Bill O’Reilly slams Kaitlan Collins over WHCD shooter ‘confirmed dead’ report: 'She’s a rookie'

WASHINGTON, DC: Bill O'Reilly, a conservative commentator, called Kaitlan Collins a “rookie” over her coverage of the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD).

He made the remarks after Collins said on air that the suspected gunman had been "confirmed dead," which officials later said was not true.

Bill O’Reilly slams Kaitlan Collins over WHCD report error

Speaking on his program, O’Reilly said Collins made an error by presenting unverified information as confirmed during a live broadcast.

The veteran journalist weighed in on Collins’ mistake during Monday’s episode of ‘No Spin News,’ where he suggested that CNN’s chief White House correspondent didn’t “have the basics down.”

“She’s a rookie,” O’Reilly said after playing footage of Collins’ report from the WHCD.

“Looks good on TV. Can conduct an interview. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. You don’t report a story like that … because that’s what they call hearsay.”

He continued: “She’s got no valid source for that story other than some secretary of education. How would [s]he know? Now, if you want to mention it, you can say there’s a rumor; you could say that. But you don’t say, ‘They said he is confirmed dead.'”

O’Reilly also questioned the sourcing of the information, stating that Collins relied on what he described as hearsay rather than verified confirmation.

He added that if such information is mentioned, it should be clearly identified as unverified or a rumor.

Kaitlan Collins faces backlash over on-air WHCD reporting error

The incident unfolded at the Washington Hilton, where a gunman opened fire, prompting a rapid security response and evacuation of attendees, including President Donald Trump.

Authorities later confirmed that a suspect was taken into custody, not killed, as early reports had suggested.

Amid the chaos, Collins went on air on CNN and said, “All right, guys. I just want you to know this is not verified. We’re just listening to what’s happening right now. But we have security around us and it’s Secret Service, because there’s a lot of members of the administration here.”

“The secretary of education is seated right next to me and her security just said confirmed that there was a shooter in the lobby. It’s not clear where, obviously it’s at a very big hotel … They said he is confirmed dead.”

The situation was still unfolding at the time, with limited confirmed details available.

Following the initial reports, officials clarified that the suspect involved in the WHCD shooting was alive and had been taken into custody. Law enforcement later identified the individual and confirmed that the situation was under control.