From the February 11 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
Fox's Bernie Goldberg: It Takes “A Certain Amount Of Courage To Talk About Black Behavior”
Goldberg: It's “Not A Racist Thing” To Ask Whether Minorities Are In Prison Because They “Commit A Disproportionate Amount Of Crime In America”
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
BERNIE GOLDBERG: There's a debate tonight. A Democratic presidential debate tonight. It would be nice, I'm not holding my breath, but it would be nice if one of the reporters said, Mrs. Clinton, do you really think that racist cops are running rampant in black communities? And, by the way, you said that black parents, plural, shouldn't have to worry about their kids being shot. You do know that 72 percent of black babies are born to single mothers. Do you think that widespread breakdown of the black family is a bigger or lesser problem than bigoted cops? That's one thing. Bernie Sanders, in his speech, his victory speech in New Hampshire said that there was a disproportionate number of minorities in prison. Again, it would be nice at the debate if one of the reporters said, "Senator Sanders, do you think, perhaps, the reason there is a disproportionate number of blacks and Latinos in prison [is] because blacks and Latinos commit a disproportionate amount of crime in America? That's not a racist thing. I was just about to say to say that's not a racist question.
BILL O'REILLY (HOST): But it would be spun that way. Look, those questions are never going to be asked. Because the journalists are afraid to ask them. But let me just ask you this. If you and I were at a debate and we were the moderators, Goldberg and O'Reilly and we would ask those questions, both --
GOLDBERG: Right.
O'REILLY: We would ask them. But I would also say that I believe if we did ask them, that the black community, certainly the leadership of that, would attack us for asking it. We would be attacked.
GOLDBERG: No question. No question.
O'REILLY: And so the answers or whatever or what we're trying to raise up is, A, there is no epidemic of white cops shooting black kids. It's black-on-black murders at 90 percent that are the real problem and are not being stopped in places like Chicago. That's the real racism. And, B, the dissolution of the black family has led to the rise of young black male crime.
GOLDBERG: Those are not racist questions.
O'REILLY: And they're provable with statistics. But the black community itself by and large, generally they don't want to hear it.
GOLDBERG: Right. Well, you mentioned the black establishment. I think you said that that's an important point. Look, liberal politicians like Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, it doesn't take any courage to put billionaires and Wall Street in their crosshairs. They blame them. They make them the villains and they get a lot of applause, okay? But it would take a certain amount of courage to talk about black behavior or minority behavior, and I'm not talking about widespread. I'm talking about kids having kids and kids, and kids dropping out of school, and kids shooting each other. That would take courage to talk about that because the black establishment wouldn't like that.
O'REILLY: That's right. And that's why it won't happen.
GOLDBERG: That could cost you votes.
O'REILLY: Lots of votes.
GOLDBERG: That's what this is all about.
Previously:
On O'Reilly, Bernie Goldberg Says Liberals Defend Beyoncé Because She Is Black
Fox's Bernie Goldberg Accuses Obama Of Intentionally Stoking Racial Resentment