We’ve documented how Brent Bozell and his Media Research Center effectively gave Fox News’ Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly a pass on their respective histories of sexual harassment, even as they tried to make hay on similar allegations against Harvey Weinstein.
On Oct. 21, the New York Times reported on a previously undisclosed sexual harassment case against O’Reilly — this time resulting in a $32 million payment to Fox News analyst Lis Wiehl. What did Bozell and the MRC have to say about this latest case of serial sexual harassment?
Nothing, basically. Bozell’s Twitter account was silent on this, as was the MRC’s NewsBusters and CNSNews.com website.
The only mention at all on any MRC website was on lower-tier operation MRCTV, where Bryan Michalek published the full statement from O’Reilly’s spokesman attacking the Times story. It wasn’t until after this — in the 11th paragraph — that Michalek gets around to noting that the O’Reilly statement falsely claims that the Times article fails to mention an affidavit by Wiehl renouncing allegations against O’Reilly, as well as a statement by Times editor Dean Baquet that the statement “addresses everything but what the story actually says.”
In short, Bozell and the MRC remain utter hypocrites.