Bill O’Reilly doesn’t buy into the idea that there exists a media gender bias against former Alaska gov. Sarah Palin and Minn. Rep. Michele Bachmann, the Fox News host said during a segment that aired Thursday.
When FNC commentator Gretchen Carlson asked O’Reilly if he agreed with the idea that women receive more criticism than men on the topic of the Tucson shooting, he responded, “I don’t think so. I mean, look, I don’t know gender bias. I don’t know…”
FNC commentator Margaret Hoover insisted that there’s a double standard for women in politics.
“You think the attacks on Glenn Beck aren’t as bad as the attacks on Michele Bachmann? Come on,” O’Reilly said, claiming that if anyone is vilified in attacks, it’s Beck.
Hoover further argued that Palin endured a lot during the 2008 presidential election, when Palin ran alongside Sen. John McCain as his vice presidential candidate.
“Well, she was running for vice-president then, so it’s a different thing,” O’Reilly said. “But I don’t buy the gender bias because I know what Beck has been through, and what a lot of other people, including me, have been through. The attacks are the attacks.”
[WATCH: Bill O’Reilly discuss gender bias]