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Dan Rather Hurt O’Reilly’s Feelings

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Posted on Dec 20, 2006
O'Reilly

In what must have been conceived as a self-parody, Bill O’Reilly and other notables from the Fox News circus lambasted Dan Rather for his accusation that the network receives talking points from the White House, and demanded an apology. On various Fox programs, O’Reilly and friends alternated between vehemently denying the claim and struggling with the meaning of balance. O’Reilly: “I basically say, look, we have people like [Kirsten Powers] on. We have Michelle [Malkin] on. This is balanced.”

  • Watch it

  • Dan Rather on Real Time with Bill Maher (from FoxNews.com):

    I think it’s fair to say, Bill, in fact I know it is, that FOX News operates in at least a somewhat different way than every other news organization that I know, that they have their “talking points,” in which somebody in the hierarchy, whether this is Roger Ailes who runs the place or not, we know that they get talking points from the White House. And they can say well, we don’t always take those talking points, but I think it’s pretty clear that they had wished the election had gone another way.

    Transcript from Media Matters:

    From the December 18 edition of Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor”:

    O’REILLY: Also, Dan Rather needs to put up or shut up.

    RATHER [video clip]: I want to be specifically clear. Bill Reilly [sic] may never get White House talking points, and I believe him when he says that he didn’t get it.

    O’REILLY: We’ll have the latest on the Dan Rather-Fox News controversy.

    [...]

    O’REILLY: All right. Now, right after that, we invited Mr. Rather on the Factor. He said he would come on in the future, but he was very busy. However, he did find time to go on CNN and say this.

    RATHER [video clip]: First of all, Bill has invited me on the program, and I intend to be on the program. I stand by what I said on the Bill Maher program. Not only is it true, but it’s widely known to be true, and I do know it to be true.

    I want to be explicitly clear. Bill Reilly [sic] may never get White House talking points, and I believe him when he says that he didn’t get it. I also believe him when he said he checked with top management and top management said, “We never see pieces of paper, what have you.”

    O’REILLY: Now, Rather can’t have it both ways. If he says Fox News gets White House talking points, he’d better be able to back it up. And so far, he can’t, no matter how many interviews he does with CNN.

    Mr. Rather is welcome here to explain himself, but he should have done that already.

    Joining us now with their takes on this, Fox News analyst Kirsten Powers in New York and Michelle Malkin in Washington, D.C.

    Look, I know you’re not a fan of Rather. My estimation of Dan Rather, to be brutally honest, is declining rapidly, because all I want—this is simple. This is a simple deal. All I want from Dan Rather is some documentation of his accusation. He’s made it twice, HBO and now CNN.

    Too busy to come here, but he can go on CNN. Because he knows he’s not going to be challenged. But back it up, Dan, and he can’t.

    So now I’m starting to re-evaluate my quasi-defense of him in the National Guard thing, when I said he didn’t do it on purpose; it was just sloppy reporting.

    You, Michelle, you may have been right and I might have been wrong.

    [...]

    O’REILLY: He never struck me as being a dishonest man, ever. All right? But now, this is so simple. You either put up, Dan, or you apologize to Fox News. Am I right?

    MALKIN: Absolutely. Of course. Welcome to the club, Bill, and I’m glad you’ve joined it. And it’s better late than never I suppose.

    O’REILLY: I’m still going to let him come on here, now.

    MALKIN: Well, look, he’s not going to produce any documentation. And if he does, you better be very careful, because it will probably be typed on the same typewriter as those fake memos were.

    And I agree with you. I think Dan Rather owes an abject apology to Fox News if he can’t back up those slanderous statements. And I think you and [Fox News president] Roger [Ailes] ought to take a big lump of coal and send it to him for Christmas if he doesn’t.

    O’REILLY: All right. Kirsten, how do you see this?

    POWERS: Well, I think that it was—I was a little bit confused following back and forth, because he makes the accusations, and then he says that it’s not happening, then it is happening. So it’s a little unclear.

    O’REILLY: It is. I mean, he can’t have it both ways.

    POWERS: And if it is happening, it is bad, or maybe it’s not bad. The whole thing is very confusing.

    O’REILLY: He is a little confused.

    POWERS: But also it’s pretty clear that he maybe was watching Outfoxed on Netflix or something, because this is --

    O’REILLY: But he knows—now look, here’s the—here’s the deal. I mean, Fox News is under fire from every left-wing loon in town. All right? Every nut in the world is trying to bring this network down on the left, far left. All right? We’re used to it.

    When a guy like Dan Rather, who has a following and has access to the media, makes an accusation that we’re all on the take—that’s what he’s basically saying, we’re on the take.

    POWERS: Right.

    O’REILLY: On the pad, all right? The White House tells us what to do and we do it. That’s a serious thing.

    POWERS: Yeah. And you’re right. He should—he should give you some documentation for it and tell you where he got that. And he said he would come on your show.

    And I think that, you know, I saw an interview with Rupert Murdoch [CEO of News Corp., which owns Fox News] not that long ago, at the anniversary, and he said Fox was founded in response, basically, to the liberal media. As opposed to—there are, you know, the conservative bent to it. Certain shows are more conservative.

    There’s nothing wrong with that. And in my experience in doing a lot of television is that other places lean very left. And I think that --

    O’REILLY: I basically say, look, we have people like you on. We have Michelle on. This is balanced.

    POWERS: Sure.

    O’REILLY: And you have me. You have Alan Colmes. You have Sean Hannity. You have Greta Van Susteren.

    From the December 19 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends:

    DOOCY: Just one other thing, Bill, about your program last night. I was watching, and we’ve got about a minute left. What has Dan Rather been smoking?

    O’REILLY: You know, I just think that, and you guys might remember, I kinda stuck up for him in the National Guard memo scandal.

    DOOCY: Yep, yep.

    O’REILLY: I said he didn’t do it on purpose; it was sloppy reporting. But then he goes out and attacks Fox News and say we’re getting talking points from the White House, which is just not true.

    GRETCHEN CARLSON (co-host): After he was on our show, by the way.

    O’REILLY: Yeah, and then he goes on, after I call him on it, then he goes on CNN and says the same thing. And then says, “Well, I don’t think O’Reilly gets it, and I do believe him when he says the management doesn’t get it either.” Well, what are you talking about?

    DOOCY: Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense.

    O’REILLY: It doesn’t. So—and then he goes on CNN, of course. He said to us that he was too busy to come on our show. You know, I think Dan’s got a little confusion in his life.

    DOOCY: That’s a nice way to put it.

    KILMEADE: And he’s angry, and he still comes on here, so I think he’s gotta get a therapist.

    DOOCY: He comes on here, the number one channel, when he needs to sell something.

    KILMEADE: Right, right.

    O’REILLY: Look, I’m not going to ascribe any motivations to him. I think he made a mistake. He compounded the mistake on CNN, and we’re just awaiting his visit to the Factor.

    DOOCY: Yes indeed. Of course you can watch The O’Reilly Factor weeknights at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Bill will be following the search efforts for the missing hikers, as they develop. Bill, really excellent stuff in Iraq. That was really nice of you to go all that way, take up your weekend to say thank you to all those men and women over there.

    O’REILLY: All right. Well, thank you, guys. Merry Christmas to everybody.

    DOOCY: Thank you very much. And speaking of “Merry Christmas,” Culture Warrior would make a perfect Christmas gift.

    CARLSON: It would.

    DOOCY: Fits right in that stocking.

    CARLSON: A lot of people are getting it in their stocking.

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    Comments

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    By Toby, January 3, 2007 at 5:28 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Oh my gosh ... what a boring pointless stupid clip! Is this the best we can expect from FOX? Give it up guys, you’ll never match the likes of sterling entertainers and reporters like Olbermann or Stewart ... to name a few.

    Now I remember why I had my cable provider block FOX.

    Not because it’s right-wing (aren’t most of them?) not because they are cheerleaders for der leader. No, actually because they like to fight, like to belittle their guests, like to yell at each other, like to pump themselves up and ... they are oh so BORING ..........................

    Life got so much quieter and entertaining when they went away. And on the rare occasions when something comes out of the FOX’s mouth worth hearing ... I can catch it on the web!

    Thanks Truthdig ... but I don’t think this was one of them.

    Report this

    By Leige Watts, January 3, 2007 at 3:27 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Fox News doesn’t have to get talking points from anyone; they deliver whatever Rupert Murdoch wants them to deliver!  At the Washington Post, whatever the Reverend Moon wants said is said!  The “Liberal Press” was always a Conservative Myth; the “Conservative Press” receives its marching orders from “outsiders” who wish to change the very fabric of our country!  Welcome to the new USA, brought to you be enormous national debt held by people who wish to make us over into “their image”.

    Report this

    By Timothy D Lynch, December 29, 2006 at 2:38 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    I am an independent and therefore I see that O’Reilly is one as well.  Which is what he himself claims to be.

    I like to look at issues and see both sides of the story.

    I like O’Reilly and find it humorous that Conservatives think him liberal and Liberals think him Conservative when he is actually an independent.

    I tend to lean a bit conservative on law and order issues and a bit liberal on ecology issues.  Other issues fall on both sides as well.

    Sometimes I feel that Sean Hannity is not intelligent enough and is too abrasive even when we are on the same side of an issue.  A lot of the conservative fill-in people do a much better job because they are smarter and don’t sound like a broken record.  I find myself siding with Comes because I like him better not because he is correct.

    I do feel that most if not all people that don’t like Fox are going by hear-say and are not actually watching the channel. 

    They are much more into getting both sides out than the mainstream media were you only hear the liberal side.

    Like I said I’m independent and really want to hear both sides and not have someone else make up mind for me.

    These media sources don’t seem to want the public to hear that there is another point of view.  Even if they disagree with it.

    Report this

    By Jackie T. Gabel, December 28, 2006 at 9:21 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    So, Hondo, now on this thread — • Comment #43482 by Hondo  on  12/22  at  11:32 pm — telling us all like a steel-eyed pragmatist, “FOX News is not the Rush Limbaugh Show. It is a network where the conservative point of view is given equal time with the liberal point of view. That just burns the liberal butt, doesn’t it?”

    >>>> news for you, Hondo

    a lot of us don’t even watch TV, how’s that for treasonous — choosing not to share the brain-dead airwaves with you lot — I only ever see FAUX NEWS clips on the internet where they’ve been posted to make a point — your so-called “fair and balanced” broadcasting covers a range so narrow it can only be described as “manufactured consensus” to use Chomsky’s term.

    Here’s news of which Murdoch’s minion won’t come within 10 miles — it’s not their mission:

    Mohamed Atta’s Best Friend Caught in South Pacific: “You can’t arrest me, I’m working for the CIA”

    Published 12/18/06 in New York Megaphone, print run: 40,000, circulation: 66,700, NYC and Environs by Sander Hicks — Source URL: http://voxpopnet.net/attascia.html

    The message was pithy, but the effect is devastating: This might be the closest anyone has come to “proof” that Mohamed Atta had connections to the CIA.

    If sources are correct, Bohringer was working for CIA when he befriended Atta in Florida. Bohringer was CIA when he was arrested by the Joint Terrorism Task Force on November 17th, 2006.

    And according to the Diamondback source, Mohamed Atta best friend, Wolfgang Bohringer today is still “working” for CIA.

    At this point, The New York Megaphone is out front on a story no one else has. The only thing we can say is “Qui custodiat ipso custodies?” Latin for “Who watches the watchmen?”

    According to polls, national opinion is shifting towards thinking more critically about 9/11. But the only people who seem adamant these days about defending a lie are the people tasked with finding the truth.

    Report this

    By amos_hart, December 26, 2006 at 5:59 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Yeah, Fox is fair and balanced, like the previous posts on this topic. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it, for God’s sake. Meanwhile, some of us want an alternative to the circle-jerk mentality evidenced below. Don’t be a pinhead.

    Report this

    By chrisral1, December 26, 2006 at 7:01 am #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    What?? No comments on Miss Priss, Michelle, and her hoopla over her being paid by the WhiteHouse? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, geeze. First off there is nothing fair or balanced about Faux news. Second Bill is really nothing to be worried or upset about, look where he got his start. Michelle is simply a racist with deep seeded anger that allows her to hate everyone she dissagrees with. I find it difficult to believe that people actually worry about what these idiots say. Dan may have screwed up, but he has far more experience then either of these idiots would ever hope to have.

    Report this

    By dave, December 25, 2006 at 7:59 am #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Billo IS fair and balanced.  He’s got a falafel thing on one side and a loofah on the other.

    Report this

    By Chaseme, December 24, 2006 at 5:29 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Rather may have been more accurate if he had instead said, (excuse my vulgarity) Fox is more like a Hemorrhoid that sticks out whenever the White House takes a shit on the American citizens and the rest of the world for that matter.

    Report this

    By Christopher Robin, December 24, 2006 at 5:43 am #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    O’Reilly is a joke, and as funny as Comedy Central, just lacking the wit.

    Report this

    By Hondo, December 22, 2006 at 11:32 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    All of you liberal wing nuts might be surprised to hear this, but I get just as nauseous listening to O’Reilly as I do to Dan Rather. O’Reilly has always had this really weird love-thing going on with Rather that I have never quite understood. Rather treats O’Reilly much like Eddie Haskell treats The Beaver! And O’Reilly treats Rather very much like June treats Ward. It kind of turns my stomach!
    Let’s get something straight, though. All of you who say that O’Reilly is a conservative are living in a different universe. Bill O’Reilly is a Robert Kennedy-type Democrat, and always has been. Culturally, he is a traditionalist, which explains why the secular progressives hate him. He also believes in the decidedly non-conservative mantra (expressed most recently by that great non-conservative GW Bush) that if people hurt, government has to move! You won’t ever hear a principled conservative say silly stuff like that! Whenever I hear O’Reilly open his trap, it’s hard for me not to hear RFK saying, “As long as there is plenty, poverty is evil.” Good grief! If you think that’s conservatism (or even half-way intelligent) you need to go back to school!
    As to the accusation that “FOX News receives talking points from the White House"-- that, my friends, is a deceptive statement. Sean Hannity, a FOX employee, receives talking points from the White House--that’s a fact. He communicates those talking points, and then is rebutted by Alan Colmes. What’s the problem? Cal Thomas, a FOX employee, receives talking points from the White House--that’s a fact. He communicates those talking points, and then is rebutted by ultra-socialist Neal Gabler. What’s the problem? Do you see how this works? Do you understand the phrase “fair and balanced?” FOX News is not the Rush Limbaugh Show. It is a network where the conservative point of view is given equal time with the liberal point of view. That just burns the liberal butt, doesn’t it?

    Report this

    By David, December 22, 2006 at 3:58 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    “Out Foxed” does a pretty good job of proving this exact point.  O’Reiley is a sad individual.  What really bothers me is that somehow he has been annointed the moral compass for the conservative movement (sinonomous with bowel movement).  Ever hear how he talks about his enemies?  He threatens them with a visit from Murdoch and Ailes’ goons!

    Report this

    By HeadlessHessian, December 22, 2006 at 12:49 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    “Dan Rather Hurt O’Reilly’s Feelings”
    Aaaahhh...poor baby!
    What a creep!  Of course Dan had a lesson in ‘checking his sources’ in 2004 that may have cost the election, but hey....maybe he has it right this time.

    Headless

    Report this

    By Alejandro, December 22, 2006 at 12:25 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    O’Reilly to me, has shown himself to be so biased in his ranting about the terrorist threat, that it’s hard to believe he loves America and is only sounding an alarm. Yea, right. This guy is of the same deranged mentality of the recently exposed Congressman bigot from Virgina, Virgil Goode. Fear is all these idiots have to sell. The one positive about this, is that, the more these minions get exposed, the louder they scream their vile rants and hopefuly the smaller their audiance gets. People of small minds tend to flame out. We might get lucky. Until then, they are a good study in stupidity.

    Report this

    By kevin99999, December 22, 2006 at 9:45 am #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    People at FOX Network are no better criminals and murderers in white shirts and ties who aggressive foisted this war on the American public by continuously lying and deceiving. They should be occupying a cell somewhere rather than continue their disinformation campaign from their cozy offices at FOX.

    Report this

    By kevo, December 22, 2006 at 7:10 am #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    It is a good thing to see FOXNEWS and its media personalities get pantsed by the likes of Dan Rather. More and more high-profile Americans need to get into the act.  FOXNEWS has been getting a free ride for a long time now.  It is time all Americans demand that this “news” organization give ideological disclaimers every 10 minutes.

    It’s been as if Murdoch, Ailes and crew have been giving us a remake of O. Wells War of the Worlds as War of the Bushes. Instead of panicking as Americans did then, we merely need to turn FOXNEWS off today, and for the rest of its slanted days on the airwaves. -Kevo

    Report this

    By Jackie T. Gabel, December 21, 2006 at 9:04 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    It’s now called FAUX NEWS and the only way O’Reilly can get into the real MSM is when he’s exposed as a phone-sex abuser.

    Of all media outlets FAUX is more obviously infiltrated than any - Murdoch should get the Joseph Paul Goebbles Award. I know there isn’t one...yet, but the media are so fond of giving one another awards, why not?

    Report this

    By DennisD, December 21, 2006 at 2:17 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    FOX News - another oxymoron to add to my list.

    Report this

    By Quy Tran, December 21, 2006 at 11:33 am #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Everybody knows O’Reilly who is King George’s tool. He serves his King as loyal subject and always ready breaking wind to those who criticized monarch family.

    Report this

    By lawlessone, December 21, 2006 at 10:12 am #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    As has been said before, “Fox News is to actual news as military music is to actual music.”

    Report this

    By dparker, December 21, 2006 at 7:10 am #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    This blurb serves to remind me why I don’t watch FOX network.  O’Reilly says the same thing over and over, he interrupts anyone he’s supposedly having a “conversation” with, he’s not very well-spoken and his subject matter is usually very lacking in substance.  In fact, he gets a point across about as well as the commander in chief.  Maybe Fox gets more than just the story line from the White House, do you suppose they might get a whole script?

    Report this

    By GW=MCHammered, December 20, 2006 at 10:50 pm #
    (Unregistered commenter)

    Didn’t O’REILLY die of a hateful heart attack two years ago? Someone should put a note in his stocking. Hannity’s too.

    Report this

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