Synopses & Reviews
"Caution: You’re about to enter a no-spin zone" is the warning with which Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly kicks off his no-holds-barred cable news program The O’Reilly Factor every night. O’Reilly is the reigning king of cable news, with a huge lead in the ratings, two best-selling books, and a nationally syndicated radio program.
O’Reilly’s "no-spin" motto is clever marketing—but who’s keeping track of O’Reilly’s own spin? From his support for Bush’s tax cuts and the war with Iraq to his attacks on everything from National Public Radio to "welfare mothers," O’Reilly often contradicts himself and consistently concocts evidence to support his conservative talking points.
His misguided opinions, stated as facts, are often simply wrong, such as his claim that the U.S. "gives far and away more tax money to foreign countries than anyone else . . . Nobody else even comes close to us" (per capita the U.S. is near the bottom of the list for developed countries). Other of his statements are deliberately inflammatory, such as his suggestion that we bomb Libyan civilians in the aftermath of September 11 ("Let them eat sand"). Weeks later O’Reilly denied the sentiment, though he has publicly stated that "If you’re not providing controversy and excitement, people won’t listen or watch."
Following in the footsteps of FAIR’s hit book The Way Things Aren’t: Rush Limbaugh’s Reign of Error, The Oh Really? Factor will use facts, humor, illustrations, and comics to challenge the many absurd, outlandish, and just plain incorrect statements made on one of the U.S.’s most-watched "news" programs. Publication timed to coincide with O’Reilly’s forthcoming book, Who’s Looking Out For You.
Peter Hart is the activism director at FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting), the national media watch group. He is also a co-host and producer of FAIR’s syndicated weekly radio show CounterSpin.
Synopsis
Bill O'Reilly of Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor is the reigning king of cable news. But he consistently concocts evidence to support his conservative talking points. Following in the footsteps of FAIRs hit book, The Way Things Aren t: Rush Limbaughs Reign of Error, The Oh Really Factor will use facts, humor, illustrations, and comics to debunk the bigmouth.
Synopsis
"Caution: You’re about to enter a no-spin zone" is the warning with which Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly kicks off his no-holds-barred cable news program The O’Reilly Factor every night. O’Reilly is the reigning king of cable news, with a huge lead in the ratings, two best-selling books, and a nationally syndicated radio program.
O’Reilly’s "no-spin" motto is clever marketing—but who’s keeping track of O’Reilly’s own spin? From his support for Bush’s tax cuts and the war with Iraq to his attacks on everything from National Public Radio to "welfare mothers," O’Reilly often contradicts himself and consistently concocts evidence to support his conservative talking points.
His misguided opinions, stated as facts, are often simply wrong, such as his claim that the U.S. "gives far and away more tax money to foreign countries than anyone else . . . Nobody else even comes close to us" (per capita the U.S. is near the bottom of the list for developed countries). Other of his statements are deliberately inflammatory, such as his suggestion that we bomb Libyan civilians in the aftermath of September 11 ("Let them eat sand"). Weeks later O’Reilly denied the sentiment, though he has publicly stated that "If you’re not providing controversy and excitement, people won’t listen or watch."
Following in the footsteps of FAIR’s hit book The Way Things Aren’t: Rush Limbaugh’s Reign of Error, The Oh Really? Factor will use facts, humor, illustrations, and comics to challenge the many absurd, outlandish, and just plain incorrect statements made on one of the U.S.’s most-watched "news" programs. Publication timed to coincide with O’Reilly’s forthcoming book, Who’s Looking Out For You.
Peter Hart is the activism director at FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting), the national media watch group. He is also a co-host and producer of FAIR’s syndicated weekly radio show CounterSpin.
Synopsis
A skewering of one of our most vocal conservative pundits.
Synopsis
Since emerging from tabloid-television infamy as the former host of Inside Edition, Bill OReilly has taken his brand of provocative rhetoric to the next level: from shock-TV to the No Spin Zone. Despite his outspoken support for Bushs tax cuts and a war with Iraq, and his attacks on everything from National Public Radio to "welfare mothers," OReilly fashions his program, The OReilly Factor, as "without an agenda or any ideological prejudices." Presenting opposing viewpoints and likely to express views that occasionally diverge from the conservative orthodoxy, OReilly has styled himself as a straight-shooting man of the people, wary of the conservative label with which liberals would tag him. In The Oh Really? Factor, brimming with examples of OReillys error, contradiction, and hard-right political tilt, Hart exposes the No Spin Zone as little more than clever marketing.
The Oh Really? Factor reflects hundreds of hours of research, fact checking, and analysis of the same evidence OReilly uses to support his claims. In this concise and compelling analysis of OReillys views, Hart underscores this pundits masked partisanship; adversarial stance toward unions, Blacks, immigrants, and gays and lesbians; and his kid-gloves treatment of the Right. Forming an important corrective, The Oh Really? Factor snags OReilly in his own spin.
About the Author
PETER HART is the activism director at FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting), the national media watch group. He is also a co-host and producer of FAIR's syndicated weekly radio show, CounterSpin. He speaks to community groups and on college campuses, and has been interviewed by a number of media outlets, including NBC Nightly News, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Associated Press, and yes, the O'Reilly Factor. He lives in New York City.
Table of Contents
The all-spin zone -- No-spin zone? Don't call O'Reilly conservative--but he is -- The O'Reilly fact-check -- Bill O'Reilly, media critic -- "I've got the stats right here": O'Reilly plays the numbers -- O'Reilly vs. O'Reilly -- O'Reilly's paranoia: the world against Bill -- O'Reilly's roots -- Bill goes to war -- O'Reilly's America -- O'Reilly's war: case study--Iraq -- Conclusion: "Sheer O'Reillyness".