Image copyright AP

One of the most famous news show hosts in the US has hit back at allegations that he exaggerated his involvement in reporting on the Falklands War in 1982.

Bill O'Reilly told his Fox News viewers there was "horrific" violence during an assignment for CBS News in Buenos Aires, even though it was hundreds of miles from the conflict.

An article last week questioned his claims he reported in a "war zone."

Few reporters made it to the islands where the war was fought.

On Monday night's The O'Reilly Factor, he said: "As you may know, some left-wing zealots have attacked me, your humble correspondent.

"They say I trumped up my war experiences in the Falklands conflict and El Salvador - at issue, the huge riot immediately after the Argentines surrendered to the British in 1982.

"As I reported accurately, the violence was horrific."

He showed clips from the CBS video that he said proved what he said was true. And he spoke to journalists who said it was a "real war" on the streets of the Argentinean capital.

Image copyright PA Image caption There were 655 Argentineans killed, 255 British, and three Falkland Islanders

But former CBS News correspondent Eric Engberg, who was there, described O'Reilly's account as "dishonest".

In an interview with the Huffington Post, he disputed O'Reilly's claim that his cameraman had been knocked down and needed rescuing.

Mother Jones broke the story shortly after NBC News anchor Brian Williams stood down for six months for misrepresenting his experiences in the Iraq War.

Fox News chief executive Roger Ailes has said he fully supports O'Reilly.