O’Reilly is not a journalist. He’s not worth my time. My criticism of Brian Williams, by contrast, was a necessary purge. I’d liked his work and trusted it, so felt betrayed, let down, disappointed.
As far as O’Reilly is concerned, the Washington Post’s Paul Waldman put it best:
Brian Williams got suspended from NBC News because his bosses feared that his tall tales had cost him credibility with his audience, which could lead that audience to go elsewhere for their news. O’Reilly and his boss, Fox News chief Roger Ailes, are not worried about damage to Bill O’Reilly’s credibility, or about his viewers deserting him. Their loyalty to him isn’t based on a spotless record of factual accuracy; it’s based on the fact that O’Reilly is a medium for their anger and resentments.
Of course Fox News isn’t worried about a “loss of credibility”. Credibility is not their aspiration.
And O’Reilly, a channel for the anger of his median-72-year-old audience: Not worth my time. (ok, this was 30 minutes well spent).
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