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Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thank you for watching us tonight. A reign of terror. That is the subject of this evening's Talking Points (search) memo.
You may have noticed that some in the elite media, that's network news and newspapers like The New York Times, have stepped up their attacks on the FOX News Channel. That's because we dominated TV coverage of the Iraqi war, and the power of this organization is growing quickly.
The attacks basically say that FOX News does not report the truth, that we shade our coverage to help conservatives like President Bush. So, it was interesting to see The New York Times editor, Howell Raines, get hammered by his own people in the wake of that Jayson Blair (search) scandal over at The Times.
In a meeting yesterday, more than a few Times reporters and editors accused Raines of presiding over a reign of terror, pardon the pun. Some journalists allege Raines imposes his point of view on the organization, and they call his clique "The Polit Bureau" after the Soviet leadership apparatus.
Now, to be fair, I don't know what the heck is going on inside The New York Times, and I don't care. No question they have great reporters, but also no question that this Howell Raines guy is a left-wing fanatic, although he hit did Bill Clinton hard over his ethical problems.
So, it's pretty interesting when Raines and his comrades toss grenades at the FOX News Channel. The no spin truth is there are ideologues on both the left and the right, and you'll never get the truth from them. They will spin the facts their way.
Here at the FOX News Channel, there are a few committed conservatives, also a few committed liberals, but our reporters and news anchors are neutral.
What really tees off the elite left is that they no longer set the news agenda. Scandal at The New York Times has badly hurt that paper. The Los Angeles Times is in complete disarray and network news loses audience every month.
So, now you have a choice because we at FOX are not politically correct, and we will present conservative viewpoints that Howell Raines and his ilk would never sanction.
The Times has one conservative columnist, William Safire. Every other columnist at The New York Times leans left or like Bob Herbert or Paul Krugman are die-hard liberals.
So, the next time you hear whining about the FOX News Channel, know that if we weren't here, the elite media would be a lot more powerful than it is right now, and you can decide whether that's a good or bad thing. And that's the memo.
--You can watch Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points Memo and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 & 11p.m. ET on the Fox News Channel. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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