Bill O'Reilly is now threatening reporters who question his war stories
Fox News star Bill O'Reilly may or may not have a "Brian Williams problem," as Mother Jones asserts in an article questioning O'Reilly's heroic tales while covering the Falkland Islands war for CBS News. But he certainly isn't handling the accusations like Williams did.
Whereas Williams apologized for, he says, remembering his Iraq War helicopter ride incorrectly, O'Reilly told a New York Times reporter on Monday that if he deemed any of the reporter's coverage of his Falkland War stories unfair, "I am coming after you with everything I have," write Emily Steel and Ravi Somaiya in The Times. "You can take it as a threat," O'Reilly added.
The dispute now centers around whether Buenos Aires — 1,200 miles from the Falklands — was an active war zone, as O'Reilly has contended through the years in books and interviews. (Mother Jones also posted video where O'Reilly seems to suggest he was on the Falkland Islands.) O'Reilly's former CBS News colleagues and other news organizations' reporters in Argentina at the time say that no, there were protests in Buenos Aires but they weren't very violent. And there is no record of any civilians killed by government forces, as O'Reilly says he witnessed.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Fox News is standing solidly behind O'Reilly. And seeing as how Williams' apology ended — six month suspension without pay, at the least — maybe O'Reilly's counteroffensive will be more effective. Still, threatening reporters only adds fuel to a simmering fire.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Massacre in the favela: Rio’s police take on the gangsIn the Spotlight The ‘defence operation’ killed 132 suspected gang members, but could spark ‘more hatred and revenge’
-
The John Lewis ad: touching, or just weird?Talking Point This year’s festive offering is full of 1990s nostalgia – but are hedonistic raves really the spirit of Christmas?
-
Codeword: November 15, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Trump DOJ sues to block California redistrictingSpeed Read California’s new congressional map was drawn by Democrats to flip Republican-held House seats
-
GOP retreats from shutdown deal payout provisionSpeed Read Senators are distancing themselves from a controversial provision in the new government funding package
-
Catholic bishops rebuke Trump on immigrationSpeed Read ‘We feel compelled’ to ‘raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,’ the bishops said
-
House releases Epstein emails referencing TrumpSpeed Read The emails suggest Trump knew more about Epstein’s sex trafficking of underage women than he has claimed
-
Newsom slams Trump’s climate denial at COP30speed read Trump, who has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ declined to send any officials to this week’s summit
-
UK, Colombia halt intel to US over boat attacksSpeed Read Both countries have suspended intelligence sharing with the US over the bombing of civilian boats suspected of drug smuggling
-
Trump pardons 2020 fake electors, other GOP alliesSpeed Read The president pardoned Rudy Giuliani and more who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss
-
Supreme Court to decide on mail-in ballot limitsSpeed Read The court will determine whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day
