Bill O'Reilly praises Fox correspondent who pushed back on misleading claims about Russia's Ukraine invasion, says network is letting 'propaganda' spread

• The former Fox News host said his former network was spreading what he called "propaganda."
• He said hosts weren't pushing back against guests making groundless claims.

The former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly criticized the network for broadcasting what he called "propaganda" unchallenged, and praised a correspondent who forcefully fact-checked guests who promoted misleading narratives about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

O'Reilly was the network's top-rated host before being forced in out in 2017 amid sexual-harassment accusations.

In comments on his online show, O'Reilly.Com, on Tuesday, he was critical of the direction that his former network and other news organizations had taken in recent years.

However, he was full of praise for Jennifer Griffin, Fox News' security correspondent, who has pushed back against talking heads on Fox News who were making unsubstantiated claims about the crisis in Ukraine.

Over the weekend, Griffin accused a former Pentagon official of "appeasement" when he said Russia should be permitted to seize Ukraine, and questioned the credentials of another former military official who called for a more forceful military response from the US.

"Now, why I'm running that clip is — not only to show you how gutsy she is — is that it used to be that propagandists would be slapped down hard and now they're not," said O'Reilly, after playing a clip of Griffin pushing back against the guests' claims.

"Not just on Fox, but on every television news program. I mean, I've told you this time and time and time again, I turn on the TV set, it doesn't matter whether it's the network morning shows, the late-night comedians, the cable news across the board ... propaganda is just spat out there and the people running the shows are just sitting there going like this," he said, without naming the other news outlets.

"You can't do that!" O'Reilly continued. "That's a disservice to the American people. You've got to know enough about the subject that you are involved with as an anchor or a host, that if somebody says something that's propagandistic, you challenge. And that is what Jennifer Griffin was doing."

He went on to say he would never have allowed such "garbage" on his show, and asked his audience: "Why are you guys wasting your time watching this stuff?"

"It's cheap and easy and it makes money," he said of networks that were uncritically airing groundless views.

O'Reilly has in recent weeks been critical of Fox News, saying in December that the network was "playing to the choir" promoting fake narratives about the January 6, 2021, riot, and dodging tough questions.