Fox News inaccuracies are demonstrated by Bill O’Reilly

By Loribeth Reynolds

In cultures and folk tales around the world, a fox is considered to be sly, tricky, sneaky, a bad omen, a manipulator, and a liar. I find it ironic how one of the most watched cable news networks bares the same name. What a coincidence.

I literally cringe when I read that Fox news is a “prominent” cable news network. A news organization is supposed to report factual news, be transparent, and have accountability. However, Fox is infamous for presenting only half of the facts in almost all of its news stories. In addition, their on-air mistakes and inaccuracies are legendary. I consider this a crime against journalism.

As a student who is studying journalism, it is an embarrassment to watch these anchors spew falsehoods to a seemingly logic-impaired audience. I keep trying to understand why the station is widely accepted as a news source for many Americans. Maybe it’s easy for some to understand because they take such a simplistic approach to news. FOX news is known for it’s pre-school antics, and maybe this is why they are able to get away with all the trickery. They are as sly as a den of foxes.

Recently, Bill O’Reilly, a Fox news star anchor, has been busted for his tall tales about his career as a journalist. In his 2013 book, “Keep it Pithy,” he writes, “I’ve seen soldiers gun down unarmed citizens in Latin America, Irish terrorists kill and maim their fellow citizens in Belfast with bombs.”

Now one might think that O’Reilly is actually talking about seeing these events with his own beady eyes. After all, it certainly is implied that he actually experienced these horrific things. The fact of the matter is, O’Reilly traveled to Northern Ireland in 1984 while working for a Boston news station.

While there, he was to report on local news and do commentary. During that time he was shown photographs of the current riots that were taking place. Therefore, he has seen soldiers gunning down civilians and Irish riots. Boy! He sure is tricky as a fox!

O’Reilly has written many books chock-full of his tales. He then turns around and promotes them during his on-air spots. I think he should author another book and entitle it, “My Life as a Serial Liar.”

In this book he can tell the tale about when he led his naive audience to believe that he actually heard the gunshot as George de Mohrenschildt committed suicide.

Mohrenschildt was a good friend to Lee Harvey Oswald and the key witness in the JFK assassination probe.

An audiotape has surfaced debunking O’Reilly’s story. He was actually working in Dallas that day, and received a call from a Florida investigator.

The investigator told him the facts about the event surrounding the suicide, so that O’Reilly could report the news.

Who knows why FOX news continues to allow O’Reilly to fling garbage at his audience.

It will be up to other journalists to expose the truth and let the public decide, although journalists have already been warned by O’Reilly that he will “come after you with everything I have.”

“This is as serious as it gets!” he said.

After all, everything he says is true, right?

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