Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)

File:Bill Oreilly.jpg

Bill O'Reilly

William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. (born September 10 1949) is an American commentator, editor, author, journalist, and syndicated columnist. While his work has appeared on television, radio, and in the print media, O'Reilly is best known as the anchor/host of a cable television news program called The O'Reilly Factor broadcast on the Fox News Channel. Between 2003 and 2005 it ranked among the most popular news programs, averaging between 2.5 and 3 million viewers. The O'Reilly Factor presents the national and international events through O'Reilly's confrontational, self-described "no-nonsense" commentary and interviews. O'Reilly describes the show as a non-partisan approach to politics. O'Reilly has received criticism for "flip-flopping" on issues Template:Ref harvard, for being too provocative or obstinate in his views, and for promoting a conservative agenda. Template:Ref harvard & Template:Ref harvard

O'Reilly hosts a radio program syndicated by Westwood One, called The Radio Factor. O'Reilly has five books (one of which is a novel). His non-fiction books, The O'Reilly Factor and The No Spin Zone both reached number one on the The New York Times bestseller list. O'Reilly writes a syndicated newspaper column.

Bill O'Reilly is the recipient of two Emmy's, one for investigative journalism. He also won an award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his reporting and analysis on and after September 11th, 2001.

Personal background

Private life

O'Reilly was born in New York, New York, to Irish Catholic parents William and Angela O'Reilly, from Brooklyn and Bergen County, New Jersey, respectively. His father was initially a bookkeeper, then later an accountant, and his mother was a homemaker. He and his family moved to Westbury, New York, when he was a toddler. O'Reilly credits his humble beginnings as playing an important role in the development of his views.

After graduating from Chaminade High School in 1967, O'Reilly attended Marist College, a small, co-educational institution in Poughkeepsie, New York. While at Marist, O'Reilly played punter Template:Ref harvard on the school's football team, and also was a columnist and features writer for the school's newspaper, The Circle. As an honors student majoring in history, he spent his junior year of college abroad, attending Queen Mary College at the University of London. Template:Ref harvard He played semi-professional baseball during this time as a pitcher for the Brooklyn Monarchs, leading him to try out to play for the American professional baseball team, the New York Mets. O'Reilly received his Bachelor of Arts in 1971.

O'Reilly married Maureen McPhilmy, a public relations executive, in 1995. They have one daughter, Madeline, born in 1998, and a son, Spencer, born in 2003. According to an October 2005 interview in Newsday, O'Reilly hired bodyguards and is very sensitive about the general public taking pictures of him, calling them "stealth paparazzi." Template:Ref harvard O'Reilly has requested that no photographs of his home or family be made public to protect his family's privacy and security.

Broadcasting career

After graduating from Marist, Bill O'Reilly moved to Miami, Florida, where he taught English and history at a high school for two years. After leaving Miami, O'Reilly returned to school, earning a Masters in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University in 1976. While attending Boston University, he was a reporter and columnist for various local newspapers and alternative news weeklies, including the Boston Phoenix. O'Reilly did his broadcast journalism internship in Miami during this time, and was also an entertainment writer and movie reviewer for the Miami Herald.

O'Reilly's early television news career included reporting and anchoring positions at WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he also reported the weather. At WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas, O'Reilly was awarded the Dallas Press Club Award for excellence in investigative reporting. Then it was off to KMGH-TV in Denver, Colorado where he won an Emmy for his coverage of a skyjacking. O'Reilly also worked in Portland, Oregon, Hartford, Connecticut, and Boston. Template:Ref harvard In 1980, he anchored his own program on WCBS-TV in New York where he won his second Emmy for an investigation of corrupt city marshals. He was promoted to the network as a CBS News correspondent and covered the wars in the Falkland Islands and El Salvador from his base in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1982). In 1986, O'Reilly joined ABC News as a correspondent on ABC World News Tonight. In three years, he appeared on the show over one hundred times, receiving two National Headliner Awards for excellence in reporting.

In 1989, O'Reilly joined the nationally syndicated Fox Network's Inside Edition, a current affairs television program. He started as senior correspondent and backup anchor for British journalist David Frost, but soon took over the anchor chair when the viewers found him more appealing. In addition to being one of the first broadcasters to cover the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, O'Reilly also obtained the first exclusive interview with murderer Joel Steinberg and was the first national anchor on the scene of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

In 1995, O'Reilly left Inside Edition to enroll at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he received a Master's Degree in Public Administration. Upon leaving Harvard, Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO of the then startup FOX News Channel, hired O'Reilly to anchor The O'Reilly Report, which aired weeknights. The nascent channel's most popular show was renamed to The O'Reilly Factor when it moved to a later time slot in 1998 since the host was the main "factor" of the show.

The O'Reilly Factor

Main article: The O'Reilly Factor

O'Reilly's television show, The O'Reilly Factor, is routinely one of the highest-rated shows of the three major American 24-hour news channels (CNN, FOX News, MSNBC). The show is taped late in the afternoon at a studio in New York City and airs daily on the FOX News Channel at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. The O'Reilly Factor is also available internationally from various local television providers, including Sky News in Europe. On occasion, the show is broadcasted live.

Political beliefs

O'Reilly disagrees with the common assertion that he is a conservative, preferring to call himself a traditionalist and a populist. In his book The O'Reilly Factor, he describes his political affiliation this way: "You might be wondering if whether I'm conservative, liberal, libertarian, or exactly what... See, I don't want to fit any of those labels, because I believe that the truth doesn't have labels. When I see corruption, I try to expose it. When I see exploitation, I try to fight it. That's my political position."

However, O'Reilly has acknowledged that from 1994 until December 2000, he was registered to vote as a Republican. He changed his voter registration from Republican to independent just as the Washington Post was preparing a story on his party affiliation. Now a registered Independent, he boasts no ties to any major political parties and engages in criticism of both from time to time. Some liberal critics insist that O'Reilly has close ties to the Republican Party and other conservative groups. O'Reilly's keynote speech at David Horowitz's conservative "Restoration Weekend" event, taking place at the Republican convention in Philadelphia, is occasionally brought up in support of this argument. Additionally, he has been involved with and promoted the Thomas More Law Center, an organization that litigates for a variety of conservative causes, such as banning gay marriage and adoption, as well as the teaching of intelligent design in public schools. However, O'Reilly has explained that some of these appearances were inadvertent on his part, such as when Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Shays asked him to speak at a charity benefit in Greenwich, Connecticut without telling him that it was for a Republican-backed cause.

Some of O'Reilly's more liberal viewpoints include his opposition to capital punishment, his support for gay civil unions if approved by voters, and criticism of some in the Religious Right. His conservative critics also note that he opposes corporal punishment for children, supports gay adoption, and opposes prostitution on grounds of "laziness" rather than any moral problem with it. Template:Ref harvard Liberal critics feel that he too frequently features conservative commentators such as Newt Gingrich, and spends most of his broadcast time criticizing Democratic politicians and left-leaning newspaper columnists. O'Reilly defends his primary focus on the "far-left" and progressives because he feels that the "progressives, not conservatives, want to curtail the free speech of those with whom they disagree." Template:Ref harvard On the Thursday, November 3rd, 2005, edition of the O'Reilly Factor Bill O'Reilly endorsed unsuccessful Republican candidate Doug Forrester for governor of New Jersey a week ahead of the 2005 New Jersey Gubernatorial Election, suggesting that Forrester had a policy of stricter penalties for sex offenders than his rival Jon Corzine.

Campaigns and recurring themes

Over the years, there have been some ongoing issues highlighted in O'Reilly's print and broadcast work.

• Condemning Gangsta Rap - Specifically targeting artists who use sexist, racist and violent lyrics such as Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Ludacris and 50 Cent, as well as major corporations that enlist them for endorsements.

• Liberal Bias in the Media - Accuses the New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, BBC, CBC and other major press outlets of leaning to the political far-left in their reporting. It is his view that these networks and publications undermine the Bush administration's war on terror. Template:Ref harvard Also very critical of what he describes as "far-left" columnists, which has resulted in frequent back-and-forth debates between his show and their columns. Template:Ref harvard

• Citizen boycott of French goods - In March 2003, called for a boycott of French products and services sold in the United States, due to President Jacques Chirac's stance on the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In April 2004, O’Reilly claimed “they’ve lost billions of dollars in France” as a direct result of his boycott, referring to “The Paris Business Review” as his source. However, no such publication exists. Template:Ref harvard On Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, October 18, 2005, O'Reilly confirmed that the boycott is still in place, referring to the French as "our enemies".

• Opposing the ACLU - O'Reilly has stated that the ACLU is 'the most dangerous organization in America', especially in their challenging of the Justice Department and the Department of Defense regarding the War on terror. He has also highlighted their pro-bono defense of NAMBLA, the National Man-Boy Love Association, which is currently being tried for responsibility in the rape/murder of a young boy.

• Jessica's Law - Another recurring theme in his work has been the implementation of harsher penalties on child sex offenders. O'Reilly has frequently pointed out poor judicial handling of some cases. Named in memory of Jessica Lunsford, who was abducted and sexually assaulted before being brutally murdered, "Jessica's Law" refers to the Jessica Lunsford Act passed in Florida that mandates a minimum sentence of 25 years and a maximum of life in prison for first-time child sex offenders. O'Reilly believes that this law will save lives and has called on constituents to write the governors of those states lacking these laws. Template:Ref harvard

• "Saving" Christmas - In December 2005, O'Reilly claimed the existence of a "War on Christmas" launched by secularists in America, who (he claims) are trying to strip the holiday of its religious meaning. He makes reference to lawsuits against public displays of traditional Christian symbols, such as nativity scenes, on public property. Template:Ref harvard Additionally, he was critical of the substitution of the greeting "Merry Christmas" with the more generic, "Happy Holidays". Template:Ref harvard Several critics have argued that O'Reilly was hypocritical, since his online store, which sold O'Reilly-branded merchandise, had been selling "Holiday" ornaments for "your Holiday tree". Template:Ref harvard The store has since relabeled the items "Christmas Ornaments."

Highly publicized disputes

Some conflicts have been particularly long-standing and/or widely publicized:

• Al Franken - The comedian and liberal political commentator wrote a book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look At the Right, which featured an unflattering photograph of O'Reilly on the cover and a chapter devoted to him inside. The two had a heated argument over some of Franken's accusations at a booksellers convention that aired live on C-Span. Template:Ref harvard Franken refers to O'Reilly as "Bill O'Lielly" and O'Reilly will only refer to Franken as Stuart Smalley, after a character the comedian once portrayed on Saturday Night Live. Franken's Air America radio program, launched in 2004, was initially titled 'The O'Franken Factor.'

• Ludacris - As part of his continuing criticism of gangsta rap music, O'Reilly accused Ludacris and Pepsi, who employed the rapper to advertise their cola, of targeting young people with inappropriate material. A successful boycott was launched against Pepsi, which dropped Ludacris from the their ad campaign (replacing him with Ozzy Osbourne.) Ludacris has expressed his feelings about O'Reilly on subsequent albums.

• Jeremy Glick - After Jeremy Glick's father was killed in the 9/11 attacks, he signed his name to an advertisement opposing military action against Afghanistan. He was then invited to appear on the O'Reilly Factor. On September 18, 2003's Factor, O'Reilly called Glick a "disgrace to [his] father," repeatedly told him to "shut up," and cut his microphone. Template:Ref harvard

• San Francisco - On November 8, 2005, the voters of San Francisco approved Proposition I, a ballot measure that declared the city's opposition to "the federal government's use of public schools to recruit students for service in the military." Template:Ref harvard In response, O'Reilly said on his radio show that federal anti-terror funds should be withheld from the city, and that the United States Government shouldn't respond to a terrorist attack if one were to occur there, to make the point the military needed to be supported by the entire country. He then indicated that the United States should invite Al Qaeda to attack San Francisco, saying, "You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead." Template:Ref harvard California leaders responded to the remarks, with San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly calling for O'Reilly's termination Template:Ref harvard O'Reilly refused to apologize, and claimed that his comments had been "obviously satirical." Template:Ref harvard

Public controversies

Sexual harassment lawsuit

On October 13, 2004, O'Reilly sued former O'Reilly Factor producer Andrea Mackris for what he claimed was a politically motivated extortion attempt against him. He also sued her lawyer, Benedict P. Morelli, and Morelli's law firm for the same reason. O'Reilly's lawsuit contended that Mackris had privately demanded more than $60 million (USD) to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit she was planning on filing against O'Reilly, Fox News, and Westwood One in court. A few hours after O'Reilly's lawsuit was filed, Mackris filed her own against O'Reilly for allegedly making sexually inappropriate comments to her and attempting to engage in phone sex. Template:Ref harvard Template:Ref harvard

On October 19, Mackris filed an amended complaint, providing further details of O'Reilly's alleged sexual harassment and asking for additional damages. In addition the amendment noted that O'Reilly had issued no formal denials, and described actions allegedly taken as retaliation against her by Fox and O'Reilly for filing her original complaint. Fox News contended that Mackris, still on payroll at the time her lawsuit was amended had failed to appear at work for over two weeks, and moved to obtain the court's permission to fire Mackris without it appearing that they were retaliating, which would be illegal according to sexual harassment statutes.

On October 28, Mackris' case was settled out of court when O'Reilly agreed to pay her an undisclosed sum Template:Ref harvard; both parties withdrew their claims of wrongdoing, and agreed to keep the terms of settlement confidential. Template:Ref harvard One consequence of the settlement is that O'Reilly must have a "minder", or third party, in person when he is being interviewed in person or on the telephone. Template:Ref harvard

Apology to the Nation

On ABC's Good Morning America on 18 March, 2003, O'Reilly said "If the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again."

During a Good Morning America broadcast on February 10, 2004, O'Reilly said, "My analysis was wrong and I'm sorry. I was wrong. I'm not pleased about it at all... I am much more skeptical of the Bush administration now than I was at that time." Template:Ref harvard He continues to support the U.S. presence in Iraq. However, he remains critical of how the Bush administration is handling some aspects of policy. He believes the U.S. is not relying enough on Iraqi military support and is critical of the administration's failure to secure Iraqi borders. He has also criticised the time it has taken to train the Iraqi security forces, when compared to U.S recruit training.

References

^AP2004 AP (December 26). "Bill O'Reilly, plaintiff settle harassment suit". USAToday.com (October 29). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{BookTV.org 2003} BookTV.org (December 27). "Al Franken, Molly Ivins, & Bill O'Reilly Panel Discussion & Call-Ins". National Cable Satellite Corporation (C-Span, June 8). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Brown 2005} Brown, Joseph (December 27). "O'Reilly offered to spotlight "any far-right people who have shouted down" or called for a "boycott [of] somebody to shut them up"". Washington, D.C.: Media Matters for America (December 7). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^CBS(2004) CBS News (December 27). "Bill O'Reilly: 'No Spin'". CBSNews.com (portions of interview with Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes, broadcast on September 26). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Duffy 1970} Duffy, Don (December 26). ""Campus Stuff" (The Circle)" (PDF). Poughkeepsie, NY: Marist College (Originally published in The Circle on November 19, 1970). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Gay, Oct. 18, 2005} Gay, Verne (2005). "What's hate got to do with it?". Newsday (Oct. 18).

^{Garofoli 2005a} Garofoli, Joe (December 27). "Talk host's towering rant: S.F. not worth saving". San Francisco Chronicle (November 11). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Garofoli 2005b} Garofoli, Joe (December 27). "Local leaders unleash vitriol at O'Reilly TV host should be fired for comments about city, Daly says". San Francisco Chronicle (November 12). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Gill 2005} Gill, Sam (December 27). "Fox betrays Christmas crusade, sells "Holiday" ornaments for your "Holiday tree"". Washington, D.C.: Media Matters for America (November 30). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Gorman 2003} Gorman, Tom (December 26). "Bill O'Reilly's Fascism, Part 2: Goebbels Would Have Been Proud". Petrolia, CA: CounterPunch (on counterpunch.org, February 12, transcript of the February 4 edition of The O'Reilly Factor). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Kincaid 2002} Kincaid, Cliff (December 26). "Shame on Fox News". Washington, D.C.: Accuracy In Media (December 19). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Kurtz 2004} Kurtz, H. (December 26). "Bill O'Reilly, Producer Settle Harassment Suit". The Washington Post Co. (washingtonpost.com on October 29). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Malinowski, November 8, 2004} Malinowski, Scoop (September 9). "Get 2 Know Bill O'Reilly!". TheBioFILE.com. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Marist 2001} Marist (December 26). "2001 Commencement Program". Poughkeepsie, NY: Marist College, Office of Alumni Relations (Originally published in the May 19, 2001 Commencment Program). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{O'Reilly 2005a} O'Reilly, Bill (December 27). "Undermining the War on Terror, Part 97..." FOX News Network, LLC (foxnews.com, "Talking Points," March 15). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{O'Reilly 2005b} O'Reilly, Bill (December 27). "The Houston Chronicle Strikes Back". FOX News Network, LLC (foxnews.com, "Talking Points," May 13). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{O'Reilly 2005c} O'Reilly, Bill (December 27). "Protecting America's Children: Jessica's Law Report Card". New York: Bill Me, Inc. (d/b/a billoreilly.com, c/o Bell and Co, P.C., 535 5th Avenue, 21st Floor). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{O'Reilly 2005d} O'Reilly, Bill (December 27). "The Yuletide Has Turned..." FOX News Network, LLC (foxnews.com, "Talking Points," December 5). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{O'Reilly 2005e} O'Reilly, Bill (December 27). "Merry Christmas, Maybe..." FOX News Network, LLC (foxnews.com, "Talking Points," November 29). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{O'Reilly 2005f} O'Reilly, Bill (December 27). "San Francisco... Part III". FOX News Network, LLC (foxnews.com, "Talking Points," November 18). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Reuters 2004} Reuters (December 27). "Conservative U.S. anchor now skeptical about Bush". Reuters (as published in The San Diego Union-Tribune, February 10). {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{San Francisco Department of Elections 2005} San Francisco Department of Elections (December 27). "No Military Recruiters in Public Schools, Scholarships for Education and Job Training". San Francisco Department of Elections. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Schweber-Koren (2005a)} Schweber-Koren, Raphael (December 27). "Self-described death penalty foe O'Reilly attacked Atlanta prosecutor for not yet seeking death penalty in Nichols case". Washington, D.C.: Media Matters for America (March 16). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{Schweber-Koren 2005b} Schweber-Koren, Raphael (December 27). "O'Reilly again trumpeted "annoying" French boycott". Wahington, D.C.: Media Matters for America (October 27). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{HPR 2002} Slater, Derek (December 27). "The O'Reilly Factor: Fox News' controversial host defends his political views and spin-free style". Harvard Political Review (HPRonline, May 14). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{TSG 2004a} TheSmokingGun.com (July 11). "O'Reilly: Female Aide in $60M Extort Bid". Courtroom Television Network LLC (appeared October 13). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

^{TSG 2004b} TheSmokingGun.com (July 11). "O'Reilly Hit With Sex Harass Suit". Courtroom Television Network LLC (appeared October 13). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |publishyear= ignored (help)

External links

Official Bill O'Reilly Links

• Bill O'Reilly's personal website
• The O'Reilly Factor website
• O'Reilly's syndicated newspaper column

Bill O'Reilly Links

• O'Reilly sues over attempted extortion
• O'Reilly sued for harassment
• O'Reilly debates Paul Krugman - QuickTime clip (56k, *200k)
• O'Reilly on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart October 2005 - Windows Media Player
• Mad Dog - Rolling Stone article