As many people know from the news and the thread by Moose, NBC News anchorman Brian Williams was caught lying recently about an event that occurred in 2003 in Iraq. Williams had been telling a story about being on a helicopter that was forced down by RPG fire when in fact, Williams was not on that flight. Williams has recanted that story, apologized, and has been suspended by NBC News for 6 months without pay. In the past week or so, it's been brought to light that Bill O'Reilly, host of Fox's The O'Reilly Factor, also called The No Spin Zone, has lied about numerous events during his career. The story first broke on Mother Jones, when they published an article revealing that O'Reilly has been lying when he claimed to have had "experienced combat" during the 1982 conflict between the United Kingdom and Argentina. O'Reilly was never in the Falklands where the fighting was actually taking place, and his so called "combat" consisted of observing a riot in Buenos Aires. Even O'Reilly's story about the riot was exaggerated. O'Reilly said he rescued a cameraman as Argentinians were being shot dead by the military. O'Reilly claims "many were killed." But other reporters and Argentine historian Federico G. Lorenz say there were no fatalities during the riot. Still, the riot has been the basis for O'Reilly claims like these: "That's what journalists do. But I volunteered. Nobody sent me. Nobody forced me. I went it. And that's what these guys did. And these guys were in much more danger than I was ever in, although it got a little hairy in the Falklands, that's for sure." Westwood One, The Radio Factor, 1/30/06 "You know that I am not easily shocked. I've reported on the ground in active war zones from El Salvador to the Falklands." his 2001 book, The No Spin Zone: Confrontations With the Powerful and Famous in America In a 2004 column about US soldiers fighting in Iraq, O'Reilly noted, "Having survived a combat situation in Argentina during the Falklands war, I know that life-and-death decisions are made in a flash." Since the Falklands story broke, more examples of O'Reilly lying have been published. O'Reilly claimed he witnessed nuns being executed in El Salvador in the 80's. He didn't. On the September 27, 2005, edition of his talk-radio program The Radio Factor, O'Reilly said, "I've seen guys gun down nuns in El Salvador." And on the December 14, 2012, edition of his Fox News show, O'Reilly spoke of telling his mother that "I was in El Salvador and I saw nuns get shot in the back of the head." O'Reilly has since clarified that what he really meant was that he had seen photos of the bodies. O'Reilly has repeatedly claimed he was he was outside the door of the Florida house where de Mohrenschildt, a JFK assassination figure, killed himself when it actually happened. Audio tapes prove O'Reilly wasn't in Florida on that day. In O'Reilly's 2012 book, Killing Kennedy, he wrote "In March of 1977 a young reporter knocked on the door of de Mohrenschildt's daughter's home, he heard the shotgun blast that marked the suicide of the Russian. That reporter's name is Bill O'Reilly," But audio recordings, originally published in 2013 by researcher Jefferson Morely and released by CNN on Sunday, showed that O'Reilly called investigator Gaeton Fonzi to confirm de Mohrenschildt's death. What's more, O'Reilly discusses traveling to Florida to cover the suicide. "I'm coming down there tomorrow...I'm coming to Florida." O'Reilly has repeatedly said he'd won the prestigious Peabody Award for his work on "Inside Edition." He hasn't. O'Reilly claimed in 2001 "I'm a registered Independent politically, and I'm a journalist who looks at life the way it is, not the way I want it to be". O'Reilly actually had been a registered Republican since 1994. O'Reilly said he was under siege in the L.A. Riots and that that rioters targeted him and his crew, throwing "bricks and stones" at them. “Concrete was raining down on us," he said. Six former colleagues say it never happened. So here's the thing. Williams has admitted he lied and apologized. He's been suspended from NBC News. O'Reilly has denied almost everything, hasn't apologized for anything, and Fox has defended him. It's been pointed out by some that Williams was an anchorman for a news show, while O'Reilly is only a commentator, so he is not expected to meet the same standards as Williams. But O'Reilly runs a show that claims to be the "No Spin Zone" on a news channel that claims to be "Fair and Balanced". He used these lies to boost his image and his credibility. The questions are, why should we expect less honesty from O'Reilly? How does only being a commentator excuse his lying? Why shouldn't Fox suspend him?
What does Brian Williams have to do with O'Reilly? Life isn't fair, not everyone gets the same treatment, and not everyone claims to go down in a helicopter where good men were wounded so they can sell a book, Williams is nothing but a liberal snake, and the fact he lied about going down in a helicopter is far worse then claiming to be in an active warzone, or knocking on a door.
They both claim to be journalists. And explain why Williams lying to bolster his image is worse than O'Reilly lying to bolster his image.
Although they are both journalists, Bill O'Reilly is a commentator on cable news. Brian Williams is an over the air news anchor. IMO the latter requires a greater standard of care due to the much larger audience and the perception that over the air news is less (not un) biased than cable news. So, they both lied. They both got caught. Brian Williams paid a price because he is a more respected journalist, working for a more respected news show on an over the air network. The only price Bill O'Reilly paid was to his credibility.
Give me a sec while I try and think of a person more ridiculous and creepy than Bill O'Reilly... Still thinking... Sorry still working on it...let's see if there are any registered sex offenders living near me... Nah, I got nothing. You win Bill. Fox News makes me moist btw
Also, IMO the Brian Williams punishment was appropriate. Print and media Journalists have a mistaken belief that they should form public opinion versus inform the public of the facts of a situation. So they shouldn't lie or exaggerate. Just the facts please. There is less scrutiny on Bill O'Reilly because it is clear that he is not an unbiased source of info. He is more shock jock than journalist IMO.
@ RDV-1992 Your comment pretty much reflects the consensus of opinions I've read so far. Williams should be held to a higher standard because he held a more respected position at a more respected show. But "The O'Reilly Factor” has long been one of the most popular programs in cable news. Millions tune in to get "No Spin" information from O'Reilly. Doesn't Fox News Channel have as much obligation to employ trustworthy journalists for their viewers as NBC News? Shouldn't there be some consequences for journalists who lie?
It really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things all media is biased whether it be liberal bias or conservative bias they don't have to uphold any standards which has been ever apparent since the start of yellow journalism
Why? They are all paid story tellers, journalism is dead no one ever tells the truth just some of it.
I don't think it's quite dead yet, but it's certainty on life support. It wasn't always this way. When journalists like Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite reported on something, you could rely on it. When it wasn't accurate, they corrected it and apologized for it. I'm not sure if things got this way because journalists started losing their integrity or because we stopped expecting them to have any. Probably both.
Yep, you toss Bill in with that group and you have quite the freak show which I believe is a show on a whole different channel lol. The only show I'd be interested in seeing with those characters would be a cage fight format. Throw Bill and Al in a cage and let them duke it out. Shouldn't be a prob for Bill as he is a battle hardened vet who was there when Seal Team 6 killed Bin Laden
I wish we would hold politicians to the same standard. You lie - you get fired and politically executed.
Apparently, so would O'Reilly because he hasn't refuted any of it. He's only hurled insults at people.
No, Fox News doesn't have the same responsibility. It is a paid service (cable news). Same as MSNBC. A paid service. NBC news is an over the air network news show. It has a higher standard of care. Now, as to the question, should Bill O'Reilly be punished for lying? IMO he should be. But your comparison between the two is an apples and oranges contrast.