From the Desk

Here we go again. Brian Williams, round two.

Last Thursday, Mother Jones, a bimonthly magazine and online news site, accused Fox News correspondent Bill O’Reilly of making false claims about his reporting experiences during the 1982 Falklands conflict. Washington Bureau Chief David Corn and Senior Editor Daniel Shulman’s article centers on O’Reilly’s claims that he reported from a “war zone” and survived “combat” situations during his time as a CBS News reporter.

Following the release of the article, O’Reilly fired back, offering a rebuttal during his Talking Points Memo in his show “The O’Reilly Factor” Friday night.
While this situation seems very similar to the Williams case, it is too early to tell whether the accusations bear much weight. However, it is not too early to tell that the parties involved in this latest scandal do not seem to be focused on accuracy.

Though critics of Williams were mostly concerned with whether he is trustworthy as a news anchor, the O’Reilly/Mother Jones situation has turned into nothing more than a feud, each party hoping for the other to crack first.

In his Talking Points Memo, O’Reilly, who referred to himself as “your humble correspondent,” acted in exactly the opposite manner, arrogantly scolding Mother Jones and resorting to name-calling while he attempted to debunk the rumors. Then, in response to that rebuttal, Corn and others called O’Reilly out for his behavior and largely ignored O’Reilly’s evidence.

Who knows how many more times Corn and O’Reilly will go back and forth before this fight finally fizzles. Now, instead of focusing on the facts, more attention is being paid to who will win this dispute.

While this situation shows the importance of accuracy and truth in reporting, it is also a picture of what is so messed up with the media. It is no wonder the general population is so fed up nowadays with us, the members of the media.

How many minutes of each news segment focus on launching attacks at other media members or outlets? Every day, CNN attacks Fox News for its conservative guests and content, and Fox News attacks CNN for its liberal commentators and agenda. At other times, reporters attack each other individually.

Should news agencies not be more concerned with the information they are presenting rather than the content of other, competing outlets?

O’Reilly and Corn, along with his Mother Jones colleagues, should stop trying to merely win an argument. They should stop calling names, and they should worry only about the facts of the story. Maybe then these journalists can focus on the news.

BROWN is the editor-in-chief