NY Times Responds To Bill O’Reilly Spokesman’s Claims That They “Maliciously Smeared” Ex-Fox News Host — Updated

UPDATED with response from New York Times: In a response to Fabiani’s statement in regards to Bill O’Reilly, New York Times editor Dean Baquet made his own statement to media saying: “Mr. Fabiani addresses everything but what the story actually says. This article, like our previous reporting on the subject, is accurate and deeply reported and we welcome any challenge to the facts. The affidavit he claims our story ignored is quoted in our article twice.”

EARLIER: Bill O’Reilly spokesman Mark Fabiani says The New York Times “has maliciously smeared” the ex-Fox News host and that the Times failed to print a “sworn affidavit” from O’Reilly’s accuser “repudiating all allegations against” the host.

Times reporter Michael S. Schmidt quickly responded by noting that the article he co-wrote with reporter Emily Steel did, in fact, mention the affidavit – twice, and tweeted proof. “Bill O’Reilly’s statement falsely says our story didn’t mention affidavit Lise Wiehl signed,” writes Schmidt. “Here are both references.”

In his statement on behalf of O’Reilly (read it below), Fabiani writes, “In it’s latest diatribe against Bill O’Reilly, the Times printed leaked information provided by anonymous sources that is out of context, false, defamatory, and obviously designed to embarrass Bill O’Reilly and to keep him from competing in the marketplace.”

Today’s Times article reports that O’Reilly struck a $32 million sexual harassment payment with Fox News network analyst Wiehl – who is described by Fabiani as O’Reilly’s former lawyer – before his contract with 21st Century Fox was granted a four-year extension.

The statement also claims that after Fox News chairman Roger Ailes was fired in 2015, “dozens of women accused scores of male employees of Fox News of harassment – including the current co-president of Fox News Jack Abernathy.

“21st Century Fox settled almost all of these cases, paying out close to $100 million dollars. Six months after Mr. Ailes left the company, Fox News Corporation signed Bill O’Reilly to a record breaking new contract after the company had analyzed and considered all allegations against him.”

The statement ends by noting that “in the more than 20 years Bill O’Reilly worked at Fox News, not one complaint was filed against him with the Human Resources Department or Legal Department by a coworker, even on the anonymous hotline. The New York Times has copies of two letters written by 21st Century Fox lawyers attesting to that fact.”

Here’s the full statement:

Once again, The New York Times has maliciously smeared Bill O’Reilly, this time even failing to print a sworn affidavit from his former lawyer, Lis Wiehl, repudiating all allegations against Bill O’Reilly. The Times ignored that evidence, sworn under oath, and chose to rely on unsubstantiated allegations, anonymous sources and incomplete leaked or stolen documents.

Here are the facts: after the Chairman of Fox News Roger Ailes was fired in July 2015, dozens of women accused scores of male employees of Fox News of harassment — including the current co-president of Fox News Jack Abernathy.

21st Century Fox settled almost all these cases, paying out close to $100 million dollars. Six months after Mr. Ailes left the company, Fox News Corporation signed Bill O’Reilly to a record breaking new contract after the company had analyzed and considered all allegations against him.

In its first article about Mr. O’Reilly on April 1st, The New York Times printed inaccurate settlement figures while fully understanding that O’Reilly and his counsel are legally bound by confidentiality and cannot set the record straight.

In its latest diatribe against Bill O’Reilly, the Times printed leaked information provided by anonymous sources that is out of context, false, defamatory, and obviously designed to embarrass Bill O’Reilly and to keep him from competing in the marketplace.

Finally, in the more than 20 years Bill O’Reilly worked at Fox News, not one complaint was filed against him with the Human Resources Department or Legal Department by a coworker, even on the anonymous hotline. The New York Times has copies of two letters written by 21st Century Fox lawyers attesting to that fact.

The Times failed to print them, too.

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