Fox News issued a mea culpa for one of anchor Bill O’Reilly’s too-good-to-be-true stories ‒ but not for all his anecdotes that critics complain are fake. The controversial talk show host has been under fire for recollections of his reporting career.
In his 2013 book, ‘Keep It Pithy’, O’Reilly wrote, “I’ve seen soldiers gun down unarmed civilians in Latin America, Irish terrorists kill and maim their fellow citizens in Belfast with bombs.”
Asked about O’Reilly’s statements Friday, a Fox News spokesman told the Washington Post that O’Reilly was not an eyewitness to any bombings or injuries in Northern Ireland. Instead, he was shown photos of bombings by Protestant police officers.
O’Reilly traveled to Northern Ireland in 1984 to research a book about the Troubles, according to Fox News. But he never completed the tome, and the Post said it’s unclear whether he reported on his visit for any news organization.
At the time, he was working for Boston station WCVB, but his then-boss, Philip S. Balboni, told the Post that O’Reilly covered only local news and did commentary for the station.