Bill O’Reilly Says ‘Journalism in This Country is at a Low Point’ (Updated w-video)

It goes without saying that few people in America are aware that a former head of the ACLU in Virginia was arrested last week and charged with possession of child pornography.

Why might that be?

Well, America’s media chose not to report it, and according to Bill O’Reilly, it’s because “journalism in this country is at a low point.”

*****Update: video available here.

On Monday, the host of Fox News’s “O’Reilly Factor” took issue with this tremendous double standard concerning obvious omissions in reporting by the press when stories go counter to their prescribed liberal agenda. O’Reilly began:

Covering the news the left wing way, that's the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo." On Friday, we reported that 51-year-old Charles Rust-Tierney, an attorney and former head of the ACLU in Virginia, was arrested and charged in federal court with possessing child pornography. Agents found videos in his home of little girls being violently raped by adults.

We said we'd report back to you today on which news organizations covered the story and which did not. The two biggest left-wing outfits in the country, "The New York Times" and NBC News, ignored the story entirely. CBS News, CNN, and most of the big city liberal newspapers also failed to cover the Rust-Tierney arrest. ABCnews.com and the Associated Press did cover. And because it happened in their backyard, "The Washington Post" ran a brief story in its second section, essentially burying the entire thing.

O’Reilly continued:

Now the failure of most media outlets to cover this colossal embarrassment to the ACLU contrasts vividly with the coverage of preacher Ted Haggard, which embarrassed conservative Christians. You remember when Haggard was accused of immortality by a male prostitute, the story was all over the place.

"Talking Points" is not surprised that NBC News and "The New York Times," who's motto is "all the news that's fit to print" ignored the child porn bust. These news agencies are no longer objective. They exist to push secular progressive agendas and disparage traditional points of view. We proved that over and over again.

And continued:

This is yet more proof that the American press is corrupt. And it pains me to say it. But journalism in this country is at a low point. And it comes right before one of the most important presidential elections in history.

Much of the mainstream media now invested in promoting ideology at the expense of providing honest information. The folks are being short changed.

O’Reilly ended with a fabulous crescendo:

We in the press have been granted special privileges by the Constitution. Those privileges are now being abused by corrupt editors and TV executives.

If "The New York Times" and NBC News can explain why they didn't cover the ACLU debacle, I'd like to hear it. If not, all Americans should turn away from them.

I couldn’t agree more, Bill. What follows is a full transcript of this segment.

Covering the news the left wing way, that's the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo." On Friday, we reported that 51-year-old Charles Rust-Tierney, an attorney and former head of the ACLU in Virginia, was arrested and charged in federal court with possessing child pornography. Agents found videos in his home of little girls being violently raped by adults.

We said we'd report back to you today on which news organizations covered the story and which did not. The two biggest left-wing outfits in the country, "The New York Times" and NBC News, ignored the story entirely. CBS News, CNN, and most of the big city liberal newspapers also failed to cover the Rust-Tierney arrest. ABCnews.com and the Associated Press did cover. And because it happened in their backyard, "The Washington Post" ran a brief story in its second section, essentially burying the entire thing.

Now the failure of most media outlets to cover this colossal embarrassment to the ACLU contrasts vividly with the coverage of preacher Ted Haggard, which embarrassed conservative Christians. You remember when Haggard was accused of immortality by a male prostitute, the story was all over the place.

"Talking Points" is not surprised that NBC News and "The New York Times," who's motto is "all the news that's fit to print" ignored the child porn bust. These news agencies are no longer objective. They exist to push secular progressive agendas and disparage traditional points of view. We proved that over and over again.

When NBC News analyst William Arkin called U.S. forces mercenaries, elements over there actually supported Arkin. And to this day, NBC News has not condemned Arkin's remarks, although parent company General Electric did condemn that.

The same thing happened when John Edwards refused to fire two anti- Christian bloggers he had hired to work on his campaign. NBC News didn't cover it, nor did CBS or ABC.

In fact, Edwards appeared on "The Today Show" shortly after his bloggers were forced to quit. He wasn't even asked about it.

This is yet more proof that the American press is corrupt. And it pains me to say it. But journalism in this country is at a low point. And it comes right before one of the most important presidential elections in history.

Much of the mainstream media now invested in promoting ideology at the expense of providing honest information. The folks are being short changed.

We in the press have been granted special privileges by the Constitution. Those privileges are now being abused by corrupt editors and TV executives.

If "The New York Times" and NBC News can explain why they didn't cover the ACLU debacle, I'd like to hear it. If not, all Americans should turn away from them. And that's the "Memo."