O’Reilly Lashes Out at
Mother Jones and
CNN’s
Brian Stelter: ‘
Far Left Zealots’ Smearing Me
The Bill O’Reilly dispute with Mother Jones just keeps getting more intense.
For those not up to speed, the magazine’s editor
David Corn alleged on Thursday that the
Fox News host had embellished his experiences as a
CBS reporter covering wars in
El Salvador and the
Falkland Islands. O’Reilly hit back via phone interviews with the media, calling the Mother Jones charges “bullshit,” accusing
Corn and others of “gutter-sniping” at him despite O’Reilly’s record of being “absolutely accurate.”
As we reported earlier today, the
Factor is set to address the controversy once more, but this time during the “
Talking Points Memo” portion of his nightly broadcast. The full transcript has made its way online in advance of the 8 p.m. ET broadcast.
From the outset, O’Reilly throws bombs at Mother Jones (“a far-left magazine” with “low circulation”), David Corn (“liar”), and media outlets that have given favorable coverage to the allegations.
“I’m sorry,” tells his audience. “I have to deal with this garbage tonight.”
He goes on to explain his side of the story:
Basically David Corn, a liar, says that I exaggerated situations in the
Falklands War and
Salvadoran War. Here’s the truth:
Everything I’ve said about my reportorial career — everything — is true. 33 years ago in June,
Argentina surrendered to
Great Britain, ending the Falklands War. I was covering the conflict from Argentina and
Uruguay for CBS
News. After learning of the surrender, angry mobs in
Buenos Aires stormed the presidential palace — the
Casa Rosada — trying to overthrow the government of
General Leopoldo Galtieri. I was there on the street with my camera crews. The violence was horrific, as
Argentine soldiers fired into the crowd, who were responding with violent acts of their own. My video of the combat led the
CBS Evening News with
Dan Rather that evening and, later on, I filed a report that ran nationwide. That’s what happened.
I never said I was on the Falkland Islands, as Corn purports. I said I covered the Falklands War, which I did.
O’Reilly will present a CBS internal memo from 33 years ago that praises his coverage abroad. “[D]idn’t have the time last night but would like to say many thanks for the riot piece last night,” the telex reads. “
WCBS-TV and
WCAU-TV both took the entire piece, instead of stripping it for pix. They called to say thanks for a fine piece.
Thanks again. Your piece made the late feed, a winner last night.”
He will also present a letter he wrote in
1982 to CBS News’ then-chief describing how “the riot had been very bad, we were gassed, shot at, and I had the best vantage
point in which to report the story.”
O’Reilly will cite these documents as “rock solid proof” that Corn and others have smeared him. “I had to spend hours last night on the phone with various reporters and crawling around my basement covered with dust to find documents from 33 years ago,” he laments. “All because an irresponsible, guttersnipe — a far-left zealot who has attacked Fox News many times before — spit this stuff out on the net.”
He also attacks CNN’s media reporter, Brian Stelter, alleging he’s a “far-left zealot masquerading as a journalist” for having picked up the Mother Jones allegations last night and discussed them on television.
“
Real journalists knew this story was BS from the jump,” O’Reilly adds.
O’REILLY RESPONDS TO
WAR REPORTING CRITICISMS
Fox News Channel “
O’Reilly Factor” host
Bill O’Reilly responded to allegations made by Mother Jones that he misrepresented some of his reporting in Argentina and El Salvador
on Friday.
Transcript as Follows:
“Hi, I’m Bill O’Reilly thanks for watching us tonight, more proof the
American media is corrupt.
That is the subject of this evening’s
Talking Points memo.
This man, 56-year-old David Corn, who works for the far-left magazine, Mother Jones smeared me, your humble correspondent, yesterday saying I had fabricated some war reporting.
Mother Jones, which has low circulation, considered by many the bottom rung of journalism in
America.
However, in this
Internet age, the defamation they put forth gets exposure.
And so I have to deal with this garbage tonight. I’m sorry.
Basically, David Corn, a liar, says that I exaggerated situations in the Falklands War and the Salvadoran War.
Here’s the truth, everything I’ve said about my reportorial career, everything, is true.
33 years ago in June, Argentina surrendered to Great Britain, ending the Falklands War.(full)
I was covering the conflict from Argentina and Uruguay for CBS News.
After learning of the surrender, angry mobs in Buenos Aires stormed the presidential palace, the Casa Rosada, trying to overthrow the government of General Leopoldo Galtieri. (factor)
2015 video february
- published: 21 Feb 2015
- views: 587