Top rated radio and Fox News host Bill Reilly was recently a guest on an Irish television show where he was questioned about quotes he made referring to the poor as "irresponsible and lazy" and the Iraqi people as "prehistoric" (the actual quotes can be found via the links).When the Irish host said that he found both remarks on Media Matters for America's website, O'Reilly responded by attacking Media Matters as "an assassination website" and a "far-left propaganda thing." More remarks:
O'REILLY: Those cards you have in your hand came from one of the most vicious websites on earth. All right? And there are a hundred of them. And if you run for office in America, or you're me and you go on every night, those people will assassinate your character every single day. They will lie about you, they will defame you, they will slander you. And we can't sue, unlike the British system. If you're famous in America, you can't sue.
So, put yourself in a position of, "Do you want that kind of life? Do you want your family threatened every day, like my family is? Do you want that?" So the good people say, "We don't want this."
KENNY: Yeah. And if they've ever done anything remotely sinful or wrong or --
O'REILLY: Oh, they'll make it up. They'll make it up. You don't have to do anything. They'll make it up. So, good people --
Apparently the great sin here is that Media Matters quoted O'Rilley accurately. Not surprisingly, he is concerned about being another victim of internet's "gotcha" era. Media Matters is responsible for exposing to a wider audience Don Imus' "nappy headed ho" remark. Yet I find it astounding that he would attack Media Matters so viciously for making clips and accurate transcriptions available on its website. If you said it, take responsibility - either defend yourself or apologize. But don't blame it on some shadowy, extreme left-wing George Soros conspiracy.
8 comments:
Yeah, and who says you can't sue in the U.S. if someone defames you? Usually when people cry about being defamed and don't sue, there's a reason (see, e.g., Barry Bonds).
Incidentally, O'Reilly should know about getting sued.
O'Reilly is a douchebag who provides constant embarrassment to conservatives (and people from his hometown of Westbury, NY).
I don't read Media Matters much, but I know Eric Alterman (a bigger douchebag, who takes self-hating American and self-hating Jew to another level) is a big contributor, so it's probably not a site I would spend much time reading.
There is no question that the organization is meant to go after guys like him (or at least, hold them accountable for their rhetoric). I'm not championing Media Matters. Rather I find it irritating that people like O'Reilly would whine about a "smear job" because they post accurate transcripts and clips of his shows. What's wrong with being held accountable for things you've said? Defend your words or apologize.
Any liberal or conservative on radio or TV either panders to the extreme left or the extreme right. O'Reilly is no different. I presume it's the pandering that gets rating. What is missing (and I've told Bookie this in the past) is a talk radio show, or a cable news show, that is hosted by someone who is straight down the middle. Sullivan is a conservative, I know, but he down the middle on a lot of issues. I'd love to see him with a daily forum. Same with Tom Friedman.
Nothing is wrong. I agree with your opinion on O'Reilly. I thought I covered all that with the "douchebag" comment.
What's with the avatar? Is that Wimpy from "Popeye"? Is there a story behind that?
I know he's a big Bush-basher, but Bill Maher is somewhat close to what you're referring to. He always has guests from all ends of the spectrum and doesn't shout them down, and I know he's a libertarian himself.
It also "grinds my gears" that O'Reilly likes to paint himself as some sort of victim ("Do you want your family threatened every day, like my family is? Do you want that?"). Well, do I get to live in a big ol' mansion on Long Island and sleep on a pile of hundred dollar bills? Then yes, I would want that.
Bill Mahr is "down the middle" to people who think the New York Times is down the middle (not a raging ideologue like FOX News, which is evidently the only news source with a point of view).
As I noted in a comment to an earlier post (which is, like 8 posts ago, damn, Harris you are prolific--I hope the job at Proskauer doesn't slow you down), I hate people embrace victimhood. If he is so damn scared, he should just quit the show. But we can pile on O'Reilly all day here, if we want to.
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