Entertainment

Williams and O’Reilly Cases Diverge

Published

10 years ago

February 25, 2015

This April 4, 2012 file photo shows NBC News' Brian Williams, at the premiere of the HBO original series "Girls," in New York. Williams is currently under suspension as "Nightly News" anchor and managing editor for six months without pay for misleading the public about his experiences covering the Iraq War. Bill O'Reilly, Fox News Channel's prime-time star, is accused of claiming he had reported in a combat zone for CBS News during the 1982 Falklands War when he was more than a thousand miles from the front. (AP Photo/Starpix, Dave Allocca, File)

This April 4, 2012 file photo shows NBC News’ Brian Williams, at the premiere of the HBO original series “Girls,” in New York. (AP Photo/Starpix, Dave Allocca)

DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Two prominent television personalities are accused within weeks of each other of misrepresenting their wartime reporting experiences in ways that made those experiences seem more dangerous than they actually were.

That’s what Brian Williams and Bill O’Reilly have in common as each man is besieged with questions about his credibility. Most everything else about their episodes diverge, from the responses to the consequences.

NBC News suspended Williams for incorrectly saying he rode in a helicopter hit by an enemy grenade while reporting in Iraq in 2003. O’Reilly, Fox News Channel’s prime-time star, is accused of claiming he had reported in a combat zone for CBS News during the 1982 Falklands War when he was more than a thousand miles from the front.

___

THE ACCUSERS

The charges against Williams came to light when Iraq veterans objected to him telling the story about being on a damaged aircraft on “Nightly News.” Stars & Stripes, the highly-regarded newspaper geared to a military audience, picked up on the complaints and reported them.

The initial story has led to other accusations of exaggerations or outright falsehoods, involving Williams’ reporting on Hurricane Katrina and encounters with Navy SEALS. NBC has an ongoing investigation into his statements, continuing as Williams was taken off “Nightly News” for six months.

The O’Reilly story came to light in a partisan publication, the liberal Mother Jones magazine, enabling its target to immediately label the story a political hit job.

Like in the Williams case, the O’Reilly story has more than one dimension. Some of O’Reilly’s former colleagues also question his claims about saving a bleeding cameraman when he was caught in an anti-government rally in Buenos Aires.

Perhaps due in part to its origins, the O’Reilly story has yet to resonate within the general media landscape as the Williams case has.

___

THE RESPONSE

Caught in a factual mistake that his own previous reporting had contradicted — there’s tape of Williams from shortly after the Iraq incident explaining that it was another plane, not his, that had been hit — Williams apologized, publicly and to his colleagues. He has not addressed the other stories that have circulated about past statements, and has kept mum about his suspension.

Williams’ initial apology fell so flat that he became a punchline, on the Internet, on late-night comedy shows and, most painfully for NBC, at its own “Saturday Night Live” reunion special.

O’Reilly immediately went on the offensive after the Mother Jones story was printed, attacking the publication and its authors in several media interviews. He explained that his use of the term combat zone for reporting at a demonstration was shorthand for saying he was in Argentina covering the war. He has used his show to dispute characterizations that the Buenos Aires demonstration he covered was not dangerous.

He concedes nothing.

Besides attacking the Mother Jones reporters, he’s gotten into an entertaining back-and-forth with former CBS News colleague Eric Engberg, who said O’Reilly was “completely nutty” after the Fox News host said Engberg was more interested in covering the conflict from the safety of his hotel room.

And on Tuesday, The New York Times quoted O’Reilly’s blunt warning to reporters working on a story about him if he felt their coverage was inappropriate.

“I am coming after you with everything I have,” O’Reilly said. “You can take it as a threat.”

___

THE EMPLOYERS

With Williams both the anchor and managing editor for the top-rated network evening newscast, NBC took the accusations as a very real threat to the credibility of the entire news organization.

NBC executives say they’re rooting for Williams’ return. But the suspension is so severe that many have likened it to a professional death penalty, wondering if Williams can ever make it back to such a prominent respected position.

“The aura of credibility that NBC nurtured and paid tens of millions of dollars for is gone with Brian Williams and I don’t think you’ll ever restore that, even with an apology tour,” said Mark Feldstein, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland.

For all his entertaining turns on talk shows, NBC is paying Williams to be a journalist who is expected to be fair and, above all, truthful.

Fox News, through its chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, has issued a statement of support for its prime-time star.

Although O’Reilly was working as a reporter in Argentina in 1982, he leads an opinion-based show for a combative audience that often feels its star is a target by liberal media members and cultural arbiters. With the accusations against him that are already on the table, O’Reilly is in no danger of losing his job, said Jay Rosen, New York University professor and author of the “Pressthink” blog.

Fox and its fans relish the fight, Rosen said.

“I think he would be in danger if he apologized,” he said.

___

Follow David Bauder at twitter.com/dbauder. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/david-bauder

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

New Cosby Accuser: ‘Do You Remember Me?’

Don't Miss

Chris Brown Says He’s Been Denied Entry Into Canada

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

BOOK REVIEW: The Afterlife of Malcolm X

Betty Shabazz didn’t like to go to her husband’s speeches, but on that February night in 1965, he asked her to come with their daughters to the Audubon Ballroom in New York. Did Malcolm X sense that something bad would happen on that night? Surely. He was fully aware of the possibility, knowing that he’d been “a marked man” for months because of his very public break with the Nation of Islam.

Published

6 hours ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Book Cover of the Afterlife of Malcolm X. Courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Author: by Mark Whitaker, c.2025, Simon & Schuster, $30.99, 448 pages

Who will remember you in fifty years’ time?

A handful of friends – at least those who are still around – might recall you. Your offspring, grandkids, and greats, maybe people who stumble upon your tombstone. Think about it: who will remember you in 2075? And then read “The Afterlife of Malcolm X” by Mark Whitaker and learn about a legacy that still resonates a half-century later.

As the news of his murder spread around New York and around the world, his followers and admirers reacted in many ways. His friend, journalist Peter Goldman, was “hardly shocked” because he also knew that Malcolm’s life was in danger, but the arrest of three men accused of the crime didn’t add up. It ultimately became Goldman’s “obsession.”

Malcolm’s co-writer for The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Alex Haley, quietly finished the book he started with Malcolm, and a small upstart publishing house snatched it up. A diverse group of magazines got in line to run articles about Malcolm X’s life, finally sensing that White America “’needed his voice even more than Blacks did.’”

But though Malcolm X was gone, he continued to leave an impact.

He didn’t live long enough to see the official founding of the Black Panther Party, but he was influential on its beginning. He never knew of the first Kwanzaa, or the triumphs of a convert named Muhammad Ali.

Malcolm left his mark on music. He influenced at least three major athletes.

He was a “touchstone” for a president …

While it’s true that “The Afterlife of Malcolm X” is an eye-opening book, one that works as a great companion to the autobiography, it’s also a fact that it’s somewhat scattered. Is it a look at Malcolm’s life, his legacy, or is it a “murder mystery”?

Turns out, it’s all three, but the storylines are not smooth. There are twists and tangents and that may take some getting used-to. Just when you’re immersed, even absorbed in this book, to the point where you forget about your surroundings, author Mark Whitaker abruptly moves to a different part of the story. It may be jarring.

And yet, it’s a big part of this book, and it’s essential for readers to know the investigation’s outcome and what we know today. It doesn’t change Malcolm X’s legacy, but it adds another frame around it.

If you’ve read the autobiography, if you haven’t thought about Malcolm X in a while, or if you think you know all there is to know, then you owe it to yourself to find “The Afterlife of Malcolm X.”

For you, this is a book you won’t easily forget.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Barbara Lee

WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Kick Off Season with Community Programs in Oakland

“The Golden State Valkyries are more than a team—they’re a movement,” said Oakland Interim-Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Their touchdown in Oakland marks a new era of opportunity, inspiration, and equity in sports. This partnership reflects our city’s deep commitment to uplifting women, investing in youth, and building a community where every dream has a place to grow. We’re proud to welcome the Valkyries to The Town.”

Published

7 hours ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

The Valkyries came to Oakland City Hall with a “Hoopbus.” Present were (from left to right): City Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, Zac Unger and Rowena Brown; Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, Valkyries President Jess Smith, a Valkyries team representative and Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kaplan’s office.

Team installs new nets at playgrounds, holds flag-raisings at City Halls in Oakland and S.F.

Special to The Post

The Golden State Valkyries brought the excitement of their inaugural season to every corner of the Bay Area with a full slate of community celebrations leading up to their historic home-opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday.

The week featured flag-raising ceremonies at city halls in Oakland and San Francisco, three “Violet Net” installation days at Oakland parks to encourage basketball play, fun “Hoopbus” takeovers at multiple schools presented by Kaiser Permanente, and player appearances.

In total, 90 violet nets were installed on 45 basketball courts across 34 public parks throughout Oakland this week. A list of the parks receiving violet nets can be found at Valkyries.com.

About the Golden State Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise on Oct. 5, 2023. According to Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.

This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce. Tipping off during the 2025 WNBA season, the team is headquartered in Oakland and will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco. For Golden State Valkyries’ assets, including team logos, visit valkyries.com.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

Progressive Missionary Baptist Church of Berkeley Celebrates 90th Anniversary

Dr. Earl C. Stuckey, Sr., who has served as Progressive Missionary’s pastor since September 1977, said the church also delights in the fact that it has hosted only five pastors in its 90-year history, including Pastors James E. Moore, H. A. Green, F. Douglas Farrell, and Edward Stovall, who served for 37 years.

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2025

Oakland Post

Progressive Missionary Baptist Poster. Dr. Earl C. Stuckey, Sr., Pastor of Progressive Missionary Baptist Church in Berkeley with his wife, Kay Frances Stuckey.

By Oakland Post Staff

The Progressive Missionary Baptist Church of Berkeley is celebrating its 90th church anniversary on Sunday, May 18 at 10 a.m. at 3301 King Street in Berkeley.

The celebration will feature Pastor Darnell Manuel of the Union Baptist Church in Vallejo as guest speaker, along with many other special presentations.

Those who wish to share in Progressive’s history can purchase a 100-page full-colored souvenir book for $25.

The church boasts a number of notable people who either regularly attended or became members of the church since its inception, including former Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor, and one of the organizers of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, Helen J. H. Stephens.

Pastor Stuckey often remarks how longevity flourishes at the church — it boasts 13 centenarians (people who have reached 100 years or more). Currently, it has one centenarian who is still surviving, Mrs. Dorothy Chambers, and 14 members who have reached 90 years or more.