A lawyer for Roger Ailes, the former chairman of Fox News, has sent a letter to New York magazine suggesting he might take legal action over its reporting about Mr. Ailes.

Lauren Starke, a spokeswoman for the magazine, said that Charles J. Harder, who was Hulk Hogan’s lawyer in his successful lawsuit against Gawker Media, had contacted the magazine by email and asked it to preserve documents related to Mr. Ailes in preparation for a possible defamation claim. Mr. Harder sent the email on behalf of Mr. Ailes and his wife, Elizabeth, Ms. Starke said. The move was first reported by The Financial Times.

Mr. Harder did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Gabriel Sherman, a reporter for the magazine, has written extensively about Mr. Ailes and the sexual harassment allegations by female employees that resulted in his ouster in July as chairman of Fox News. On Friday, New York published a lengthy article by Mr. Sherman about Mr. Ailes and his downfall, and in July Mr. Sherman was the first to report that Rupert Murdoch and his sons, Lachlan and James, had decided to remove Mr. Ailes from his position.