John Stossel has made amends with ABC News one week after a harsh critique of the network.
In a video that debuted on Breitbart TV last week, Stossel didn’t mince words when asked why he left ABC News: “Because it sucked there.” He acknowledged Monday that his assessment was perhaps too harsh.
“I regret my choice of words last week,” Stossel said in a statement reported by TVNewser. “I worked 28 years at ABC News. Much of my ABC experience was very positive and I wish them well. I found a new home at Fox that welcomes my free market ideas.”
Stossel, author of a new book called “No, They Can’t: Why Government Fails-But Individuals Succeed,” is the host of “Stossel,” a one-hour weekly Fox Business Network show. He regularly hosts other specials on Fox News and appears often on The O’Reilly Factor.
In the book, Stossel reveals details of his relationship with ABC News and why he parted ways with his longtime employer in 2009. He said it stemmed from a hostility to his libertarian ideas:
They were hostile to these ideas that have made us prosperous and I consider so important. I mean, they tolerated me for years. I got good ratings, so they put the stuff on. They sort of held their nose and put it on. But by the end, they were saying, ‘Ah, you’re predictable Stossel. You use libertarian economics all the time. I don’t want to watch that.’ … I was not offered a job by Fox. I went over and begged, ‘Please, hire me, I cannot stand it anymore.’
The book is Stossel’s latest attempt to debunk the myths that government can solve America’s problems. He tackles everything from crony capitalism and federal regulations to teachers’ unions and gun control.