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.
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.
Now, in what I consider to be a miracle, I found this CBS internal memo from 33 years ago, praising my coverage that day.
The cable was sent to the CBS bureau chief in Buenos Aires by the news desk here in New York City:
‘Doyle, O’Reilly didn’t have the time last night, but would like to say many thanks for the riot piece last night. 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.’
Want more? Here it is:
Shortly after my crew and I escaped grave danger on the streets of Buenos Aires, I wrote to CBS News boss Ed Joyce, praising the crew’s bravery.
I have the letter:
‘The crews were great…the riot had been very bad, we were gassed, and shot at, and I had the best vantage point in which to report the story.’
So, we have rock solid proof that David Corn smeared me, and some websites that picked up his defamation, did as well.
Now, 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. Again, it was a miracle I found them.
All because an irresponsible guttersnipe, a far-left zealot who has attacked Fox News many times before, spit this stuff out on the net.
And you know what? Nothing is going to happen to David Corn.
Mother Jones and the far left websites couldn’t care less about the truth.
They’re in business to injure. This is a political hit job.
At this point, TV coverage has been scant, but CNN tried to exploit the situation because a guy over there named Brian Stelter is another far left zealot masquerading as a journalist. CNN can do a lot better than this guy.
Real journalists knew the story was BS from the jump.
They knew Corn was trying to take the Brian Williams situation and wrap it around my neck for ideological reasons because he has a history of attacking Fox News.
In addition , Corn actually wrote that I hammered Brian Williams , when everyone knows I went out of my way on ‘Kimmel’ and the ‘Factor’ to be compassionate to the man.
Corn must think the folks are as dumb as he is.
The whole scandal reminds me of another guy who got completely away with it.
That man is Al Franken, who, years ago, accused me of faking my working class upbringing.
He actually said in public, many times, I was not raised in Levittown. He ran around telling that to the media, who gleefully printed his words.
The despicable Franken, perhaps the biggest liar I have ever known, wouldn’t even retract when I produced this:
The deed to my parent’s house it says ‘Levittown,’ Al
But you, a dishonest smear merchant, wouldn’t retract your false story.
And I’m sure Corn won’t either.
And what happened to Al Franken?
He was elected a Senator from Minnesota. And that’s the memo.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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