-money payments, it's time for Fox News to dump him and commit itself to 21st-century standards of conduct. Instead, the network continues to circle the wagons while trying to excuse or divert attention from the egregious behavior of its senior staffers.

Advertisers have spoken loud and clear that they're unwilling to soil their reputations with O'Reilly. Perhaps the network will get the message when ShamWow and the Pocket Fisherman are the only advertisers left.

The network's former chief executive, Roger Ailes, resigned two weeks after former host Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit in July alleging that he sexually harassed her and punished her professionally after she fended him off. The Justice Department reportedly is investigating payments by Fox News to various Ailes accusers.

Three employees, all African-Americans, have sued the network in the past week alleging racial discrimination. The network says it is taking corrective action. Firing one or two individuals isn't enough to fix what is obviously a culture of open dismissiveness toward racial and sexual equity in the workplace and public sphere.

Last week, O'Reilly mocked a black congresswoman by pumping his fist in a "black power" salute while mouthing "right on" as he played a video of her speaking. He then summarily dismissed the content of her remarks, saying he was too distracted by her "James Brown wig."

During last year's presidential campaign, on the day a lewd video surfaced showing Donald Trump talking about sexually abusing women, anchors went to extraordinary lengths to avoid reporting on it. The story broke on the same day Hurricane Matthew hit the East Coast. The Trump scandal dominated all other network coverage, but Fox News ignored it. Their coverage of the hurricane, however, rivaled the Weather Channel.

Interestingly, though, the network gave great prominence Wednesday to Trump's defense of O'Reilly. Taking cover behind a president who openly advocated grabbing women by the genitals hardly conveys a network commitment to change its culture.

Advertisers should keep up the pressure until Fox gives O'Reilly, along with all of his network enablers, the boot.

REPRINTED FROM THE ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH