Juan Williams to O'Reilly: “Bill O'Reilly neutral? That's a first. Bill O'Reilly neutral. Oh, please.”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
NPR senior correspondent and FOX News Channel contributor Juan Williams confronted FOX News Channel host Bill O'Reilly with his pro-Republican bias during Williams's appearance on the November 3 edition of FOX News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor. Williams and O'Reilly were discussing why Senator John Kerry declined O'Reilly's invitation to appear on The O'Reilly Factor during the presidential campaign:
O'REILLY: Juan, this is what I don't understand. You're telling me that Kerry wouldn't come in here because he was beat up by the press? I mean, he's got to fight the terrorists. If he's too wounded to do an interview, I mean, we don't want this guy protecting us. Come on, he's got to be a macho man.
WILLIAMS: I think he tried to spend his time with -- in venues and on the media where he could get his image across.
O'REILLY: What was that? Dr. Phil?
WILLIAMS: Without having to go through --
O'REILLY: Was that the comedy show with Jon Stewart? That media?
WILLIAMS: Look, what's he going to do?
O'REILLY: Wasting time.
WILLIAMS: Because any time -- there were so many negative ads portraying him as wishy-washy --
O'REILLY: Well, come on and be a real person.
WILLIAMS: -- lacking in trustworthiness. If the president changes his mind about a 9-11 Commission, people say, “Oh, the president is thoughtful, says Bill O'Reilly.”
O'REILLY: No, I didn't. I didn't say that at all. I never said the president was thoughtful. We were neutral in the middle trying to find out who these people were. Oh, Juan, don't give me any of that.
WILLIAMS: Bill O'Reilly neutral? That's a first. Bill O'Reilly neutral. Oh, please.
O'REILLY: Oh, baloney. We were as fair to Kerry as anybody could be. I've got the thousands of e-mails from your pals to prove it.