Bill O'Reilly, Fox News commentator and the Dayton Daily News are in a feud.

The tiff started when O'Reilly criticized Ohio Judge John Connor for his decision to give a child molester probation instead of jail time.

Andrew Selva confessed to molesting two boys under the age of 14 over a period of three years during a plea bargain. Because of a prosecution error, Selva was presented at sentencing on two counts of child battery, not rape. This error led to Connor's sentence of probation instead of jail time.

'He's got a disease like I've got a disease,' Judge Connor said during Selva's sentencing.

Judge Connor is a recovering alcoholic, and believed that Selva's chances of rehabilitation were high. Selva has since left the tri-county area and is now seeking treatment at a Montgomery County rehabilitation facility.

In an editorial for the Union Sentinel, O'Reilly claimed Ohio was one of the 'most dangerous states for kids.' O'Reilly also took aim against the state of Vermont and Judge Edward Cashman.

O'Reilly's comments prompted Attorney General Jim Petro and Gov. Bob Taft to call for the impeachment of Judge Connor, an elected official of Franklin county.

On March 15, Petro appeared on O'Reilly's television show.

'It looks to me like Connor is arrogant in his refusal to uphold the laws of Ohio,' O'Reilly said in conversation with Petro.

Dayton Daily News fired back in an editorial, calling for 'due process of the law.' The editorial argued the call of Judge Connor's impeachment was hasty despite the charges against him. The editorial also mentioned O'Reilly's 2004 sexual harassment suit and Gov. Taft's and Attorney General Petro's recent legal troubles.

After the release of the editorial, O'Reilly claimed on his website that the Dayton Daily News was 'friendly to child rapists.' Later, he started a list of newspapers that were 'soft on child predators.' Dayton Daily News was at the top of the list.

Jeff Bruce, editor of Dayton Daily News fired back in a statement.

'They say only two things happen when you wrestle a pig: You get muddy and the pig enjoys it,' Bruce said. 'So it's tempting to just let this pass, but, really, what Bill O'Reilly has said on his web site is so outrageous and such a distortion that I can't.'

On March 22, Attorney General Petro called for the Ohio adoption of Jessica's Law, which would mandate jail time of 15 to 25 years for sex offenders convicted of crimes against children under the age of 14. Jessica's Law is currently being considered by congress. O'Reilly is an ardent supporter of the proposed legislation.

In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch, Judge Cashman urged Judge Connor to 'hang-on.'

'You never could have convinced me when I was going through it that it would end as a positive experience,' Cashman said. 'But now that I look back on it, it was probably the most positive and important experience I went through in 25 years on the trial bench.'