Updated

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

More dishonest media, that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."

All this week, I've been watching with alternating amusement and annoyance as the media pushed this ridiculous liberal radio network.  Never in the history of the American press has one tiny enterprise gotten so much free publicity.

The reason, of course, is that the elites want liberal bomb throwers to embarrass and defame people with whom they disagree. It's like hiring hit men and women.

Now "The Factor" on TV and radio is the most successful broadcast concept in the past decade in this country.  And guess how many articles "The New York Times" has done on us?  Zero.  Nada.

The liberal radio net consists of six stations as opposed to 405 for "The Factor."  Guess how many stories "The Times" has done on the libs? Ten. -- Four more than their entire station base.

CNN and MSNBC have also jumped on the lib bandwagon, allowing character assassinations to attack Fox News and others without challenge.  Not nice, not responsible, but it's not all on the left.  Right wing bomber G. Gordon Liddy (search) joined the party of deceit and said this on CNN:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BEGALA, HOST, "CROSSFIRE":  He is so successful on cable television.  He hasn't done very well on radio.

G. GORDON LIDDY, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST:  No, he hasn't. Matt Drudge (search) exposed all of his radio ratings, which are in the toilet.  I don't know why he doesn't do radio well, but he really doesn't do radio well at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY:  All right, they're talking about me. Now Liddy knows what he said is untrue. He works for Westwood One, the same company which syndicates "The Radio Factor." Today, Westwood issued this statement.

"During appearances on two cable news programs yesterday, Westwood One personality G. Gordon Liddy made statements about "The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly" which are totally inaccurate and in no way represent the view of Westwood One.  Westwood has so advised Liddy and forwarded to him the true facts about the program.  In less than two years on the air, The Radio Factor has become one of the most successful talk shows in the country ... In addition to its high ratings and large audience, the program is also a home run with advertisers."

Now even after receiving that release from his own company, Liddy refused to retract his false statements, which tells you all you need to know about him.

But the more important issue for you, folks who want truthful information, is that you can't get it from the media anymore. Liddy pedaled his falsehoods to MSNBC's Deborah Norville (search), who seems to have little frame of reference and sat there mute, and to CNN's Paul Begala (search), a propagandist who has no interest in seeking the truth and never has.

And these are the kinds of people who now broadcast nationally. It's hard to believe. "Talking Points" once again will tell you that press standards are declining rapidly all over the country, as the truth is no longer the gold standard.  This makes informed decision making almost impossible.  Very bad for you and very bad for the country.

And that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Time now for "The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day"...

Take a look at this picture of then 9-year-old Alan Spadone from Columbia, Missouri.  Notice the leg pads Alan is wearing, and listen to this letter from his mom.

"Dear Mr. O'Reilly, believe it or not, the goalie pads my son was wearing in 1998 were at one time yours.  Your sold them to a young man who became a professor at the University of Missouri, and he gave them to my son."

That is absolutely amazing.  I used those pads at Chaminade High School (search) in the late '60s here on Long Island where I did some goal-tending and some right-winging.  Now here's a shot of the latter.  Notice no helmets back then.  We were macho guys.  But, looking back, I wish we had had the hats.  All right.  Ridiculous? Watch it or I'll come hip check you.