Fresh Air fails O'Reilly's "fair and balanced" test

I actually heard the interview and spat between Bill O'Reilly and Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air last night. This was not a hatchet job on O'Reilly. He wasted this opportunity for him to have a genuine dialogue with some of his critics on the left ...

Before he walked out of the interview, O'Reilly said more than once that he paid attention to all of his published critics. But he must have neglected to research how Terry Gross' interview with Al Franken went the other week. Had he done this homework, he wouldn't have been at all surprised by questions which Terry Gross asked him last night. He did not appreciate that this was his chance to reply to some of the damaging things which Franken and other critics have said about him. I'm astonished that instead of being glad of the chance to set the record right (in his view), he was infuriated that anyone would dare think that he had anything to answer for. I heard most of the Franken interview too, and I would agree that Terry Gross asked more challenging questions to O'Reilly than to Franken. But such a thorough researcher as O'Reilly (or so he claims to be) should have known the relative sympathy that Terry Gross gave to his arch-critic and prepared accordingly.

I think that this was another instance of O'Reilly losing his temper. I think that he handled himself pretty well during most of the interview. For a moment, I gained a little understanding of his point of view. However he will complain about this interview, Terry Gross did not do a hatchet job on him. Unfortunately, in the last few minutes before he walked out of the interview, he undid all the good spin he may have generated for himself by fixating on the idea that he probably received a tougher time of it than Al Franken. It severely detracted from the other things which he had said. O'Reilly must hate Franken so much that this very thought made him go quite ballistic, when he was in the final stretch - so to speak - of this interview.

It is ironic that what triggered O'Reilly's anger was a question of whether O'Reilly's villification of his critics from his big bully-pulpit had a chilling effect on political discourse. O'Reilly claims to attack bad ideas, and eschews personal attacks at people who hold these bad ideas - but he will does a very bad job of living up to this goal. Terry Gross is now going to join Al Franken and others on O'Reilly's Enemies List because she asked this question. I wonder how O'Reilly will vent his bitter spleen at Terry Gross.

Comments

[Media Reform]

You wrote "It is ironic that what triggered O'Reilly's anger was a question of whether O'Reilly's villification of his critics from his big bully-pulpit had a chilling effect on political discourse. " But I think O'Reilly was already losing it before that. He was really put on the spot when Terry asked him about being a registered Republican in 1994. The background is O'reilly has been claiming for years that he is an Independent. then he was exposed as a liar when a reporter found out he had registered as a Republican. In the interview he was put on the spot and he is trying to have listeners believe that either "an oversight" or "a rush job." His explanation Does not really make sense, he check the box for Republican when he filled out his voter registration card. It is a very simple form. Al Franken printed a copy of it in his new book. Basically O'Reilly is an asshole who never admits he lied when he is caught. He keeps on Bullshitting.
I made this transcript of that part of the interview: (I found the intterview uncomfortable to watach since I know he is lying through his teeth and keeps on trying to make excuses.) Here is my website Representative Press and blog Media Reform! We Need a Representative Media

Terry Gross: Now you switched your political affiliation from Republican to Independent in 2000. You registered Republican in 94.

Bill O'Reilly: Yeah, I didn't - I mean - the true story about that was I didn't even know I was registered as a Republican, I mean I thought I was registered as an Independent and I was stunned when a New York Daily News reporter uh told me that and I changed it the next day. And I'll never forget that because the woman was in my office and she says, "Gee, you know, you're a registered Republican." I said ,"No I'm not." I said, "I'm an Independent, registered out there in Long Island." She says, "No, I just called down." I was stunned.
So it was either an oversight on my part um because I was never an ideologue, I never wanted to be in a party. I always wanted to make independent decisions.
And if you read "The no spin zone" my book prior to "Who's looking out for you" you see that the politician that I admired most and still do to this day in my life time was Robert Kennedy. So anyway, I was as surprised as anybody. It was my mistake, an oversight and I corrected it.

Terry Gross: How did you make the mistake do you think?

Bill O'Reilly: I don't know. I mean it might have been just a rush job, it might have been um a Mired of things. But em, if people want to think that I tried to deceive them then you go ahead and think that. But I just told you the truth.

Terry Gross: Right Al Franken reprints the -

Bill O'Reilly: Yeah Al Franken

Terry Gross: - the registration form where the Republican box is checked.

Bill O'Reilly: yeah and he also says that I had lavish trips to Florida with my family you might notice in that defamation tome. We went to Florida one time on the Greyhound bus. And I'm sorry I didn't notice it was lavish. You know, come on. If you don't know, Terry, what this guy did.
Alright and I didn't hear your interview with him but I hope you were just as tough with him as you are being with me. I hope you scrutinized him just as much as you are with me. I hope NPR is fair and balanced. Anyway If you don't know what he's doing or trying to do, then I can't help you. And if you are on board with that then I don't respect you.