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Bill O’Reilly wasn’t there? Nice try

Chris Graham

tv-clipartMother Jones and Media Matters are doing their best to bring down Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, and sure, nice try, but it ain’t happening.

As clear as it is that O’Reilly wasn’t in a war zone in the Falklands when he said he was, that he wasn’t on the front porch of a person connected to the Kennedy assassination who was committing suicide, wasn’t attacked during the 1992 L.A. race riots, and God knows what else he made up, it’s just as clear that it doesn’t matter.

Fox makes too much money off O’Reilly, and really, Fox is going to be bothered by the idea getting out there that one of its news yellers regularly makes stuff up?

Give O’Reilly and Fox credit for not only deflecting its accusers at Mother Jones and Media Matters, but parrying the attacks into fodder for sympathy among their audiences, who aren’t known to be the most discerning, which is to say, if O’Reilly and Fox say it’s true or false, whichever, then it’s true or false, whichever.

Mother Jones has low circulation and is considered by many to be the lowest rung of American journalism? Book it. O’Reilly isn’t qualified to fill out an online subscription form for Mother Jones, but no matter.

Media Matters is a far left liberal organization that exists to produce hit pieces on conservatives. That’s not made up. How Media Matters differs from FNC, other than that FNC is a far right organization that exists to produce hit pieces on liberals, is a matter of conjecture.

Conjecture is a mighty big word for the 3 million people who tune in to O’Reilly every night.

Another mighty big word for people who think O’Reilly is the king of the news: infinitesimal. Which might be overstating things a bit, but consider that NBC Nightly News, whose anchor, Brian Williams, is serving a six-month suspension for his own issues with whether he was there or not, averages more than 10 million viewers nightly.

Comparatively speaking, O’Reilly has low circulation, and is considered by many to be the lowest rung of American journalism.

– Column by Chris Graham

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

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