War Between the Free Media & the Elite Media?

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I'm Bill O'Reilly.  Thank you for watching us tonight.

Has war broken out between the free media and the elite media?  We're the free media.  That's the subject of the Talking Points Memo.

First of all, thousands of people all over the world wrote to compliment us after Sami Al-Arian was arrested yesterday.  We thank you all very much.

But if you read the coverage in the elite media today, you'd have no idea The Factor broke the story nationally.  And you would not know that some in the elite media attacked us for doing so.

Two good examples.  The Los Angeles Times has been accused by some Jewish-Americans as being pro-Palestinian.  In fact, there was even a demonstration held a few years ago over that perception.

Al-Arian, as you know, is accused of funneling money to Palestinian Islamic Jihad and charged with connection with more than 100 civilian murders in Israel.

Now, this may be accidental, it may be accidental.  Okay?  But just one day after we were proved right about Al-Arian, the L.A. Times ran the most vicious hit piece I've ever seen in a major American newspaper.  It's full of lies and distortions about us.

And we had gotten wind of it a few days ago.  A Factor producer called the Times op-ed editor, Nicholas Goldberg, and explained that the writer was making a living bashing us and that we had exposed the man on The Factor.  You may remember him; he was the guy who mocked Greta Van Susteren's face.

Even though Goldberg knew all that the L.A. Times still printed the piece and has refused -- Goldberg has -- to appear this evening to explain.  Unbelievable, but a perfect demonstration of the war that has broken out between the free media and the elite media.  We'll have a report on that a bit later on.

Then, in the "St. Petersburg Time" in Florida, this amazing headline: "Balance Sometimes Lacking in TV's Al-Arian Coverage."  Balance?

Even after the guy's arrested and charged with terrorism, the TV critic for the St. Pete' Times is upset the coverage isn't balanced.

Now, we know this writer well.  He can't stand the FOX News Channel.  But there comes a time when even an opinion columnist ought to be responsible.  St. Petersburg Times should be ashamed of itself for employing this man, whose political agenda is foremost in his analysis of television.

Finally, the media world in America is changing rapidly.  No longer do the network news or the newspapers in New York or L.A. define the stories that are important to you.  Now cable news does that, simply because we're on 24 hours a day, and you can tune in at any time.

The networks and the newspapers are not thrilled about this development, and some of them are abusing their power trying to marginalize and denigrate people like me.  In the end, they'll fail because you, the viewer, will decide who you trust and who you don't.

And believe me when I tell you, any intellectual dishonesty on the part of any powerful press person in this country will be exposed on The Factor.  Legitimate criticism is fair, vicious personal attacks will not stand.

And that's The Memo .

The Villain of the Week

Time now for The Villain of the Week... and we named three guys.

As you know, clubs in Chicago and Rhode Island were the scenes of terrible disasters this week, and the irresponsibility on the part of their owners is simply staggering.  We fully expect that the authorities will bring charges against all these men.  But, beyond that, their failure to supervise the premises, is simply unconscionable.

So Dwayne Kyles, the owner of the E2 Club in Chicago, and the Derderian brothers, owners of "The Station" in Rhode Island are our Villains of the Week, and they deserve it.

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