O'Reilly Blames Missouri Kidnapping Victim

According to O'Reilly, abducted child "liked ... his circumstances," had "a lot more fun" than usual

Washington, DC - Once again proving that facts play no role in his opinion-making, Bill O'Reilly baselessly suggested that Shawn Hornbeck, the kidnapped boy from Missouri, intentionally extended his own kidnapping because he "liked ... his circumstances." Following O'Reilly's statements; Media Matters for America admonished the conservative pundit for his remarks.

"While it isn't all that surprising, it certainly is disgusting that Bill O'Reilly would ever blame a child for his own captivity," said Karl Frisch, spokesman for Media Matters for America. "These aren't the words of a man who fancies himself a champion of abducted children. These are the words of reckless man who all too often speaks without knowing the facts. Bill O'Reilly should be ashamed of himself."

O'Reilly, whose comments came during the January 15 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, also suggested that he "do[esn't] buy" "the Stockholm syndrome thing." O'Reilly added: "The situation here for this kid looks to me to be a lot more fun than what he had under his old parents. He didn't have to go to school. He could run around and do whatever he wanted." When fellow Fox News host Greta Van Susteren pointed out that "[s]ome kids like school," O'Reilly replied: "Well, I don't believe this kid did. And I think when it all comes down, what's going to happen is, there was an element here that this kid liked about his circumstances."

The following day, during his "Talking Points Memo" segment, O'Reilly responded to viewer mail criticizing his comments about Hornbeck. O'Reilly concluded: "I hope he did not make a conscious decision to accept his captivity because" his kidnapper "made things easy for him. No school, play all day long."

O'Reilly frequently casts himself as a champion of children. He has also suggested that he is "looking out for the kids" and attacked "the print press" for not "car[ing] about the children."

More from Media Matters for America

O'Reilly: Abducted child "liked ... his circumstances," had "a lot more fun" than usual
http://mediamatters.org/items/200701170009
On the January 15 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly said of Shawn Hornbeck -- who was abducted at the age of 11, held for four years, and recently found in Missouri -- that "there was an element here that this kid liked about this circumstances" and that he "do[esn't] buy" "the Stockholm syndrome thing." O'Reilly also said: "The situation here for this kid looks to me to be a lot more fun than what he had under his old parents. He didn't have to go to school. He could run around and do whatever he wanted." When fellow Fox News host Greta Van Susteren pointed out that "[s]ome kids like school," O'Reilly replied: "Well, I don't believe this kid did."

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