GE responds to Fox News’s smears

August 11, 2009

Fox News’s The O’Reilly Factor on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, accused GE of being under suspicion for providing materials that are used by terrorists to build roadside bombs to attack U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is no truth to this irresponsible and maliciously false report. O’Reilly and Fox News have provided no facts and no evidence to support their outrageous claims. As we told Fox News prior to the broadcast, GE does not make the product in question nor does it do business with a company identified by Fox News as being involved in these alleged transactions.

Amazingly, O’Reilly admits that Fox News cannot confirm that GE is under suspicion yet makes the charge anyway. Read the full transcript.

Fox News is in a heated rivalry with GE’s MSNBC cable news network and this has influenced its coverage of GE. We usually do not respond to the misleading and inaccurate claims made on this program because very few people take them seriously, but tonight’s report took this smear campaign to a new low. GE is not going to let the reputation of a good company and its good people be smeared by this reckless attack by a television personality. O’Reilly and Fox News have knowingly and without foundation damaged the reputation of GE, its employees and shareholders.

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Dan

Remember, "We Bring Good Things to Life"

A nice OLD Slogan of GE. Sadly Fox speaks the truth and GE no longer brings anything Good to the table.

GE, MSNBC and any other news outlet it owns CAN’T Tell the truth.

There Socialist Agenda is very sad. Did you not think anyone would notice?

By the way, there is NO Rivalry, FOX Blows EVERY Cable News Outlet OUT of the Water. Wishful thinking on your part. I mean, Just more lies on your part.

Very sad really. I pity you and your stock holders.
James

GE’s a crooked company.They lied to their shareholders and did business with Iran.Their probably guilty of this latest claim as well.
As for the heated rivalry comment:FOX is beating MSNBC by 230%.Thats not exactly a "heated rivalry".
joe

The biggest tarnish to GE’s reputation is Jeff Immelt himself. Under Jack Welch GE was the most admired company in the world, and now it’s a disgrace. Immelt has eroded shareholder value and confidence, and has turned NBC into an Obama propaganda machine, essentially destroying its journalistic integrity. The shareholders should fire Immelt and put some decent management in place.
Dave

Intelligent listeners understand what Bill was doing. Why are people complaining. NBC/CBS news does it on every single subject matter they broadcast. There is an obvious reason these broadcast company outlets slant every report. Can’t people figure that out?

The day of delivering the news in an open and fair way may have never happened in our time. It took a war in Vietnam (60′s/70′s) where young men died, before that generation realized the reported news was slanted. Now those baby boomers are in control of the media outlets and they complain when others don’t buy into their slant? Give me a break. The news has always been slanted. Slant it to protect others not to line the pockets of a CEO.

I won’t buy GE because they are the bullies that desire to dictate what I watch and listen to. GE’s hands are dirty by the association they have with the White House. They are the Dupont company of our time.

Nothing has changed form one generation to the next, other than we have Bill to stick it to them. Keep it up Bill. We get what’s happening.
Ian

"Fox News is in a heated rivalry with GE’s MSNBC cable news network and this has influenced its coverage of GE."

Heated rivalry? Has the writer of GE’s reply seen the ratings of the two networks? I’d hardly say it’s a rivalry – Fox has a much larger viewing audience.

The story that I find more interesting is GE’s connections with the government, GE’s sweet loan of taxpayer dollars, GE’s potential to benefit from government contracts, and GE’s news organizations being cheerleaders for the Obama administration – that seems rather interesting to me… Has there been much coverage of how NBC and MSNBC cheer on Obama, how the "journalists" and commentators on those GE run networks demonize the public, yet GE is positioned to be rewarded? I wonder why no other network has picked up on that story…
Don

If GE had nothing to hide they would of been on OReilly months ago people,lets get real,and open your eyes. Immelt ran GE into the ground and is still in charge,why ? Why wont someone go on the Factor and debate OReilly,could it be they have something to hide? Did they not pollute the Hudson,or is that fabricated to. Do your homework dont just take OReillys word as gospel folks.
Bill

What amazes me is how Bill O’reilly can look himself in the mirror. This hypocrite and fear monger said that the U.S. is "on the verge of bankruptcy". What??? Where is the proof?? On the verge means next week, next month. Again, there is not one shred of proof that this will happen. What about proof?? Again more fear mongering and ignorant half truths that Bill O’reilly and Fox News specializes in. I have no idea how Bill and people at Fox News look themselves in the mirror. I guess making a profit means all. What I can’t believe that there are so many ignorant people who accept this fear mongering and factual inaccuracies as truth every day. Are people so uneducated that all they care about is any piece of red meat to satisfy the position that want to take. That piece of red meat can of could be filled with inaccuracies and distortions. How sad.
frank recupido

I’ve watched O’Riely for many years, He is truly fair and balanced, I’ve also watched Chris Mathews, He is trully one sided,including the entire NBC staff.I suggest Mr.Immelt you listen to Mr. O’rielly and clean house, their are a lot of people against you and the price of the stock is a disgrace.
J.M.

Mr. Immelt….

Have you forgotten, you are the top salesman for GE, front and forward, in essence your da sales manager, you also sell the average American home owner appliance’s, the stuff we put food in, wash da dishes, do the work pants and dry them too and from time to time cool us off on a hot summer humid day.

The last thought you should have before heading to bed and kissing the misses is to loose business or how many units GE appliance sold, how many train engines I sold, how many X-ray machines I sold and the list goes on and on not to leave out all those HD credit cards out there etc.

To antagonize blue blooded Americans, those making the decision to buy a GE product, you know the type, your "A" typical American who may or may not get pissed off at YOU and GE for acts against our values.

I speak for myself, abet I’m a shareholder BUT the last product I thought of in replacing a wall unit A/C was a GE product. If I must boycott GE I will and will never apply for a store credit card backed by GE.

My beef is MSNBC and the long list of socialists on network. You and I don’t share the same values, I may be to the right but you’re to the extreme left on MSNBC, I’d be willing to move to center when MSNBC evaluates their transgression on the far left.
J.M.

Mr. Immelt………

Do you hear loud and clear the ponderous dissatisfaction with GE, YOUR MANAGEMENT SKILLS AND MSNBC . If not, I employ you to read from GE reports blog site. GE has it’s list of unhappy shareholders and I’m on that list too and I’m a big shareholder too. You may think your above the fray but you’re the CEO of a bellwether company who’s responsibility is to the shareholder, NOT Obama or any third party left wing attack on America and our culture.

What evolved over 200 years is etched in STONE, you, Obama, the MSNBC team and the Polosi’s of the world are nothing short of carrying a short term pass and far from indispensable. You my CEO will either change, so don’t think of yourself as etched in the GE board room.

The back to capitalism is growing and what you see is only the beginning of a movement that will end 2012. If you so decide to hang your hat and the future of GE on a failed administration and ideology please think of the consequences and act accordingly
ALS

To those who complain, dislike or whatever other label to want put against Fox, I would really loved to have seen your Network break out the story about this investigation– lets get real—if you don’t like Fox or OReilly, then don’t watch its that simple or is it too simple to figure out. By the way GE, send the blogger named Sean to Fox for the interview he is requesting—-i want to see him go up against Bill O!!!!
Bill James

GE has a responsibility to disclaim Mr. O’Reilly comments. It is shameful that respectful people attempt to defend Mr. O’Reilly for his consistent smear of the GE CEO. He clearly is vindictive toward Mr. Immelt for his political views or whatever reason. I’m a very minor stockholder in GE. If the stockholders and the board so dissatisfied with Mr. Immelt’s performance ‘fire’ him.
ross

i just sold all GE stock. your company takes money from taxpayers with one hand and talks down to the very people who bailed them out with the other sad and pathetic hand they call MSNBC. if you werent in bed with our president, you would not be able to even fund this website.
Dave DC

If I were GE I would stay clear of OReily he probably has proof waiting for his "gotch" moment.
Dave

It is in fact MSNBC who continually tries to discredit Fox because Fox kicks their collective but all the time. GE may not make the product but that doesn’t mean they don’t make some of the components which goes back to playing fast and lose with the truth. (depends on the definition of "is")
Bill says, quote, "The Factor has been told, but can’t confirm, that General Electric is under suspicion in the case." That doesn’t sound like an accusation to me. And he sites information sources in his Talking Points commentary. Bill is being honest with us. GE and MS-NBC….uh, not so much.
Jim

I will no longer purchase any of your prouducts do to your support of Fox News. I am tired of seeing the truth be lied about on Fox. There news isn’t any longer the news. It is about Ruppert Mudock and what he wants to hear.
Jose Sanchez

I think Jim (8/26/2009 03:13 PM) is a tad confused. He states that he will "no longer purchase any of your (products) (due) to your support of Fox News."

1st off Jim, Fox does not lie, it is news, more balanced than that displayed on MSNBC.

2nd I think it’s great that you will no longer support GE, but GE does not support Fox News. Ge owns the twisted and corrupt NBC brand. Therefore I and many other wise Americans will no longer consciously support GE. Until, that is, they get rid of Immelt and Zucker and turn themselves into the respectable company they were many years ago.
RSCORTINAS

Fair & Balance keep the info. flowing. thank you.
Crokes

Fox News should never be a rival to MSNBC. Fox’s characters rarely provide proof of anything, often making much ado about nothing while employing distrustful and hate filled clowns and guest experts(hah) to appease their ignorant viewers. It is obvious why advertisers love Fake News, their viewers will buy anything because they seem to just blindly trust the most unfair and off-balance reporting on TV today. It’s what the viewers want..to be told ANYTHING that appeases their false hopes and warped beliefs. Fake News is all about ratings, their sponsors are finally getting it that the lies told go too far SO, WAKE UP YOU LIE LOVIN’ FAKE NEWS watchers!
Investor

GEt the Fox!!!
Thomas Carley

Every one has to make their own decision on NBC, GE, Leno, O’Brian imbroglio. I’ve decided to no longer buy GE products, watch NBC, including Jay Leno. If Conan gets an other show on another network I will watch it. The rest can go to hell.
Jimi

inaccurate claims made on this program because very few people take them seriously… Who are you kidding? Fox news is taken more seriously than any other news site. That is why MSNBC and Cnn and New York Times as well as Newsweek are always behind in the ratings. It was even reported the You Mr. Immelt even scolded NBC reporters and told them to take it easy on Obama. Funny isn’t? The “Have Nots” are starting to voice thier opinions and all the money you CEOs have gathered is not able to save your image or party.
Steve

If the best “news” channel is the one with the highest ratings! Is it because people hear what they want to hear, very little real substance not news at all. I have witnessed how angry my family members have become since they have become addicted to right wing TV and Radio. The same guy who said why would Bill O lie called Dan Rather a liar. I guess it all dependends on which side of the fence you are on.
We’re all too lazy to look for the truth. That’s the reason these far right and far left Entertainers are so popular. Remember if the news is on 24 7 it’s no longer news it has become entertainment!
Daniel

Fox News is a bunch of right wing, lying gasbags. They are not Fair, not Balanced, and NOT News. Insofar as the dirty hands of a multinational conglomerate like GE (pollution of the Hudson river w/PCB’s for HOW MANY DECADES???), I’ve got no doubt that was under Immelt, Welch, and a host of others who made the best (most profitable) decisions they could at the time they were in charge. The piper must always be paid, however, and as long as cleanup is done, fines are paid, and framework put in place to halt future emissions, i’m ok w/General Electric. I’d buy GE stock if I was a rich, white suburban Connecticutter.