Talk:Glenn Beck

Hello fellow Wikis, does anyone know if this is where I can discuss my disagreement with user Addshore aout making an addition to this article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.63.194.87 (talk) 06:05, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

This article is a mess.

Is it just me, or is this article a complete mess? It doesn't flow, isn't in the proper format, and doesn't even have a picture of Glenn at the title. The criticism section, which is longer than all the other sections combined, is copied word for word from liberal attack blogs. There is very little biographical information, and the information that is there seems to be rather biased against him. Sections seem to be pasted in at random, such as RamaHanuKwanzMas. In my opinion this article needs cleanup. It is clearly not following wikipedia's NPOV policy. But, what do I expect, this is wikipedia, and it is well known which way the editors are biased. Fsjonsey 22:21, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

• Speaking of messes and Wikipedia policies, please note the follow is right at the top of this page:

Please sign and date your posts by typing four tildes (~~~~).

Put new text under old text.

Since you might be new to Wikipedia, perhaps you did not know this. Please put future comments at the bottom of this page, not the top, and sign them.

If you have more biographical information, please put it in. For me to add it, that would require Beck to give more details and a valid source to publish it.

Attempts to clean up this article are often met with complaints about POV and therefore, many editors have given up on this.

As for a photo, if you have one that matches the legal requirements of Wikipedia, we would be very happy to put it in the article, however, I have neither a camera, nor access to Beck, so I can't take one and put it here.

Rather than complain that it is "well known which way the editors are biased", which by the way is not well known to me, since I've seen bias in all directions here, perhaps you can help us by posting some non biased information here.

Welcome to Wikipedia and I hope to see you around here often. Thank you. Fanra 21:23, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

I apologize for forgetting how to sign my posts. Its been a year since I've really done anything here, and am a little rusty. I'm not real familiar with wikipedia's copyrighted photo policy, but i thought that low resolution publicity photos could be used here. Fsjonsey 22:26, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

Also, its really great being met with hostility when i bring some concerns to the talk page of an article on a controversial figure. It seems that you are the sole person doing most of the edits here and controlling the tone of the article, deleting and, or changing the edits made by other users. It can be gathered that you are not a fan of Beck, and are using wikipedia's guidelines to cover your biased edits. Fsjonsey 22:34, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

• Hostility? I just reread what I posted and I fail to see any hostility. I requested that you follow Wikipedia policies and specially put in that you might be new here so I explained them rather than just lash out at you for not following them. I used please and thank you and said "I hope to see you around here often". I'm sorry but that is the exact opposite of hostility.

Wikipedia's copyright policy is that any photos of living persons (where you can still go get a photo of them, rather than dead people, who you can't) is that we want non copyrighted photos. See: Wikipedia:Image use policy. Note that while images can be used under "fair use", that is highly discouraged here.

I am not the sole person doing edits here, in fact, I have not done edits much here at all since I was accused of POV and I decided it wasn't worth it. I am not a fan of Beck's but I decided that I'm not going to get people to realize what an idiot he is by changing his Wikipedia article. I.E., "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him think". As a result, I restrict myself to just trying to keep this article to the facts and I don't bother to remove information that really doesn't belong here because I just get accused of removing pro-Beck stuff.

Feel free to put in how great he is here. I really don't care. People see what they want to see. I mean there is a fight over at the Joseph Stalin page where people are trying to defend a man who is the greatest mass murderer in history. Compared to that, I really don't expect to change anyone's mind about Beck. Again, feel free to make him out to be the second coming of Jesus, just be sure to follow Wikipedia's rules and that is fine. Fanra 23:21, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

• Oh, and if you really want his photo here, the best way to do so is to write him an email requesting that he license one under a license we can use. Go here: Wikipedia:Requesting copyright permission. People in his profession want their name and image to be spread about so he is pretty likely to be very happy to send you a photo with the proper permission. Fanra 23:38, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

Fanra, you basically just admitted that you are very biased against Beck, and that you did attempt to edit this article to make him out to be an "Idiot." I think the statement "I'm not going to get people to realize what an idiot he is by changing his Wikipedia article" sums it up your feelings toward him pretty well. I agree that this should not become the Glenn Beck fanpage, however, it should be held to the quality standards as articles on other Radio Personalities. This is supposedly an encyclopedia, and should not be used to try to influence the reader's opinion one way or another. Fsjonsey 00:53, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

• I admit that I dislike the positions he takes on issues. I did not say that I attempted to edit this article to make him out to be an idiot, please read more carefully, what I said was that I know that if I did so that it would make no difference to his supporters' views that he is God.

I agree that this is an encyclopedia and should not be used to try to influence people, other than hopefully by presenting facts in a neutral way that people can learn something. It is the purpose of Wikipedia to do this, i.e., "Know ye the truth, and the truth shall set you free", is pretty much Wikipedia's goal. No one in the entire world is unbiased and everyone has a point of view, so the idea that someone who admits that they have one is unfit to edit Wikipedia would just mean that would only allow liars (maybe just to themselves, but nonetheless) to edit here. Everyone is encouraged to help work on Wikipedia regardless of their personal viewpoints, they just have to make sure that their edits observe NPOV. Fanra 21:27, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

Organizations like Media Matters and Media Research Center should not be used as sources, especially for quotes. These organizations only cite other sources, often times picking and choicing the context and offering up a partisan political viewpoints. Quoting these organizations is nothing more than 3rd party hearsay. I believe only original published sources should be referenced, and all Media Matters citations should be removed. If the content is valid then the person placing it should do more research and cite the original source and not 3rd party political axe grinders. Wodat 03:05, 18 October 2007 (UTC)wodat

I fully agree with Fanra. The author of the article is not required to like the person he is writing about. If that were to be, it would have been quite difficult to find an author for the entry on Hitler - if you let aside an outright neo-Nazi for the job. (Schusterjunge (talk) 00:46, 6 September 2008 (UTC))

Updated Bio

I updated and corrected some information in his bio. It was his brother-in-law that committed suicide not brother as Glenn has no brothers, he has two sisters. Also I added that another brother-in-law had a fatal heart attack about the same time. Place of birth, Mt Vernon Washington, was also added. All of this info can be found at Glennpedia and he has stated it on his radio and tv show. -- 03/07/07 jsager75

I have an old VHS archive and I found an old commercial for an old radio station called B104 in Baltimore, Maryland. I posted it to YouTube. One of the viewers of my video pointed out that the Glenn Beck in the "Glenn Beck and the Morning Guys" was the one and only modern talk show host Glenn Beck. The URL for the commercial video is http://youtube.com/watch?v=YrhwljCD8Fk . I see no mentions of this on his Wikipedia page. Can someone further research this and add this information into the Wiki? Thanks. -- 09/29/07 sconcequence —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.250.158.97 (talk) 20:07, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

I deleted "Beck played the cornerback position at Northwestern University." since he never attended much less played. Mchalland 02:14, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

Tired Of Free Speech?

glenn beck said on headline news that hes "sick of all this free speech bull crap" what a stupid m.

This is not the place to make ad hominem attacks on the subject of the article. Please leave speech like this to forums of political discussion. -- 6/27/07 Fsjonsey

Seriously, this isn't the place. Matthew 14:28, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Beck never said he was tired of "free speech". In an interview with Penn Jillette on November 2, 2007 who asserted that he was "extraordinarily frank", he replied:

"Aren`t you sick of all the politically correct bull crap?"[1]

Freedom Fan (talk) 16:34, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

I'm not a stupid MF, and I'm tired of all this free speech crap, and all the politically correct bull crap. No, really, surely you can't be confusing most of America's frustration with the bastardization of the ideals of free speech with censorship and nazism. I mean, today's "free speech movement" is just a partisan lobbyist's quest paid for by the newsmedia, pornographers, and spammers--especially so if he really said "politically correct"--which adds another element of those overtly trying to change the definitions of common words. So Beck's comment is a non-issue. --Mrcolj (talk) 20:10, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

External Links

I added my popular blog to the list of sites opposed to Beck. Please do not remove it, it has been linked many time on large blogs. Achorn 20:29, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

I removed a broken link to an Atlanta Journal Constitution page describing his TV deal with CNN.

Criticism and NPOV

A criticism section does not violate NPOV and should be included in this article. The Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons#Negative content section states Views that are relevant to the subject's notability, are based on reliable sources, and are not given undue weight are usually appropriate content. If a view represents that of a tiny uninfluential minority, it has no place in the article.

Other examples of Biographies of living persons with appropriate criticism sections are:

• Tony Blair#Criticism and Criticism of Tony Blair — Wikipedia Featured Article
• George W. Bush#Criticism and public perception
• Rush Limbaugh#Subject of criticism
• Pope Benedict XVI — An excerpt from this article is "This has drawn sharp criticism from Catholic gay rights advocates like journalist Andrew Sullivan, who claim that Benedict is espousing a form of fundamentalist edict, and is opposed to external questioning of his doctrines"

Glenn has many critics. It is part of his notability. To remove or hide what Glenn's influential opposition says about him would make this article biased. I argue that in order for this article to be NPOV it needs the criticism section. Please refer to my comments on the subject in the previous section. Sweeping changes to an article should be discussed here before they are made. And please use your wikipedia account before making sweeping changes to an article. --Jared W 17:45, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Is there a problem with explaining that his criticism has thus far been primarily "liberal" groups? The article states that Beck's a conservative; the organizations that have criticized him are "progressive" or liberal. It's extremely relevant to indicate what kinds of organizations are criticizing him. I don't want to enter a revert war, so I'm posting here. Zz414 19:57, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

It is probably appropriate to describe the standpoint of his critics when discussing them. However, in the case of FAIR, the more accurate term would be "left-leaning" instead of "liberal." Twalls 20:26, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Per the discussion here, FAIR has been called "left-leaning." The Wiki page for FAIR notes that it identifies itself as a "progressive" group and that it has been described as "liberal" by the Columbia Journalism Review and Media Matters. "Left-leaning" is the agreed-upon resolution here. Please stop making anonymous changes when a resolution has been reached here. --Zz414 14:46, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

Organizations like Media Matters and Media Research Center should not be used as sources for quotes. These organizations only quote other sources, often times picking and choicing the context and offering up a partisan political viewpoint. Quoting these organizations is nothing more than 3rd party hearsay. I believe only original published sources should be referenced. Wodat —Preceding comment was added at 03:08, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

The problem with the criticism section is it doesn't include any criticism. It just says "X said that Beck said [insert direct quote.]" Therefore no "criticism" as such, just a watchdog-sounding name before a quote, and most of the quotes aren't to me shocking or extreme, since they're obviously all extremely hyperbolic and sarcastic, delivered for a specific purpose. Even calling it "criticism and controversy" doesn't solve it, because there's no mention of controversy. I just feel it's a little like the stretchy arguments for why a particular line from Obama or Clinton or even McCain are "offensive," when no one can actually find anyone who's offended by said line, especially no one who's seen the quote in context. --Mrcolj (talk) 13:00, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

Highly Biased

This article is highly biased with most criticisms of Glenn Beck being deleted. My links to the audio of Glen Beck threatening Michael Moore keeps disappearing. He mentions how he would look him in the eye and choke him.

(sigh) The article is not "highly biased". It is in accordance with Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons. Please read and understand wikipedia guidelines. --Jared W 06:53, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

Agreed. This article is about Beck, not about everything he's criticized about. There are a few of the more prominent criticisms, but to avoid things like undue weight, the amount of criticism is proportional to the length of the article. Zz414 20:06, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

To speak more directly to your point, I think that the statement in the Criticism section makes it very clear that he has spoken unprofessionally about a number of people, and readers can see the details in the reference links if they are interested. -- KellyLogan 19:27, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

This article does NOT need more information on "Criticism". This is an article about Glenn Beck. Why do we need to hear everybody's opinions of him? That is no better than an article praising his stance on things. It should be neutral all the way around. State his beliefs and views on the issues and let people judge for themselves. We don't need Critics to sway our judgement,... do we??? Personally, I can make my own mind up whether I agree or disagree with someone on any particular issue without any particular groups consensus or criticisms. 5by5 22:26, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

IS it just me, or is that section shrinking. I think it has to be there but not as crticisms but as controversies. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.6.37.146 (talk) 23:47, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

The following is copied from Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons:

[edit] Criticism

The views of critics should be represented if they are relevant to the subject's notability and can be sourced to reliable secondary sources, and so long as the material is written in a manner that does not overwhelm the article or appear to side with the critics; rather, it needs to be presented responsibly, conservatively, and in a neutral, encyclopedic tone. Be careful not to give a disproportionate amount of space to critics, to avoid the effect of representing a minority view as if it were the majority one. If the criticism represents the views of a tiny minority, it has no place in the article. Care must be taken with article structure to ensure the overall presentation is broadly neutral, in particular, header structure for regions or subsections should reflect important areas to the subject's notability.

Content should be sourced to reliable sources and should be about the subject of the article specifically. Beware of claims that rely on guilt by association. Editors should also be on the lookout for biased or malicious content about living persons. If someone appears to be pushing an agenda or a biased point of view, insist on reliable third-party published sources and a clear demonstration of relevance to the person's notability.

Asher196 (talk) 00:41, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

The term "criticism" better applies to scientific discussions about theses and ideologies I find. Maybe "controversy" would be a better headline for that passage. And Mr. Beck is incredibly controversial. In his CNN-show on September 5, 2008 he talks himself into a trance-like rage, so totally is he inebriated by his ego. He winds up comparing Barack Obama to Benito Mussolini! His three conservative guests are totally bewildered. I suppose you guys are mostly US-Americans, right? I am an European, a German to be specific and I gotta say, Becks behavior especially him getting away with it shows how wide the cultural divide between the US and Europe has become. What Beck does in that case is not mere political incorrectness (which would be excusable if it serves a higher cause like in political satire), it's demagoguery. In Germany this would cause a public outcry and Beck would consequently loose his job. We do sincerely value the freedom of speech. But also do we believe that a talkshow host, even more a host on nationwide TV, has to live up to the responsibility he bears. (Schusterjunge (talk) 01:25, 6 September 2008 (UTC))

Indeed. Perhaps we should send him to a concentration camp. Asher196 (talk) 02:28, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

Wow. E2a2j (talk) 12:38, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

Suggestions

Glenn Beck earned his way to national fame in July 2003 at his Tampa, FL. radio station, he recieved a "local" news story on a comatose woman awaken after years of being in a coma by the name of Terry Schiavo was going to lose life support. The article may add the fact that Beck is the first major radio host to bring forth the Terry Schiavo life-support controversy to national consciousness and the politically heated event would be lost if it wasn't for Glenn Beck got the story around the world.

Another thing to add is on the January 18, 2007 segment of the Glenn Beck (radio) program (09:15AM EST)- courtesy of his official web site, when he's the subject of verbal attacks by congressman Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that Beck is a "right-wing fascist". Keep the article updated on whether Glenn Beck may sue Rep. Kennedy Jr. for libel or slander, or he brushes off those comments that are unfounded, since Beck has no formal ties with neo-fascist parties or organizations to begin with. Mike D 26 05:29, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

It should be mentioned that he actually covered the Schiavo story almost a year before it made national headlines, and stood on the opposite side, for almost 10 months, before researching it, talking to her family etc..

Also, In his BIO, it says that in 2006 he was on 164 stations, and had almost 3000 listeners. That number is off by three decimal places, he had nearly 3 million listeners at that time.

Chuck —Preceding unsigned comment added by 147.222.48.206 (talk) 15:02, 4 November 2007 (UTC)

George W. Bush

Hello!!!!!! I am new to this article, and actually just started to read it for the first time today! Any way under the George W. Bush section it says the following

"Beck sometimes questions the Bush administration, however, on issues including border security, government spending, some aspects of the Iraq War, and the nomination of Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court."

This is an incomplete thought.... whoever has knowledge on this part should correct it. Thank you for looking out! OfForByThePeople 05:08, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

This looks like a complete sentence (and thought) to me. Though, I would have put the "however" at the beginning of the sentence, however, so that the sentence would be easier to read.  ;-) Just drop the "however" (and the commas before and after) and read it again. It makes more sense that way. I've reworded the article to do this. If it still doesn't make sense, bring it up on this page; I may be wrong. Val42 06:13, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

The guy's racist

Whoever wrote "The guy's racist" in this discussion page is apparently not familiar with Wikipedia guidelines and practices. POV has no place in the article. Glen Beck has always stated his views about particular groups openly and as far as I have seen, heard, and read he doesn't catorgorize any whole group as good or bad, but just the opposite... that every group, or race if you prefer, has good and bad qualities. He does however frequently state his negative opinion on "Extremists" which raises quite a bit of controversy since certain members of the Muslim Religion find his point of views offensive. 5by5 22:31, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Remove Dansig(sp) section

Can we find better sources than attack blogs? Thanks --Tom 14:07, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Blogs are not reliable sources here. There are tons of other forums out there for this kind of stuff. Please stick to reliable sources. I am no fan of this guy, but this article needs to maintain a certain level of review. You don't like this guy which is fine, just keeps the blogs out otherwise this article won't be worth much. Cheers! --Tom 18:57, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

I agree 100%. Blogs are not factual, but just POV. It seems that there are many people who just want to throw in their criticisms on this article instead of the Facts. 5by5 22:34, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Blogs and attack sites

Please stop adding blogs or hate sites. If this guy is a baby killer, great, get a reliable source and add that material. If he wanted nude pictures of some broad, even better! Get some RELIABLE sources that cover it and include it. If in ANY doubt, do NOT include it. I am an equal opportunity remover of unsourced/questionable material for EITHER side. There is a new sherrif in town :) just kidding. Seriously, I know this guy is a lighning rod to folks but lets rise above this. Any other thoughts? Thanks!--Tom 19:12, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Ok, i see how it is. My site has been linked on countless sites, I've been on air america radio, and i have a large following and am a respected member of the blog community, but my blog isnt good enough for wikipedia? What do you consider "reliable"??? mediamatters? thinkprogress? crooksandliars? cause i can post them all here if thats what you want. Achorn 19:16, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Achorn, congratulations on your success, but I would refer you to WP:RS. Sorry for being a stick in the mud but i am just one tiny editor trying to keep Wikipedia up to encyclopediatic levels. --Tom 19:21, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Blogs are at the cutting edge of political discourse. Blogs are the next evolution of the internet. I'm sorry that wikipedia apparently only allows sources that are in magazines or newspapers, or the "big media" companies, but I guess wikipedia wants to be behind the times. Achorn 19:24, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Now you are getting it. --Tom 19:51, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

So lemme get this straight Tom, you have deleted all sites opposed to Beck. So now people coming to wikipedia will think no one opposes him. Great message to send. I guess we know where you stand now. Achorn 19:27, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Many articles have critizism(sp) sections or the like. This article has one, doesn't it? This article and most articles would be crap if the external links section was open ended. Please see WP:EL. Also, find some pro Beck stuff that isn't sourced and I'll remove it and then his fans can scream at me. I really don't care about guy as much as you do, thats pretty clear. Anyways,--Tom 19:46, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

The issue is over. But I am editing Beck's site now to remove unneccessary and redundant information. Achorn 19:50, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

Sounds good. Especially, unsourced, questionable material should be removed. Also, WP:OR is a huge problem in these parts. People/editors love to use reliable sources and then form their own analysis to add material. Another big no-no. As you have seen, I am a huge believe in less is better than more. Anyways--Tom 19:53, 6 March 2007 (UTC)

There are too many links to Media Matters in the criticism section. Media matters takes all of Beck's statements out of context. Can you say 'Harry Reid'? Please at least reference source material instead of reading hate blogs. Danielwe77 23 October 2007

I agree, much of the "source material" comes from places like media matters, and "FAIR" let's at least be honest and call a dog a dog. these two groups are prominent amongst the 501c3 groups that have extreme bias, and should not be used at all as "Source" or very limited at best. Chuck —Preceding unsigned comment added by 147.222.48.206 (talk) 15:06, 4 November 2007 (UTC)

March 20, 2007 factual errors introduced by anonymous IP edits

The first error that caught my attention is the change of the radio station WFLA-AM in Tampa, Florida to Washington. The second glaring error is his religion. According to his bio at Glenn Beck, he was "he was baptized Mormon" at the age of 30. Looking at all six edits, this anon IP stumbled around making spelling mistakes until it finally settled on its final version.

Based upon these errors, I will revert to the last correct version before these edits. Ronbo76 23:38, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

Dina Sansing interview

It was a joke gone bad. Why would he mean anything else? He's on tv. -Yancyfry

Have you actually read the transcript of the entire interview? The “proposition” at the end was nothing of the sort; it was an attempt to point out the hypocrisy of Sansing’s position. In the interview, she repeatedly suggests that having revealing photos taken isn’t something that would ruin someone’s career. To point out what a ludicrous suggestion that is, Beck jokingly suggests taking pictures of her. Since she does not quickly accept his suggestion, it demonstrates that she might have some doubts about the fallout from such an invitation. Perhaps the point was lost on most people, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was a joking point, not an actual proposition. 75.30.231.157 08:11, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

I believe that this section is completely biased and lacks understanding the true context of the conversation between the two. It was in joking fashion and both Glenn and Dina took it in joking fashion. Certain members of the media do not like Glenn because of his conservative position. This ought to be taken into consideration when adding a section about Glenn.

That may be true I dont know him personally. I also dont believe that people should make judgement on a person's character based upon political views. It is unfortunate that people think someone is a jerk just because they are liberal or conservative. He may very well be a jerk but that doesnt mean he actually sexually harrassed anyone. Context, context, context. We must place the whole conversation context not just a portion of the conversation. That my friend is biased.

Archived Stuff

I created two archive pages, one all subjects talked about prior to 2006 and one with 2006 subjects. This will make it easier to read and use this discussion page. If you have a subject that you feel needs to be here with current discussion, just start a new subject here with what you want to say. Thank you. Fanra 22:19, 3 May 2007 (UTC)

RamaHanuKwanzMas

Can anyone verify that Glenn actually coined this term? It would help if we had a source describing where and when. I can recall about a decade ago when I first started hearing this term on the radio, but not from GB. On an unrelated note, RamaHanuKwanzMas should have its own page. 134.84.100.80 02:54, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

There used to be a page by that name, but it was deleted because it wasn't "notable". It would need proper citations if it were to survive for long. Val42 02:39, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

I dont know whether he coined the term but did sell t-shirts that had RamaHanuKwanzMas on his website.

Al Sharpton

Someone put in "Beck began his broadcast with the following:" and then puts in a quote that is cobbled together from some remarks he made DURING the broadcast. He didn't begin the broadcast with them, as can be seen here: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0705/10/gb.01.html So I'm removing it. Fanra 11:08, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Al Sharpton interview

I spent a lot of time fixing up this section to make it clear and factual. But after reading it, I wonder why it is in the Criticism section. Has anyone criticized this interview? This is a very interesting interview and I liked reading about it but if it belongs here at all, I don't think it belongs under Criticism. Fanra 12:48, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

You're right. I moved it up as a sub-header to the show. -- MisterHand 15:34, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Lawfamily

Lawfamily recently reverted a bunch of things I added to the article. He claimed in his edit summary that I was violating NPOV. Some of what I posted might be considered POV information, at least I could see that it was open to discussion. However, he reverted everything I added, some of it was absolutely neutral no matter what your viewpoint. He didn't post here that he had a problem with anything I posted, he just reverted. I'm not posting this to complain about him. I'm posting this to explain why I'm going to restore most of what I posted and I wish to avoid an edit war. I've left a message for him on his talk page. Fanra 20:37, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Exposed: The Climate of Fear

I have added a main tag to link to the main article: Exposed: The Climate of Fear which needs to be improved.--Zeeboid 19:19, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Exposed location

I can't help but think that the section on Exposed: the Climate of Fear should be under the T.V. show, not the beliefs. 207.233.124.3 03:15, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

• It's a mess. But I'm not going to fix it because I've been accused of bias and my edits will just be reverted by the accuser and I don't think edit wars are worth my time. Fanra 10:43, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

The more I think about it, the more I get to thinking about how this should look. I looks like he'll be doing a series of Exposed specials like this one and The Extreamist Agenda. Why not give them all a section under the T.V. show? A subsection under the T.V. show, and a sub-subsection for each Exposed special; I think each special can probably be summed up in two or three lines, but what do I know; I'm a bloody IP address! For now, I can move the section on The Climate of Fear into the T.V. section and start an Exposed section. Mr. Fanra, you can tag it for cleanup when I'm done, since I don't know how. Others can add to or (preferably) subtract from the work at will, since I suck at layout. If someone with an account doesn't like it, please let me know why not; I seek to better myself. 71.136.224.242 07:14, 31 May 2007 (UTC) All done. A few notes: That first paragraph under Exposed: The Climate of Fear is probably enough information. I'd delete the second paragraph, but deleting information is a bit more cowboy than this IP address is comfortable with. Also, it needs some information on Exposed: The Extreamist Agenda. Again, not in-depth; just so the reader can get an idea of what the special was about. If this stays, thanks for the confidence boost. 71.136.224.242 07:32, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Montreal Protocol

Well, my carefully researched statement, which took information right from Beck's own website and the link he himself put on his website to "prove" he was right, was totally gutted. I've put a POV and Fact dispute tag on that section. I hope someone can mediate this to avoid an edit war. Fanra 12:30, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

• It has been a while and no one has responded to my statement. Therefore, I assume no one will have a problem if I remove any opinion on the issue other than his and put a See Also in the section. That way we remain neutral here (I'm not putting back my original text because I don't want anyone claiming I'm putting in a POV) and anyone who cares whether or not Beck is right or wrong about the treaty can go look at it themselves. Fanra 19:04, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

"tough interrogation methods"

Ok, someone put in, "He does not approve of torture, but does approve of tough interrogation methods as a means of exploiting terrorist information in certain circumstances.". Exactly what is "tough interrogation methods" and how are they different than torture?

Also I've found a transcript of his opinion on torture. However, if I put in in this article, I'm sure to get some response from people here. So, I'm going to put it here first and see what people say.

On Beck's October 6, 2005 radio show, he interviewed a caller who claimed to have been an American intelligence officer. After the man described the methods used to extract information, Beck said the following, "Mitch, I've got to tell you I appreciate your service. I don't know your circumstances at all. I, you know, I have to assume that, because we wear the white hats that we're not doing this at the drop of a hat." and "If you're comfortable telling this kind of -- it's not something that when you first meet -- say, "Hey, by the way, for 30 years I tortured people." I mean, it's kind of an awkward, weird, kind of thing. But I have to tell you, when all is said and done, I'm glad people like you are on our side."

http://mediamatters.org/items/200510070011

Before we all start jumping all over this, I really ask, a.) Did Beck really say this? It appears he did. b.) Does this represent his opinion on the issue? It appears it does. c.)Is putting this in the article biased? Well, it is what he really said. If someone feels that he does not feel this way could they please find a quote of Beck saying differently? And if he does say that he feels differently then should we put both quotes in and leave it to the reader to decide which one is his true opinion? Fanra 03:41, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

See Also

The See Also section needs to be changed completely. It looks like someone has vandalized it and replaced whatever was there with fictitious holidays instead of valid links. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.168.242.17 (talk) 06:08, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

Glenn Beck uses Ramahanuquanzmas. He may use the others too, but I haven't heard them on his program. — Val42 14:47, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

High School

How is it that Glenn Beck graduated high school at the age of eight? The article states he was born in 1964, yet graduated high school in 1972. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.202.119.246 (talk) 17:40, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

Woah...that's creepy...i'll try to find out if that's accurate (O_o) or vandalism. Matthew 14:30, 19 February 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 10minnickm (talk • contribs)

Not Encyclopedic

It is not encyclopedic to mention that he ignores the topic of former U.S. Laws - sounds like agenda driven writing:

" while omitting subjects such as the Alien Registration act, or Smith Act of 1940 which made it a criminal offense for anyone to "knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise or teach the desirability or propriety of overthrowing the Government of the United States, or for anyone to organize any association which teaches, advises or encourages such viewpoints, or for anyone to become a member of or to affiliate with any such association". Hundreds of "Communists" were prosecuted under this law between 1941 and 1957 under the repression of Mccarthyism. " —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jdhunt (talk • contribs) 02:41, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

Small Changes?

In the criticism section the following sentence appears: "Glenn Beck has twice suggested that all American Muslims must prove they are not enemies of America: once to Rep. Keith Ellison and once to activist Sharida McKenzie." I would like to change it to "Glenn Beck has been accused of suggesting that all American Muslims must prove they are not enemies of America on two seperate occasions: once to Rep. Keith Ellison and once to activist Sharida McKenzie." Any objections?Mystico16 (talk) 03:47, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

Sounds good. Go ahead. — Val42 19:54, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

Good call. In fact, Glenn has vigorously denied the claims on his radio show, and the quotes do seem out of context. The Evil Spartan 05:57, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

Illegal Aliens/"Border WAR"

This guy has been ranting about this for nearly a month now. Can this be used ? He makes Michael Savage look like a liberal. 65.163.112.205 05:39, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

He has claimed that Mexican TROOPS, police are kidnapping Americans, worse, compares Mexico to a toilet, WORSE, and I mean WORSE. 65.163.112.205 05:42, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

In fact, you are correct; this is one of Glenn's biggest issues, and its omission from the article is a problem. However, if you (or someone else) adds it, please make sure to adhere to WP:NPOV. The Evil Spartan 05:56, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

Scope

Is it just me, or are the quotes provided here selectively narrowed so as to facilitate misunderstanding? Let's try to stick in accordance with Wikipedia's Second Pillar, the NPOV Policy, by providing more of the content from quotes. Nobody learns from soundbites. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.69.25.195 (talk) 19:55, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

If there is a quotation you would like to see expanded, you can always search for the transcript and fill in the quotation more fully. I agree with you that some quotations are taken out of context. Stanselmdoc (talk) 17:55, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

Quote Link

The Salt Lake City News quote in the references goes to a "Recent Comments" page, not the actual article. I couldn't find the actual article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Deane (talk • contribs) 17:09, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

Ron Paul

The statement currently in the critisim section on Ron Paul does not seem to be an honest account of what was said. "On November 12, 2007 during his television show, Beck claimed that Ron Paul is a domestic threat to the United States and that his supporters were domestic terrorists[21][22]." I do not see anywhere in the original video or transcript where he calls Ron Paul a domestic threat or calls his supporters terrorists. The second source is a very obviously biased article against him, so that doesn't seem like it would be a good source. Any suggestions as to what it should be changed to or should it be deleted completely? Mystico16 (talk) 21:31, 5 December 2007 (UTC)

I'm going to remove it for now. If someone has a better wording, please feel free to post it. Mystico16 (talk) 06:58, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Live Event Marshall

Would one of the Glenn Beck apologist actually add a source for the number of people who attended the rally at Marshall University. The number has been in dispute since September and here we are nearly 3 months later with still no source.Reinoe (talk) 22:22, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

Undid Revision 180390941

I undid this revision because I think the readers of this article should be allowed the opportunity to read Beck's comments in it's entirety and then decide whether or not the criticism was fair or not. Also the comment for the edit read "scandal better addressed in his book". I would recommend that the editor expand the article on [Beck's book].Reinoe (talk) 15:30, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

YouTube video

137.99.17.121, I read the caption of the video also. What was the surgery? Larry R. Holmgren (talk) 21:31, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

On the video Glenn showed a quilt he said he was given when he toured with Project Linus. Can someone find a reference for this (2007?) tour. It is a 501(3)(c) non-profit charitable group, giving away blankets to the needy. Larry R. Holmgren (talk) 22:08, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

He will be back at his show on Monday. Presumably, he will give more information. I think we'll have to wait until then. — Val42 (talk) 22:10, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

Is it true that Glenn beck is a homosexual?64.149.80.134 (talk) 21:05, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

The preponderance of the evidence is "No." — Val42 (talk) 07:09, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

An Inconvenient book

I propose that the following be removed from the article:

Beck also writes: "God bless you, Hollywood, for speaking out. But what you have to understand is that if you find yourself in the minority opinion, it's not because of some vast, right-wing or left-wing conspiracy. It's because you're out of step with everybody else. You're not going to be rounded up in the middle of the night and taken to jail...That doesn't happen in America.

I can't seem to find the reference in the first chapter, unless I totally missed it or it could be in a different chapter. --Hourick (talk) 17:28, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Obama/Osama

Is it really necessary to mention that he slipped up once and mistakenly called Barack Obama "Osama" before realizing his mistake and correcting himself? I mean, this has happened many times to many people, and Mr Beck's slip was hardly the most noteworthy incident. That honor undoubtedly belongs to Senator Ted Kennedy, who made the same mistake on the Senate floor. As the incident was neither noteworthy or relevent, I'm removing it from the controversies/criticisms section. SpudHawg948 (talk) 11:41, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

MediaMatters as a source

I was looking over the criticism section, noticed that the only source used as a reference is Media Matters. Can a partisan 501(3)(c) political organization that gathers oft out of context quotes from other secondary sources be considered credible, or for that matter NPOV? Fsjonsey (talk) 07:05, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

Should this article be semi protected?

I've been following the edits on this article for a few days and it seems to have an inordinate number of anonymous edits which often take on the appearance of vandalism. Should it be semi protected? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Trilobitealive (talk • contribs) 17:23, 15 February 2008 (UTC) Trilobitealive (talk) 17:25, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

I don't know. Over the last week, there have been only five instances of vandalism by anonymous editors. That doesn't seem like a lot compared to other articles I've seen. Additionally, in that time there have been several good edits (non-vandalism) by anons as well. -- MisterHand (Talk to the Hand|Contribs) 17:28, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

I guess I'm just used to articles about obscure botany subjects which go months between vandalisms. Trilobitealive (talk) 18:15, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Too Liberal

Article is very far left especially criticisms. It need to state both veiws or at lest note that his critics such as media matters are liberal 68.163.40.83

Everything's far left to someone hugging the right field foul pole.

(talk) 19:10, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

Most of the article revolves around describing Beck's views, his life experiences, etc., so I guess I don't see how it's "far left" or "liberal." The criticisms sections obviously contains criticisms from groups who are on the left end of the political spectrum (it would be strange if it did not). However I think the section is fairly well balanced. At four different points we cite a response from Beck (or his spokesman) to the criticisms offered. I don't think it makes sense to describe Media Matters as liberal since we do not do that in the opening paragraph of the article on that organization. Folks can click on the link to Media Matters and read about them there in order to get a sense of their point of view - we generally try to avoid using POV adjectives to describe groups, even if there is some truth to them (for example in an article quoting the Ku Klux Klan we would not say "the racist Ku Klux Klan said..." even though most would agree that is the case). If you have additional material (for example responses to criticism from Beck or his surrogates) that you would like to add in then maybe you can mention it here and we can discuss before adding it. We will need to be able to source it though (for example, we cannot say "Glenn often makes such comments while laughing," as you did in your edit, without a source for that).--Bigtimepeace | talk | contribs 20:23, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

mentioning Glenn Beck critical to pop culture

I did watch some of his shows and I admit, he's a total ass. But I notice he seems to be critical to pop culture like Miley Cyrus, Pokemon, and Britney Spears, and I even added this in with a sample link that leads to a Youtube video criticizing Grand Theft Auto IV and having Jack Thompson as his guest. I was wondering if it alright to mention this. --Dark paladin x (talk) 01:15, 7 May 2008 (UTC)

FAIR as a "liberal" organization?

"Liberal" is not exactly the more accurate term to describe FAIR, which I'd say is left of mainstream "liberalism." Calling it a progressive media criticism organization is better and the one used in the main article on the non-profit. I'll go ahead and be bold my making the change, not intended to cause any edit-war, of course.Giovanni33 (talk) 18:59, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Media Matters quotes

I'm afraid that per WP:BLP, any straight-faced claims that Beck wishes to put Hollywood celebrities in gas chambers or to put Muslims in concentration camps will need better sources than out-of-context quotes from some watchdog group. I'm not contesting that the quotes are factually incorrect, but the editor placing them here apparently isn't making any attempt to put them in context. Kelly ^hi! 07:13, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

I added context. Any other concerns? JCDenton2052 (talk) 07:45, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

The problem is that you've labeled these statements "controversies", but I'm seeing no reliable sources stating that there was any controversy at all over these statements. The only sources are obviously ideological watchdog groups. Read WP:COATRACK for more on my concerns - for biographies of living persons, especially one on a prominent media figure, the sourcing needs to be impeccable for claims like this. Kelly ^hi! 13:58, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Did any or all of these quotes cause a "controversy"? Did other, promenent people criticise Beck for these statements? E2a2j (talk) 14:10, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Why am I being singled out? Plenty of other controversial quotes in that section are only referenced by FAIR or Media Matters. Insist that they also meet your arbitrary bar for controversy or remove them too. JCDenton2052 (talk) 19:39, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

You're right, that whole section needs to be pruned, eliminated, or possibly have notable sections merged into the rest of the article per WP:CRIT and Wikipedia:Words to avoid#Article structures that can imply a point of view. I may take a crack at it later if nobody else does. Kelly ^hi! 19:51, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Kelly, Really looking forward to your input to clean this section up. E2a2j (talk) 13:56, 23 June 2008 (UTC)

A little calm, please?

We all have an opinion, right? Some of us like Al Sharpton, Al Frankin, Rush Limbaugh, whatever. Can we just keep the article NPOV and to the facts? Can we keep the discussion civil? Thanks! E2a2j (talk) 02:36, 18 July 2008 (UTC)

No. Don't be silly. 66.77.144.5 (talk) 23:58, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

National Treasure 2

I noticed during the credits of National Treasure 2, that Abraham Lincoln was played by a "Glenn Beck". Is this the same Glenn Beck?