Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Bill O'Reilly scandal, made simple
Washington Post ^ | 2/24/2014 (12:53 ET) | Paul Waldman

Posted on 02/24/2015 12:18:21 PM PST by Laissez-faire capitalist

... The basic charge - that O'Reilly exaggerated his record covering war - is true.

It all started with this article [link at URL] by David Corn and Daniel Schulman published in Mother Jones on Thursday, in which they detailed how on many occasions over the years, O'Reilly has characterized himself as a veteran of war reporting. Among the quotes they cited are times when O'Reilly said things like "I've reported on the ground in active war zones from El Salvador to the Falklands," and "having survived a combat situation in Argentina during the Falklands War, I know that life-and-death decisions are made in a flash," and "I was in a situation one time, in war zone in Argentina, in the Falklands..." That O'Reilly said these things is not in question. But, in fact, O'Reilly was never in the Falklands, and he never reported from any "combat situation."

O'Reilly's defense of his original false statements is itself built on one falsehood and a bunch of claims that are questionable at best.

O'Reilly insists that everything he has said is true, because when he was working for CBS News he reported on a violent protest in Buenos Aires around the time of the Falklands War, and that constitutes a "combat situation" in a "war zone." That part of the claim is absurd on its face; if covering a protest over a thousand miles away from where a war is being fought constitutes being in a "combat zone," then that would mean that any reporter who covered an anti-war protest in Washington during the Iraq War was doing combat reporting. ...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: New York
KEYWORDS: 3dollarbill; billoreilly; davidcorn; drivebymedia; foxnews; fraudboreilly; heprotestethtoomuch; motherjones; oreilly; partisanwitchhunt; phonybill
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-90 next last
To: Laissez-faire capitalist

Message to Bill O’Rielly ... Don’t “p-r-e-v-a-r-i-c-a-t-e”!


21 posted on 02/24/2015 12:40:04 PM PST by The Duke
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Laissez-faire capitalist
I haven’t yet seen any conservatives arguing that Bill O’Reilly is right, and that covering a violent protest 1,200 miles from a place where a war just ended is in fact seeing combat in a war zone (although I haven’t been watching Fox today, so maybe they have).

Uh, maybe because the only people who think Bill O'Reilly is a conservative are liberals?

22 posted on 02/24/2015 12:41:57 PM PST by Trailerpark Badass (There should be a whole lot more going on than throwing bleach, said one woman.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Laissez-faire capitalist

O’Reilly protesteth too much. He used 95% of last night’s hour with a very weak rebuttal of Corn’s article.

He used a couple of his paid sycophants...most notably the lackey Goldberg...to try to restore his creds.

You know Corn’s allegations are true, otherwise O’Reilly would not be spending all his air time and lots of his moolah to discredit Corn.

I hope the bastard BOR is finally exposed for what he is...a bully, a liar, and a charlatan.

Also a brutal abuser of women.


23 posted on 02/24/2015 12:43:05 PM PST by miserare ("Reverence for life--life of all kinds--is the first principle of civilization." ~~Schweitzer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Laissez-faire capitalist
This attack on O’Reilly is based on ideology and jealousy.

O’Reilly is on Fox News. Half the article was criticizing Fox News and the “conservative bubble”. Almost none of it was about the specifics of what O’Reilly actually said. The article said that conservatives don't care about the truth but only want someone to feed on their anger.

O’Reilly never said he was in the Falkland Islands as Mother Jones asserted. He said he covered riots in Buenos Aires where troops fired on violent protesters. Most of it is splitting hairs over terminology.

O’Reilly has had a very successful cable show for many years. None of these liberals who criticize him could ever attract the audience O’Reilly does. They live insecure lives writing politically correct nonsense that few people ever read. Most work for publications or cable shows that have tiny audiences and are losing money. They are likely to be fired soon.

Thus they are extremely jealous of O’Reilly and his success.

Finally, the Brian Williams story has further hurt the credibility of the leftist MSM. They want Fox News to be hurt too.

Everything O’Reilly said was more or less true. He might have worded a few things incorrectly but the basics are true.

24 posted on 02/24/2015 12:43:51 PM PST by detective
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: detective

You mean “Fake, but accurate.”


25 posted on 02/24/2015 12:44:28 PM PST by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

That is a punk face.


26 posted on 02/24/2015 12:45:02 PM PST by miserare ("Reverence for life--life of all kinds--is the first principle of civilization." ~~Schweitzer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: clintonh8r

Have you ever heard of rhetorical questions?

Given what you said in post #26, 36, 41... —— here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3260392/posts ——

I imagine that you will ignore what the WaPo article and the CNN article (post #16) has O’Reilly quoted as saying.

And, as well, this thread is really not about me - or you - so we should not make this personal

You posted, I responded.

It should (from here on) not be personal (like in this post) or the post from you (in post #18).


27 posted on 02/24/2015 12:46:20 PM PST by Laissez-faire capitalist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Laissez-faire capitalist

You should stop “imagining.” what I’ll ignore and what I won’t.


28 posted on 02/24/2015 12:53:16 PM PST by clintonh8r (CHRISTIAN LIVES MATTER!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: detective

Finally, the Brian Williams story has further hurt the credibility of the leftist MSM

This is just a weak attempt at “moral equivalence”. You nailed our lying Liberal news “reader”, but one of your guys did it too.

Of course, I had to laugh, watching O’Reilly last night, they showed old news clips of Dan Rather - the King of all lying news readers.


29 posted on 02/24/2015 1:00:24 PM PST by Paisan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

Wow, hair!


30 posted on 02/24/2015 1:00:25 PM PST by BunnySlippers (I LOVE BULL MARKETS . . .)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Laissez-faire capitalist

I can make it simpler: he is was and always will be a gasbag, don’t watch him, read him, or listen to him, your life will be better for it.


31 posted on 02/24/2015 1:03:14 PM PST by discostu (The albatross begins with its vengeance A terrible curse a thirst has begun)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: detective

Just because the article criticized the “conservative bubble,” does not make O’Reilly a conservative.

O’Reilly - the CNN article (post #16):

Link here: http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/20/media/bill-oreilly-falklands-war/

Check out the quotes in 2001, 2008 and 2013.

Here is 2001:

“I’ve reported on the ground in active war zones from El Salvador to the Falkland Islands.”

O’Reilly has a big audience? So big ratings are all that matters?

“They live insecure lives...”

How is using Ad Homs against liberals going to help O’Reilly against the quotes from WaPo and CNN??

“They are extremely jealous...”

How does using a diversionary tactic against liberals and turning the argument to others help O’Reilly one whit?

“They want Fox News to be hurt too.”

This may be true, but it is still a diversion and a Red Herring.

“What everything O’Reilly said is more or less true... the basics are true.”

Truthiness? Is that what it is?


32 posted on 02/24/2015 1:06:16 PM PST by Laissez-faire capitalist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

LOL! That video is hilarious!


33 posted on 02/24/2015 1:07:51 PM PST by EveningStar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Laissez-faire capitalist

I cannot stand BOR. But it seems like the tape that CBS put out backs his play.

He is such a jerk. But, in this case, there is enough truth to let him off the hook.


34 posted on 02/24/2015 1:11:06 PM PST by Vermont Lt (When you are inclined to to buy storage boxes, but contractor bags instead.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

What’s he saying ?


35 posted on 02/24/2015 1:11:09 PM PST by katykelly
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: katykelly

Trust me, it’s Not Safe For Work.


36 posted on 02/24/2015 1:12:09 PM PST by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: clintonh8r

Maybe so...

But O’Reilly was asked by CNN (on CNN’s “Early Start” or “New Day” I believe) to come on CNN and they said there was no response.

Why should anyone bother making a request of O’Reilly (vis-à-vis a question) if O’Reilly has ignored requests?


37 posted on 02/24/2015 1:12:16 PM PST by Laissez-faire capitalist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: bkepley
one really expects O’Reilly, who is more a blow-hard entertainer than an actual newsman to step down over this. He’s not Chris Wallace or Brett Hume...

... Brian Williams who was outed by our own military as being a liar. O'Reilly has justifiably called out his accusers, presented his proof, and is now going on the attack.

That's the way ya do it..........

38 posted on 02/24/2015 1:17:28 PM PST by Hot Tabasco (Uncle Sy: "Beavers are like Ninjas, they only come out at night and they're hard to find")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Vermont Lt
You have the quotes from O’Reilly at the WaPo article and at CNN (link is at post #32). Start there and read them.

Then you have O’Reilly saying (after David Corn apparently took those quotes from O’Reilly to task and questioned whether what O’Reilly said was accurate):

“I never said I was on the Falkland Islands as Corn purports. I said I covered the Falklands War, which I did.”

Fox News.com. Talking Points Memo, 2/20/2015, “A Response to Mother Jones.”

Is what O’Reilly said (at the Fox News article) true or not? How could it be true?

If one sees what O’Reilly said (as given in the quotes at WaPo and at CNN), and THEN looks at the Fox News article, it would be easy for O’Reilly to make the jump by shifting to Argentina and then saying, see, I did cover the Falklands War from Argentina!

39 posted on 02/24/2015 1:23:01 PM PST by Laissez-faire capitalist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Hot Tabasco
O'Reilly has justifiably called out his accusers

Justifiably? Not in my opinion.

40 posted on 02/24/2015 1:27:23 PM PST by bkepley
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-90 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson