Difference between revisions of "Bill O'Reilly"

From Conservapedia
Jump to: navigation, search
m (Reverted edits by Dialecticftw (Talk); changed back to last version by Fuckyourself)
Line 1: Line 1:
Bill O'Reilly is a [[conservative]] [[pundit]] and host of the show ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]'' on the [[Fox network]], which he calls the No Spin ZoneHis interview technique is highly combative and often relies upon the repeated use of a short list of talk points or critiques to verbally bludgeon his guests.  O'Reilly often remarks that his personal political viewpoint is not captured by the modern Democrat and Republican archetypes and would rather call himself a ''Traditionalist''.  In this vein, he has expressed support for some positions not traditionally associated with his political supporters including anthropogenic climate change and civil unions for both heterosexual and homosexual couples. On Comedy Central's ''The Colbert Report'', Stephen Colbert plays an over-the-top parody of the conservative pundits archetyped by O'Reilly.
+
{{Infobox Celebrity
 +
| name        = Bill O'Reilly
 +
| image      =
 +
| caption    =
 +
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1949|09|10}}
 +
| birth_place = {{flagicon|USA}} [[New York City]], [[New York|NY]], [[USA]]
 +
| death_date  =
 +
| death_place =
 +
| occupation  = [[Author]], [[Print syndication|syndicated]] [[columnist]], conservative [[television personality|television]] and [[talk  radio]] personality
 +
| salary      = $9,000,000<ref>[[Forbes]], [http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/53/X3QK.html ''Bill O'Reilly, The Top 100 Celebrities'']. Accessed January 8, 2007.</ref>
 +
| networth    =
 +
| spouse      = Maureen E. McPhilmy
 +
| children    = Madeline, Spencer
 +
| residence  = Manhasset, New York
 +
| | website = [http://www.billoreilly.com/ billoreilly.com]
 +
| footnotes  =
 +
}}
 +
{{otherpeople2|Bill O'Reilly}}
 +
'''William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr.''' (born [[September 10]], [[1949]])<ref>Pragoff, Cat. "Fox News' Bill O'Reilly was in classroom before newsroom", ''[[New Hampshire Union Leader]]'', February 9, 2005. Page D10</ref> is the [[host]] of the [[cable television|cable news]] program ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]'', broadcast on the [[Fox News Channel]].<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1256,00.html O'Reilly's Fox News biography]</ref>
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly also hosts ''[[The Radio Factor]]'', a radio program syndicated by [[Westwood One]], and has written six books.
 +
 
 +
Thought to be and usually criticized as a conservative, O'Reilly is a self-described [[Independent (voter)|independent]]. O'Reilly has used several terms to describe his views. In his book ''[[Culture Warrior]]'', he identifies himself as a "traditionalist."  Previously a registered [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] for an unknown period of time, O'Reilly has been registered as having no party affiliation since 2001.
 +
==Biography==
 +
 
 +
===Early life===
 +
O'Reilly was born in [[New York City]] to [[Irish Catholic]] parents William and Angela O'Reilly, from [[Brooklyn]], [[New York]] and [[Bergen County, New Jersey|Bergen County]], [[New Jersey]], respectively. His father was an accountant for the oil company [[Caltex]]. <!-- NOTE: please discuss changes to this information on the article's talk page first, and you must provide any alteration with references.-->In 1951, his family moved to [[Levittown]] on [[Long Island]].<ref>[http://www.frankenlies.com/lies/levittown.htm O’Reilly and the Levittown Issue: Answered]</ref> After graduating from [[Chaminade High School]], a private Catholic boys high school in Mineola, New York in 1967, O'Reilly attended [[Marist College]], a small, co-educational private (and at the time, Catholic) institution in [[Poughkeepsie (city), New York|Poughkeepsie]], New York. While at Marist, O'Reilly played punter in the National Club [[American football|Football]] Association,<ref>{{cite web |author= Duffy, Don| title="Campus Stuff" (''The Circle'')|url=http://library.marist.edu/archives/Circle/1970/1970-11-19.pdf |publisher=Poughkeepsie, NY: Marist College (Originally published in ''The Circle'' on November 19, 1970)| year=1970 | accessdate= December 26 | accessyear= 2005 }}</ref> and was also a columnist and feature 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, University of London|Queen Mary College]] at the [[University of London]].<ref>{{cite web | author=Marist | title=2001 Commencement Program| publisher=Poughkeepsie, NY: Marist College, Office of Alumni Relations (Originally published in the May 19, 2001 Commencement Program)| year=2001 | url=http://www.marist.edu/alumni/oreillyb.html | accessdate= December 26 | accessyear= 2005 }}</ref> O'Reilly received his [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in [[History]] in 1971. He played semi-professional [[baseball]] during this time as a pitcher for the Brooklyn Monarchs, and had an unsuccessful tryout with the American professional baseball team, the [[New York Mets]].
 +
 
 +
=== Broadcasting career ===
 +
[[Image:0301061billo1.jpg|thumb|right|Bill O'Reilly in 1975 as the "Action Consumer troubleshooter" for [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[WNEP]] in [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]], [[Pennsylvania]], USA.<ref name=wnepaction>TheSmokingGun.com (2006) [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0301061billo1.html "Bill O'Reilly, Big Pimpin': At 26, the future Fox News star just wanted out of Scranton"] via heirs of an O'Reilly correspondent, accessed October 2, 2006</ref>]]After graduating from Marist College, O'Reilly moved to [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Florida]] at age 21, where he taught English and history at Monsignor Pace High School for two years. After leaving Miami, O'Reilly returned to school, earning a [[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|M.A.]] 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 Phoenix (newspaper)|The Boston Phoenix]]''. O'Reilly did his broadcast journalism internship in Miami during this time, and was also an entertainment writer and movie critic for ''[[The Miami Herald]]''.
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly's early television news career included reporting and anchoring positions at [[WNEP-TV]] in [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]], [[Pennsylvania]], where he also reported the weather. At [[WFAA-TV]] in [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], [[Texas]], O'Reilly was awarded the Dallas Press Club Award for excellence in investigative reporting. He then moved to [[KMGH-TV]] in [[Denver, Colorado|Denver]], [[Colorado]] where he won a Local [[Emmy Award]] for his coverage of a [[skyjacking]].<ref name=FoxBio1>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155,00.html Bill O'Reilly's Bio] ''Accessed August 2006''</ref><ref name=biofile>{{cite web | author=Malinowski, Scoop |title=Get 2 Know Bill O'Reilly! | year=November 8, 2004 | publisher=TheBioFILE.com| url=http://www.thebiofile.com/articles/stories/101950230.php | accessdate= September 9 | accessyear= 2005 }}</ref> In 1978 while in Denver, Bill was offered a job as the [[Marlboro Man]]. He turned it down because he didn’t smoke nor wanted to promote it. (radio factor/ Feb. 21, 2007). O'Reilly also worked for [[KATU|KATU-TV]] in [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]], as well as TV stations in [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], [[Connecticut]] ([[WFSB-TV]]), and in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[Massachusetts]].<ref name=biofile />
 +
 
 +
[[Image:IEPromoWJLA1993.jpg|thumb|left|[[WJLA-TV|WJLA]], [[Washington, D.C.]] ''[[Inside Edition]]'' promo featuring Bill O'Reilly, 1993.]]In 1980, he anchored his own program on [[WCBS-TV]] in New York where he won his second Local Emmy for an investigation of corrupt city marshals. He was promoted to the network as a [[CBS News]] correspondent and covered the wars in [[El Salvador]] and the [[Falkland Islands]] from his base in [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]] (1982). He later left CBS over, among other tensions, a dispute concerning the uncredited use in a report by [[Bob Schieffer]] of riot footage shot by O'Reilly's crew in Buenos Aires during the Falklands conflict. (A 1998 novel by O'Reilly, ''[[Those Who Trespass|Those Who Trespass: A Novel of Television and Murder]]'', depicts a television reporter who has a similar dispute over a Falklands War report. The character proceeds to exact his revenge on network staff in a series of graphically-described murders.)<ref>[http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060327fa_fact "Fear Factor - Bill O’Reilly’s baroque period"], Nicholas Lemann, ''The New Yorker'', March 20, 2006</ref>
 +
 
 +
In 1986, O'Reilly joined [[ABC News]] as a correspondent for ''[[ABC World News Tonight]]''.
 +
 
 +
In 1989, O'Reilly joined the nationally syndicated [[King World]] (now [[CBS]]) program ''[[Inside Edition]]'', a tabloid/gossip television program in competition with ''[[A Current Affair (US TV series)|A Current Affair]]''. He started as senior correspondent and backup anchor for British TV host [[David Frost (broadcaster)|David Frost]], and subsequently became the program's anchor after Frost's termination. In addition to being one of the first American 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 television host from a national current affairs program on the scene of the [[1992 Los Angeles riots]].
 +
 
 +
In 1995, O'Reilly was replaced by former NBC News and CBS News anchor [[Deborah Norville]] on ''Inside Edition.'' He then enrolled at the [[Kennedy School of Government|John F. Kennedy School of Government]] at [[Harvard University]], where he received a Master's Degree in Public Administration. Upon leaving Harvard, O'Reilly was hired by [[Roger Ailes]], chairman and CEO of the then startup FOX News Channel, to anchor ''The O'Reilly Report.'' The show soon moved to a new time slot, and was renamed ''The O'Reilly Factor''.
 +
 
 +
===Personal life===
 +
O'Reilly married Maureen E. 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 some of them "stealth [[paparazzi]]".<ref>{{cite book| first = Verne| last = Gay| year = 2005| title = "What's hate got to do with it?"| edition = October 18| publisher = Newsday}}</ref> O'Reilly has requested that no photographs of his home or family be made public. He and his family now live in [[Manhasset]], [[New York]].<ref>[http://cryptome.org/billo-birdseye.htm Bill O'Reilly Birdseye], cryptome.org</ref><br>
 +
On November 22nd 2003 the [[Los Angeles Times]] published an article linking O'Reilly to several groups known to have neo-nazi/white power beliefs. The article alledged that O'Reilly was funding their activities, however this was later proven untrue The article was later withdrawn and an apology issued.  This incident did not seemed to damage his popularity with his viewers.<br>
 +
Despite being married, O'Reilly got caught up in a phone sex scandal that O'Reilly and his employer, Fox News paid millions to settle out of court.
 +
 
 +
=== ''The O'Reilly Factor'' ===
 +
{{main|The O'Reilly Factor}}
 +
O'Reilly's television show, ''The O'Reilly Factor'', is routinely the highest-rated show of the three major U.S. 24-hour cable news channels ([[CNN]], FOX News, and [[MSNBC]]). The show is taped late in the afternoon at a studio in New York City and airs every weekday on the FOX News Channel at 8:00 p.m. [[North American Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern Time]].
 +
 
 +
===American Red Cross and the United Way===
 +
In the wake of the [[September 11 terrorist attacks]], O'Reilly devoted substantial time on his television show and wrote pieces alleging that the [[United Way]] and [[American Red Cross]] failed to deliver millions of dollars in donated money, raised by the organizations in the name of the disaster, to the families of those killed in the attacks.<ref>[http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/celebrit.htm "O'Reilly rips celeb 'phonies'"], Richard Johnson with Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson, PapillonsArtPalace.com, November 2, 2001</ref><ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25667 "Fight the power"], Bill O'Reilly, WorldNetDaily, December 13, 2001</ref>
 +
O'Reilly asserted that the organizations misrepresented their intentions for the money being raised by not distributing all of the 9/11 relief fund to the victims.<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/10/30/171728.shtml "Red Cross Diverts Donations From Sept. 11 Victims"], Kevin Curran, NewsMax.com, October 31, 2001</ref> Actor [[George Clooney]] defended the United Way from O'Reilly's criticisms of a telethon that raised $129.5 million, plus an additional $12 million in CD and DVD sales, according to Jeannette Reed, spokeswoman for the United Way of New York City. The funds were given to victims and surviving families in the form of cash assistance, she said. Congressional hearings were called on the matter and an investigation by New York State Attorney General [[Eliot Spitzer]] took place. Bernadette Healey, the president of the Red Cross, resigned shortly thereafter.<ref>[http://philanthropy.com/free/update/2001/10/2001102601.htm "Red Cross President Resigns Under Pressure From Board"], Grant Williams, Philanthropy.com, October 26, 2001</ref> In sworn testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee in November 2001, Congressman [[J.D. Hayworth]] asserted that media pressure, most notably from O'Reilly, helped cause the Red Cross to increase payments to affected people and helped cause other charities to participate in an oversight database established by Spitzer.<ref>[http://waysandmeans.house.gov/legacy/oversite/107cong/11-8-01/hayw.htm Opening Statement of the Hon. J.D. Hayworth, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Oversight of the House Committee on Ways and Means], Hearing on Response by Charitable Organizations to the Recent Terrorist Attacks, Committee on Ways & Means, November 8, 2001</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Sexual harassment lawsuits===
 +
On [[October 13]], [[2004]], ''O'Reilly Factor'' producer [[Andrea Mackris]] filed a complaint of [[sexual harassment]] against O'Reilly<ref>[http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackris16.html Photocopy of lawsuit]</ref> alleging that O'Reilly had made numerous references to "[[phone sex]], [[vibrator]]s, [[threesome]]s, [[masturbation]], the loss of his [[virginity]], and other sexual fantasies."<ref>{{cite web | author=TheSmokingGun.com| The details of some of these fantasies resembled scenes in a book written by O'Reilly, Those Who Trespass.  The specificity with which Ms. Mackris recounted O'Reilly's telephone calls lead many to believe that she had taped the callsThe existence of these tapes, and O'Reilly's desire that they never be made public, were seen by many as the reason for the prompt settlement of the suit in Mackris's favor.  According to many accounts, O'Reilly paid many millions to make the lawsuit go away.  Ms. Mackris had been in debt prior to the suit, but after the settlement was able to purchase property in New York City worth at least $1,000,000. url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013042oreilly1.html| title=O'Reilly: Female Aide in $60M Extort Bid| publisher=Courtroom Television Network LLC (appeared October 13)|year=2004a |accessdate=July 11|accessyear=2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author=TheSmokingGun.com |url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackris1.html |title=O'Reilly Hit With Sex Harass Suit|publisher=Courtroom Television Network LLC (appeared October 13)|year=2004b |accessdate=July 11|accessyear=2005}}</ref><ref>Howard Kurtz, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34312-2004Oct15.html "O'Reilly, Accuser Air Their Cases"], ''Washington Post'', [[October 15]], [[2004]]</ref><ref name="settleoct28">Howard Kurtz, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7578-2004Oct28.html "Bill O'Reilly, Producer Settle Harassment Suit"], ''Washington Post'', [[October 29]], [[2004]]</ref> The complaint also sought additional damages and described alleged actions of retaliation by Fox, ''et.al''.<ref name="settleoct28"/> O'Reilly and his attorney, Ronald Green, never denied that O'Reilly had used the alleged language, but said he never broke the law and questioned whether Mackris was truly offended or was taking words and phrases out of context. 
 +
 
 +
Earlier that same day, O'Reilly had filed a preemptive lawsuit against Mackris, her lawyer [[Benedict P. Morelli]], and Morelli's law firm for [[extortion]], contending Mackris had privately demanded more than $60 million (USD) to settle a claim of sexual harassment. Morelli did not deny that they had demanded the settlement prior to filing the complaint, but did deny the allegations of extortion.
 +
 
 +
Both cases were settled out of court and all parties agreed to keep the terms of the settlement confidential.<ref name="settleoct28" /> O'Reilly told reporters that there was "no wrongdoing in the case whatsoever by anyone".
 +
 
 +
==O'Reilly's public beliefs and points of view==
 +
===Political affiliation===
 +
 
 +
On his [[January 10]], [[2000]] show, O'Reilly claimed he was an [[Independent (politician)|Independent]], but the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' reported on [[December 6]], [[2000]], that he was registered as a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] in [[Nassau County, New York|Nassau County]], New York, from 1994 to 2000. After the ''Daily News'' questioned O'Reilly on the matter, he re-registered as an Independent in 2001.<ref>{{cite news
 +
|first = Michelle
 +
|last = Ingrassia
 +
|title = HE'S LIVING THE LIFE OF O'REILLY: The TV pundit looks at his success an d sees the Levittown factor
 +
|publisher = [[New York Daily News]]
 +
|page = 40
 +
|date = December 6, 2000
 +
}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly is a self-described [[Independent (voter)|independent]], but is often called a [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]], as the majority of his stated beliefs and positions align with conservatism in the United States.<ref> see [http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1070 Seth Ackerman and Peter Hart, "Bill O'Reilly's Sheer O'Reillyness: Don't call him conservative &mdash; but he is" FAIR (July/Aug 2001)]</ref> 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."<ref>Random House,
 +
[http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780767905299&view=excerpt], Excerpt from the introduction of O'Reilly's book, The O'Reilly Factor, [[March 12]], [[2002]]</ref>
 +
 
 +
While O'Reilly often urges his audience to vote against particular candidates (some of whom are those O'Reilly believes are against "tougher punishment" for sex offenders, while the majority of them are Democrats), he has rarely, if ever, urged them to vote against Republicans or conservatives.  O'Reilly has used several terms to describe his views. In his book ''[[Culture Warrior]]'', he identifies himself as a "traditionalist" who he believes are in a "culture war" with "secular progressives."
 +
 
 +
===The Iraq war===
 +
Speaking on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Good Morning America]]'' on [[18 March]], [[2003]], O'Reilly made the following promise: "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."<ref name="cd-wmd-clean">[http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/views04/0225-10.htm "Bill O'Reilly's 'Apology': Still Spinning in the 'No Spin Zone'"] by Peter Hart, [[Common Dreams NewsCenter]], [[February 25]], [[2004]].</ref><ref>[http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&articleId=7251 "Devil in the Details: He Is the Eggman"] by Heidi Pauken, ''[[The American Prospect]]'', [[March 1]], [[2004]].</ref><ref>[http://www.flakmag.com/books/mybad.html "My Bad: 25 Years of Public Apologies and the Appalling Behavior That Inspired Them"] by Paul Slansky and Arleen Sorkin, ''[[Flak Magazine]]''.</ref>
 +
 
 +
In another appearance on the same program on [[10 February]], [[2004]], O'Reilly responded to repeated requests for him to honor his pledge: "My analysis was wrong and I'm sorry. I was wrong. I'm not pleased about it at all." With regard to never again trusting the current U.S. government, he said, "I am much more skeptical of the Bush administration now than I was at that time."<ref name="cd-wmd-clean"/> He has continued to publicly support the [[U.S. invasion of Iraq]], while criticizing the Bush administration's handling of it, often giving rhetorical advice to the administration.
 +
 
 +
After reading a poll showing that only 2% of the Iraqi people viewed the US Forces as liberators and 55% preferred that they leave, O'Reilly said they are a "prehistoric" group and he has no respect for them. He added: "we cannot intervene in the [[Muslim]] world ever again. What we can do is bomb the living daylights out of them (...) no more ground troops, no more hearts and minds, ain't going to work."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200406180005|title=O'Reilly: Iraqi people are "primitive," "prehistoric group"|date=2006-06-18|accessdate=2006-10-10|publisher=Media Matters for America}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Terrorism===
 +
O'Reilly supports coercive measures to extract information from detainees at [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]], which he visited on two occasions. He has said that, in comparison to torture procedures used under the regimes of [[dictator]]s such as [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Pol Pot]], the U.S.'s tactics are not [[torture]] and are beneficial even when involving physical techniques.<ref name="geneva_convention">{{cite web |url=http://www.newshounds.us/2005/06/17/will_wonders_never_cease_nprs_juan_williams_finds_his_voice_argues_with_oreilly.php|title=Will Wonders Never Cease? NPR's Juan Williams Finds His Voice, Argues with O'Reilly|publisher=News Hounds|author=Therese, Marie|date=[[June 17]], [[2005]]}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
He also thinks that detainees should be judged under [[military tribunal]]s, but not protected under the [[Geneva Convention]] because the convention requires combatants to wear a uniform, although this is not the only reason given.<ref name="geneva_convention" />
 +
 
 +
He has been critical of politicians such as Democratic [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] [[Nancy Pelosi]] and private citizens such as financier [[George Soros]] for wanting to try terror suspects in civilian courts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billoreilly.com/show;jsessionid=626E48D065C900F8987785811154E911?action=viewTVShow&showID=1007|title=The O'Reilly Factor Flash, Talking Points Memo & Top Story|date=2006-09-28|accessdate=2006-10-10}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Politics===
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly said of the [[Bill Clinton]] [[impeachment of Bill Clinton|impeachment]] that it "was not about sex. This is about honesty and cruelty. For Mr. Clinton, it was about undermining the justice system."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,29294,00.html | title=talking Points: Condit Should Resign}}</ref> In the same article he points out that [[Gary Condit]], a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[congressman]] who had an affair with [[Chandra Levy]] prior to her disappearance and death, should be held to the same standard when it comes to inappropriate behavior.{{Fact|date=March 2007}}
 +
 
 +
According to the NEWSMAX publication, O'Reilly has repeatedly claimed throughout the years that Clinton had the [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] audit him.<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/4/22/200136.shtml "IRS Official to Judicial Watch: Clinton Enemies Were Audited"], Carl Limbacher, ''NewsMax.com'', April 23, 2002</ref>
 +
 
 +
In the [[United States presidential election, 2004|2004 presidential election]] he implied his support for [[George W. Bush]], but also complimented [[John Kerry]]. During an interview on ''[[The Daily Show]]'', O'Reilly told host [[Jon Stewart]] that he had yet to make up his mind on who he was going to vote for. He called the "[[Swift Vets and POWs for Truth]]" campaign criticizing Kerry's military record "terrible."<ref name="CBS_1" /> He is also cited as saying that most of those who voted for Kerry did so as a vote against Bush, stating that the Democratic party has been "hijacked by the left" and that they suffer losses because of this.<ref name="mediamatters_1">{{cite web|url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200411100002|title=O'Reilly and Romerstein inaccurately cited exit poll data to...|publisher=Media Matters For America|accessdate=2006-10-10}}</ref> Immediately following the election O'Reilly ridiculed John Kerry, calling him a "sissy"[http://mediamatters.org/items/200412010004].
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly does not endorse candidates directly, but he will generally advise viewers and listeners not to vote for a candidate that he opposes (which, in any race between two major-party candidates, becomes a de facto endorsement by O'Reilly of the other candidate).<ref>{{cite web| year=2004| publisher=Media Matters| author=G.W.| url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200407230007| title=Self-proclaimed non-partisan Bill O'Reilly urged listeners to vote against Daschle in South Dakota; O'Reilly's Dem Convention preview: Daschle's "no good"; [[Nancy Pelosi|Pelosi]]'s a "nut"; [[Max Cleland]]'s "strange"}}</ref> In 2004 he urged his viewers to vote against Democratic senate candidate [[Betty Castor]] in [[Florida]] because of her attack of the show for their investigation of [[Sami Al-Arian]], an instructor at the [[University of South Florida]] where Castor was president. Al-Arian was later arrested by the [[FBI]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137346,00.html| publisher=FOX News| author=O'Reilly, Bill| title=Notes from the Campaign Trail...}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly has been critical of former [[attorney general]] [[Janet Reno]], calling her "perhaps the worst attorney general in history" for allowing the [[FBI]] to become a "disorganized mess" and not prosecuting corporate criminals. However, he later praised former Attorney General [[John Ashcroft]] for going after the [[Arthur Andersen]] accounting firm, as well as [[Enron]], [[WorldCom]], [[Sam Waksal]] of [[Imclone]] and [[Martha Stewart]].<ref name="FOX_1">{{cite web | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,113782,00.html|publisher=FOX News| author=O'Reilly, Bill|title=Right Man for the Job?}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly has criticized Democratic Senator [[Hillary Clinton]] and her running for [[United States Presidential Election, 2008|president]] in [[2008]]. In an interview with [[Jay Leno]] he said, "I just feel that Hillary is a [[socialist]], and I'm paying enough tax. Hillary wants to take my money [and] your money ... and give it to strangers. There's something about that that offends me." He pointed out that she had voted for every single spending bill that year. In the same interview, he accused her of running as a political [[carpetbagger]], and said that she intends to abolish the [[Electoral College]] in favor of popular vote, claiming that it would be done only to give her an advantage in the presidential race.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27695|title=O'Reilly scorches Hillary
 +
on 'Tonight Show'|publisher=World Net Daily| author=Kovacs, Joe}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
=== Secularism and the "elite media"===
 +
In 2003, O'Reilly criticized the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' for endorsing then-governor [[Gray Davis]], who was running against [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] in a [[recall election]]. He said that he "has never seen a newspaper try to destroy someone as aggressively as the ''Times'' is doing." He made the claim that Californians have canceled their subscriptions due to the "extreme left-wing [[media bias|bias]]" of the newspaper. At the same time, he felt that Davis and the "Democratic machine" were equally corrupt and had to be removed.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99326,00.html|title=Would You Vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger?| publisher=FOX News| author=O'Reilly, Bill| }}</ref> In the same segment, O'Reilly applauded that voters in Nassau County, New York, where O'Reilly resides, threw the "corrupt [[GOP]]" out of county government and that the new County Executive, Democrat [[Tom Suozzi]], was doing a good job.
 +
 
 +
He has criticized the funding of left-wing interests by [[George Soros]] and [[Peter Lewis]].
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly supported California Proposition 73 because it required [[parental notification]] for underage girls seeking an [[abortion]]. "[T]he left-wing media has been able to convince millions of Americans that the government knows what's best for families, not the parents," he said.<ref>{{cite web| year=2005| publisher=FOX News| author=O'Reilly, Bill| url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,175031,00.html| title=Election Day, 2005}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
He has commented extensively on the [[gay marriage]] issue that erupted in [[San Francisco]], and has criticized Schwarzenegger and Bush for not speaking out against the issue.<ref name=Moyers>{{cite web | url=http://www.billoreilly.com/pg/jsp/general/genericpage.jsp?pageID=62|title=Bill's Talking Points Memo (Friday, [[February 20]], [[2004]])|accessdate=2006-10-10}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
He has supported the mention of [[intelligent design]] in schools and considers the [[National Academy of Sciences]] and the [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]] opposition to be [[fascist]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,164581,00.html|title= God versus science: that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo".|date=2005-08-03|accessdate=2006-10-10|publisher=FOX News}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly has been critical of the [[ACLU]], calling it "the most dangerous organization in the United States of America." He has called them a fascist organization in response to their threatened lawsuit against [[Los Angeles County]] for failing to remove a cross from its official seal.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200406080005|title=O'Reilly: ACLU is America's "most dangerous organization ... second to Al Qaeda"|date=2004-06-08|accessdate=2006-10-10|publisher=Media Matters for America}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
He regularly criticizes jurists in controversial cases as "[[activist judges]]." He uses the issue of gay marriage to support his point. "The folks decide that by voting and, in the case of gay marriage, the folks have decided. And that decision should be respected."<ref>{{cite web | title=Gay Marriage and the Culture War|publisher=FOX News|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,198343,00.html}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly has taken to using the abbreviation "S-P", for "[[Secularism|Secular]] [[Progressivism|Progressive]]", as a shorthand way of referring to that general political categoryHowever, neither [[Webster's Dictionary]] nor dictionary.com recognize the existence of such a category.<ref>Billoreilly.com, [http://www.billoreilly.com/quiz?action=viewQuiz&quizID=134&destinationpage=/pg/jsp/community/cwtest.jsp ''Culture Warrior Test'']. Accessed January 8, 2007.</ref>
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly has recently criticized NBC News several times, claiming they have a left-wing bias towards the War in Iraq.{{Fact|date=March 2007}}
 +
 
 +
===Crime and punishment===
 +
====The prison system====
 +
O'Reilly has called the current U.S. prison system too lenient, and has said that criminals have too many privileges like television and cigarettes, as well as access to drugs and sex. He has commented on support for military style [[labor camps]] for the nation's worst criminals as an alternative to the current prison system. He proposes a [[gulag]] style prison located in [[Alaska]] where such criminals would be forced to work eight hours a day, six days a week. Visitation would be limited to a few visitors a year. Punishment would be enforced through [[food rationing]] and [[solitary confinement]]. In his view, this could also replace the [[death penalty]], to which he is opposed.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=23246|title=Work or die|date=2001-06-14|accessdate=2006-10-10}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
====The Mexican border====
 +
He has supported stricter border controls, including placement of the [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] troops on the [[US-Mexican border]] and has criticized Bush for not allocating enough resources to make border security effective. He also criticized [[Ronald Reagan]]'s act of [[amnesty]], claiming that it made the illegal  [[immigration]] problem worse.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/oreilly052206.asp | title=Guarding the border|author=Bill O'Reilly|publisher=''Jewish World Review''|date=2005-06-22|accessdate=2006-10-10}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
====Gun control====
 +
O'Reilly supports limited [[gun control]].<ref name="CBS_1" /> However, he also voiced support for private gun ownership after [[Hurricane Katrina]].<ref>[http://www.billoreilly.com/show?action=viewTVShow&showID=530 BillO'Reilly.com: The O'Reilly Factor Flash], [[November 7]], [[2005]]: "Once I saw what happened in Hurricane Katrina, I said every American household should have a firearm. If there's a tremendous earthquake in [[San Francisco]] and looting, you don't want your family protected? You don't want a firearm in your house? You're living in the world of [[The Wizard of Oz|Oz]]. And the military is a noble enterprise. Why should the rest of the country protect your butt if San Francisco is going to thumb your nose at the military by passing this resolution?"</ref>
 +
 
 +
====Jessica's Law====
 +
O'Reilly is a strong proponent of stricter penalties for [[child sexual abuse|child molesters]]. He has vehemently supported [[Jessica's Law]] and criticizes what he believes to be lenient treatment of those convicted of child molestation.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.billoreilly.com/outragefunnels|title=Jessica's Law Report Card|publisher=BillOReilly.com}}</ref> He has also criticized the law's detractors.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,182307,00.html |title=Protecting the Kids - Liberal Versus Conservative|date=2006-01-20|accessdate=2006-10-10|publisher=FOX News}}</ref> He has endorsed politicians like Republican [[Doug Forrester]] in the [[2005]] [[New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2005|New Jersey gubernatorial election]], suggesting that [[Jon Corzine]], a Democrat, would be less likely to support a national version of the law.<ref>{{cite web| year=2005| publisher=FOX News| author=O'Reilly, Bill| url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,174551,00.html| title=Protecting the Kids in New Jersey...}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly has been particularly critical of the [[Debra LaFave]] case, in which she was convicted of having sex with a 14-year-old boy but was only sentenced to house arrest and seven years' probation.<ref name="Fox_LaFave">{{cite web | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,213778,00.html|title=What Is Convicted Child Sex Offender Debra LaFave Doing on TV?}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
He criticizes many politicians who oppose mandatory minimum sentences for child molesters. Specifically, he points out [[Massachusetts]] House Speaker [[Salvatore DiMasi]], [[Wyoming]] Governor [[Dave Freudenthal]], Senator [[Brian Frosh]] of [[Maryland]], [[Tennessee]] Governor [[Phil Bredesen]], former [[Idaho]] Governor [[Dirk Kempthorne]]. He has also called [[Vermont]], [[Hawaii]], [[Montana]], [[Maine]] and [[Utah]] "child predator-friendly states".<ref name="Fox_LaFave" />
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Fiscal issues===
 +
O'Reilly is a frequent critic of government [[welfare]] and [[poverty]] programs. He is also critical of the [[Estate tax (United States)|estate tax]] which taxes up to 46 percent of estates which, under current federal law, are valued over $2 million. However, he does not differentiate between the marginal tax rate (46%) and the ''effective'' tax rate (roughly 9%).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.billoreilly.com/site/product?printerFriendly=true&pid=20104|title=A Taxing Proposition|author=O'Reilly, Bill|Publisher=BillOReilly.com|date=June 8, 2006}}</ref>According to the IRS, the estate tax
 +
in its "current form only affects the wealthiest 2% of all Americans" (a section of the population that O'Reilly is a member of), or approximately 52,000 estates. [http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=108143,00.html]
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly has said [[France|French]] [[unemployment]] and subsequent [[riots]] are the "common effects of socialist thinking". He says the French unemployment rate is high because of entitlements sanctioned by the French government, and that these entitlements make employers hesitant to hire young employees for fear that they will be stuck with an underperforming worker while being required to give them benefits and extensive vacation time.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/oreilly040306.asp|title=French whine|author=O'Reilly, Bill|date=April 3, 2006|Publisher=Jewish World Review}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
He says he supports income-based [[affirmative action]] as opposed to race-related affirmative action.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/oreilly063003.asp|title=Affirmative action, negative reaction|author=O'Reilly, Bill|Publisher=Jewish World Review|date=[[June 30]], [[2003]]}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
He said that much of the chaos following [[Hurricane Katrina]] occurred because roughly 10 percent of the population cannot sustain itself. He has said that much of the funds doled out under entitlement programs is wasted on [[alcohol]] and [[drugs]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200509150001|title=O'Reilly: "Many, many, many" hurricane victims who failed to evacuate New Orleans are "drug-addicted ... thugs"|publisher=Media Matters for America|Date=[[September 15]], [[2005]]|Author=J.S.}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
===Environmental issues===
 +
O'Reilly generally supports the science behind [[global warming]], although he has said that it is not entirely certain that [[fossil fuel]]s are the cause. Nonetheless, he has expressed support for a long-term strategy to curb fossil fuel use. He has said he would not support the [[Kyoto Treaty]] for economic reasons, but supports the use of fewer polluting agents, more [[conservation]], and "tons more innovation" such as tax credits for [[alternative energy|alternative fuels]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,54413,00.html|title=Global Warming & the Bush Administration|author=O'Reilly, Bill|publisher=Fox News|date=[[June 4]], [[2002]]}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly has also stated his belief that the United States is not doing enough to make it independent of foreign oil. "If [[Brazil]] can develop an [[ethanol]] industry that makes it completely independent of foreign oil, then the USA can."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/oreilly050806.asp|title=Oil and immigrants|author=O'Reilly, Bill|Publisher=Jewish World Review|date=[[May 8]], [[2006]]}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
==Controversy and criticism==
 +
{{Main|Criticism of Bill O'Reilly}}
 +
Over the years, there have been several controversial issues highlighted in O'Reilly's print and broadcast work. He is involved in many disputes with figures and sources (both liberal and conservative) including [[Al Franken]], [[Michael Savage (commentator)|Michael Savage]], [[George Clooney]], [[Joe Scarborough]], [[Jon Stewart]], [[Keith Olbermann]], [[Tucker Carlson]], [[David Letterman]], [[Neal Boortz]], [[Michael Kinsley]], [[Bill Maher]]  and [[Ludacris]].
 +
 
 +
On his prompting, Fox News sued Al Franken over his book, ''[[Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right]]'', claiming that the book's satirical mockery of the network and of O'Reilly himself was a [[copyright]] violation. The title was critical of O'Reilly, among many others, and an unflattering image of O'Reilly from the show was included on the cover, along with [[Ann Coulter]], [[Dick Cheney]], and George W. Bush. The counter-argument in the suit was the book was a [[parody]] and could not be mistaken for a Fox News publication. On [[August 22]], [[2003]], U.S. District Judge Denny Chin denied Fox's request for an injunction to block the publication of Franken's book, characterizing the network's claim as "wholly without merit, both factually and legally." Three days later, Fox filed to drop its lawsuit.
 +
 
 +
O'Reilly is frequently challenged by his critics, who question his accuracy on issues such as the [[Malmedy massacre]] (O'Reilly incorrectly blamed American soldiers for a henious war crime of which they were in fact victims), and his claim that ''Inside Edition'' won two [[Peabody Award]]s.    In the March 1, 2001 Washington Post Reliable Source column, Al Franken corrected O'Reilly's claim - it was actually a single [[George Polk award|Polk]] award (won for reporting that was done after O'Reilly left the show);<ref>[http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/polk/prev/prev90.html ''George Polk Award for Journalism''], Accessed January 8, 2007.</ref> - In the same column, O'Reilly admitted to confusing the two awards, and stated, "Al Franken is on a jihad against me." A few days later, O'Reilly changed the story, and stated that he had never made the Peabody claim (O'Reilly Factor, 3/13/01): "Guy says about me, couple of weeks ago, 'O'Reilly said he won a Peabody Award.' Never said it. You can't find a transcript where I said it."
 +
 
 +
However, on the May 19, 2000 broadcast of the O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly repeatedly told a guest who brought up his "tabloid" past: "We won Peabody Awards. . . . We won Peabody awards. . . . A program that wins a Peabody Award, the highest award in journalism, and you're going to denigrate it?"  O'Reilly had made the same claim on the May 8, 2000 broadcast of the O'Reilly Factor, as well as the claim of a single Peabody on the August 30, 1999 broadcast of the O'Reilly Factor. <Ref> [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A6352-2001Mar1 "The Washington Post Reliable Source"] </ref>
 +
 
 +
He has also discussed controversial topics such as his annual reports on the [[Secularization of Christmas]], which he calls the "War on Christmas".<Ref>
 +
{{cite web
 +
| url = http://www.google.com.ph/search?as_q=&num=100&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=war+on+christmas&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=billoreilly.com&as_rights=&safe=images
 +
| title = Occurrences of the phrase "War on Christmas" on billoreilly.com
 +
| accessdate = 2006-10-24
 +
}}</Ref>
 +
 
 +
While some have claimed that O'Reilly is really only "entertainment", and not "news", and therefore  should not be held to a high standard for factual content, O'Reilly has been quoted as saying that [[Rush Limbaugh]] is an entertainer and should not be cited for hard facts, whereas O'Reilly is a [[journalist]].<ref name="CBS_1" />
 +
 
 +
<!-- ATTENTION: Would those parties involved in the constant addition/removal of the word 'liberal' from the paragraph below please discuss the issue on this article's talk page rather than constantly reverting each others changes. Thankyou, Ollie (USER:Oliver_Brown). -->
 +
The media watch group, [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]], has published a book entitled ''The "Oh Really?" Factor'', by author Peter Hart (ISBN 158322601X). The book catalogues what are argued to be distortions and inaccuracies on the part of O'Reilly.
 +
 
 +
In January 2007, O'Reilly on ''The O'Reilly Factor'' stated that [[Missouri]] pre-teen [[Shawn Hornbeck]], who was abducted at gunpoint by [[Michael J. Devlin]] and held captive by him for four years, had "liked ... his circumstances" and "had a lot more fun" with Devlin than with "his old parents".  While some commentators wondered why the young boy had not tried to escape from his captor, O'Reilly went further, flatly stating that "Shawn had the freedom to get away if he wanted to." <Ref>
 +
{{cite web
 +
| url = http://mediamatters.org/items/200702060010
 +
| title = "O'Reilly, unapologetic for remarks about the "fun" had by kidnapping victim..."
 +
| accessdate = 2007-2-22
 +
}}</Ref> Following his remarks, [[Lowe's]] canceled its advertising on the O'Reilly Factor.  The following month, Devlin was charged with multiple counts of forcible sodomy and producing child pornography. <Ref>
 +
{{cite web
 +
| url = http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/02/05/boys.found/
 +
| title = "Boys' kidnapping suspect faces sodomy charges"
 +
| accessdate = 2007-2-22
 +
}}</Ref>
 +
 
 +
<!--ATTENTION. Please stop continually deleting this bit about Colbert.  It belongs here.  It's been discussed and demonstrated on the talk page that it belongs here.-->
 +
The [[Comedy Central]] program ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', hosted by [[Stephen Colbert]], parodies, among others, ''The O'Reilly Factor.'' Colbert has called [[Stephen Colbert (character)|his character]] a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot." [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/27/60minutes/main1553506.shtml]  Colbert has continued his in-character satirization/criticism of O'Reilly in venues other than "The Colbert Report", most notably at the [[Stephen Colbert at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner|2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner]].
 +
 
 +
On the January 24, 2007 edition of ''The O'Reilly Factor'' O'Reilly said that he was personally responsible for effecting the dismissal of the Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of [[Boston]]. "I claim credit for getting [[Bernard Law|Cardinal Law]] booted out of this country," O'Reilly said, and then stated that his relentless reporting on Cardinal Law's immoral and criminal behavior is why Law was dismissed.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
 +
 
 +
=== Publicity of biography ===
 +
 
 +
[[Marvin Kitman]], author of [[The Man Who Would Not Shut Up: The Rise of Bill O'Reilly]], claims that O'Reilly, who was interviewed by Kitman 29 times, had promised to give a huge publicity send off. He claims that O'Reilly has intimidated FOX News reporters from interviewing Kitman. Kitman also claims (probably jokingly) that he has written the only book that says anything positive about O'Reilly. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17419934/]
 +
 
 +
==Published works==
 +
O'Reilly writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column that appears in hundreds of newspapers, including the ''[[New York Post]]'' and the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''.<ref>BillOReilly.com, [http://www.billoreilly.com/pg/jsp/general/newspapercolumn.jsp ''Newspaper Column List''], Accessed January 8, 2007.</ref>
 +
 
 +
He has written five non-fiction books and a novel, entitled ''[[Those Who Trespass]]''. The latter, a [[Thriller (genre)|detective thriller]], achieved a great deal of notoriety for its graphic scenes of sex, including adults having sex with teens, and violence.  The ending of the book depicts a shower scene very similar to the one described in Andrea Mackris' sexual harassment suit against O'Reilly.
 +
 
 +
==Books==
 +
*''[[Those Who Trespass]]''. Novel.<br />Bancroft Press, April 1998; reprint, Broadway Books, February 2004. 288 pages. ISBN 0-9631246-8-4.
 +
*''[[The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life]]''. Non-fiction.<br />Broadway Books, September 2000; reprint, Broadway Books, March 2002. 224 pages. ISBN 0-7679-0528-8.<br />Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.<ref name="hawes">[http://www.hawes.com/no1_nf_d.htm New York Times Best Seller; Number Ones Listing; Non Fiction By Date], Hawes.com</ref>
 +
*''[[The No Spin Zone]]''. Non-fiction.<br />Broadway Books, October 2001; reprint, Broadway Books, March 2003. 208 pages. ISBN 0-7679-0848-1.<br />Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.<ref name="hawes" />
 +
*''[[Who's Looking Out For You?]]''. Non-fiction.<br />Broadway Books, September 2003; reprint, Broadway Books, September 2004. 224 pages. ISBN 0-7679-1379-5.<br />Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.<ref name="hawes" />
 +
*''[[The O'Reilly Factor For Kids: A Survival Guide for America's Families]]''. Non-fiction.<br />HarperEntertainment, September 2004; reprint, Harper Paperbacks, September 2005. 208 pages. ISBN 0-06-054424-4.<br />Co-authored with [[Charles Flowers]]. Best-selling non-fiction children's book of 2005.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.billoreilly.com/pg/jsp/general/billbio.jsp|title=Bill's Bio|publisher=BillOReilly.com}}</ref>
 +
*''[[Culture Warrior]]''. Non-fiction.<br />Broadway Books, September 2006. 240 pages. ISBN 0-7679-2092-9.<br />Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.<ref name="hawes" /><br />Achieved more than one million copies in print in its first three months.
 +
 
 +
==References==
 +
<div class="references-small">
 +
<references/>
 +
</div>
 +
 
 +
==External links==
 +
{{wikiquote}}
 +
*[http://www.billoreilly.com/ Bill O'Reilly's personal website]
 +
*[http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/ ''The O'Reilly Factor'' website]
 +
*[http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=bor O'Reilly's syndicated newspaper column]
 +
*[http://streamingradioguide.com/radio-show.php?show=564 List of radio stations streaming the O'Reilly Factor]
 +
*[http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1070 Seth Ackerman and Peter Hart, "Bill O'Reilly's Sheer O'Reillyness: Don't call him conservative-- but he is" FAIR (July/Aug 2001)]
 +
*[http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackris1.html ''Mackris v. O'Reilly'' Court Documents]
 +
*[http://www.mackrisvoreilly.com/home.html ''Mackris v. O'Reilly,'' An oratorio based upon the lawsuit, composed by Igor Keller]
 +
 
 +
**********************
 +
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oreilly, Bill}}
 +
 
 +
[[Category:American journalists]]
 +
[[Category:American political writers]]
 +
[[Category:American radio personalities]]
 +
[[Category:American political pundits]]
 +
[[Category:American television personalities]]
 +
[[Category:American broadcast news analysts]]
 +
[[Category:American columnists]]
 +
[[Category:New York television anchors]]
 +
[[Category:Intelligent design advocates]]
 +
[[Category:American schoolteachers]]
 +
[[Category:Sex scandals]]
 +
[[Category:Boston University alumni]]
 +
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
 +
[[Category:Alumni of Queen Mary, University of London]]
 +
[[Category:Chaminade High School alumni]]
 +
[[Category:People from Long Island]]
 +
[[Category:People from Nassau County, New York]]
 +
[[Category:People from New York City]]
 +
[[Category:People from the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area]]
 +
[[Category:Irish-American journalists]]
 +
[[Category:Irish-American writers]]
 +
[[Category:Roman Catholic journalists]]
 +
[[Category:American Roman Catholics]]
 +
[[Category:1949 births]]
 +
[[Category:Living people]]
 +
 
 +
[[de:Bill O’Reilly]]
 +
[[fr:Bill O'Reilly]]
 +
[[nl:Bill O'Reilly]]
 +
[[ja:ビル・オライリー]]
 +
[[no:Bill O'Reilly]]
 +
[[fi:Bill O'Reilly]]
 +
[[sv:Bill O'Reilly]]

Revision as of 21:52, March 17, 2007

Template:Infobox Celebrity Template:Otherpeople2 William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. (born September 10, 1949)[1] is the host of the cable news program The O'Reilly Factor, broadcast on the Fox News Channel.[2]

O'Reilly also hosts The Radio Factor, a radio program syndicated by Westwood One, and has written six books.

Thought to be and usually criticized as a conservative, O'Reilly is a self-described independent. O'Reilly has used several terms to describe his views. In his book Culture Warrior, he identifies himself as a "traditionalist." Previously a registered Republican for an unknown period of time, O'Reilly has been registered as having no party affiliation since 2001.

Biography

Early life

O'Reilly was born in New York City to Irish Catholic parents William and Angela O'Reilly, from Brooklyn, New York and Bergen County, New Jersey, respectively. His father was an accountant for the oil company Caltex. In 1951, his family moved to Levittown on Long Island.[3] After graduating from Chaminade High School, a private Catholic boys high school in Mineola, New York in 1967, O'Reilly attended Marist College, a small, co-educational private (and at the time, Catholic) institution in Poughkeepsie, New York. While at Marist, O'Reilly played punter in the National Club Football Association,[4] and was also a columnist and feature 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.[5] O'Reilly received his B.A. in History in 1971. He played semi-professional baseball during this time as a pitcher for the Brooklyn Monarchs, and had an unsuccessful tryout with the American professional baseball team, the New York Mets.

Broadcasting career

File:0301061billo1.jpg
Bill O'Reilly in 1975 as the "Action Consumer troubleshooter" for ABC affiliate WNEP in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA.[6]
After graduating from Marist College, O'Reilly moved to Miami, Florida at age 21, where he taught English and history at Monsignor Pace High School for two years. After leaving Miami, O'Reilly returned to school, earning a M.A. 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 critic 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. He then moved to KMGH-TV in Denver, Colorado where he won a Local Emmy Award for his coverage of a skyjacking.[7][8] In 1978 while in Denver, Bill was offered a job as the Marlboro Man. He turned it down because he didn’t smoke nor wanted to promote it. (radio factor/ Feb. 21, 2007). O'Reilly also worked for KATU-TV in Portland, Oregon, as well as TV stations in Hartford, Connecticut (WFSB-TV), and in Boston, Massachusetts.[8]

File:IEPromoWJLA1993.jpg
WJLA, Washington, D.C. Inside Edition promo featuring Bill O'Reilly, 1993.
In 1980, he anchored his own program on WCBS-TV in New York where he won his second Local Emmy for an investigation of corrupt city marshals. He was promoted to the network as a CBS News correspondent and covered the wars in El Salvador and the Falkland Islands from his base in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1982). He later left CBS over, among other tensions, a dispute concerning the uncredited use in a report by Bob Schieffer of riot footage shot by O'Reilly's crew in Buenos Aires during the Falklands conflict. (A 1998 novel by O'Reilly, Those Who Trespass: A Novel of Television and Murder, depicts a television reporter who has a similar dispute over a Falklands War report. The character proceeds to exact his revenge on network staff in a series of graphically-described murders.)[9]

In 1986, O'Reilly joined ABC News as a correspondent for ABC World News Tonight.

In 1989, O'Reilly joined the nationally syndicated King World (now CBS) program Inside Edition, a tabloid/gossip television program in competition with A Current Affair. He started as senior correspondent and backup anchor for British TV host David Frost, and subsequently became the program's anchor after Frost's termination. In addition to being one of the first American 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 television host from a national current affairs program on the scene of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

In 1995, O'Reilly was replaced by former NBC News and CBS News anchor Deborah Norville on Inside Edition. He then enrolled at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he received a Master's Degree in Public Administration. Upon leaving Harvard, O'Reilly was hired by Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO of the then startup FOX News Channel, to anchor The O'Reilly Report. The show soon moved to a new time slot, and was renamed The O'Reilly Factor.

Personal life

O'Reilly married Maureen E. 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 some of them "stealth paparazzi".[10] O'Reilly has requested that no photographs of his home or family be made public. He and his family now live in Manhasset, New York.[11]
On November 22nd 2003 the Los Angeles Times published an article linking O'Reilly to several groups known to have neo-nazi/white power beliefs. The article alledged that O'Reilly was funding their activities, however this was later proven untrue The article was later withdrawn and an apology issued. This incident did not seemed to damage his popularity with his viewers.
Despite being married, O'Reilly got caught up in a phone sex scandal that O'Reilly and his employer, Fox News paid millions to settle out of court.

The O'Reilly Factor

For a more detailed treatment, see The O'Reilly Factor.
O'Reilly's television show, The O'Reilly Factor, is routinely the highest-rated show of the three major U.S. 24-hour cable news channels (CNN, FOX News, and MSNBC). The show is taped late in the afternoon at a studio in New York City and airs every weekday on the FOX News Channel at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

American Red Cross and the United Way

In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, O'Reilly devoted substantial time on his television show and wrote pieces alleging that the United Way and American Red Cross failed to deliver millions of dollars in donated money, raised by the organizations in the name of the disaster, to the families of those killed in the attacks.[12][13] O'Reilly asserted that the organizations misrepresented their intentions for the money being raised by not distributing all of the 9/11 relief fund to the victims.[14] Actor George Clooney defended the United Way from O'Reilly's criticisms of a telethon that raised $129.5 million, plus an additional $12 million in CD and DVD sales, according to Jeannette Reed, spokeswoman for the United Way of New York City. The funds were given to victims and surviving families in the form of cash assistance, she said. Congressional hearings were called on the matter and an investigation by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer took place. Bernadette Healey, the president of the Red Cross, resigned shortly thereafter.[15] In sworn testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee in November 2001, Congressman J.D. Hayworth asserted that media pressure, most notably from O'Reilly, helped cause the Red Cross to increase payments to affected people and helped cause other charities to participate in an oversight database established by Spitzer.[16]

Sexual harassment lawsuits

On October 13, 2004, O'Reilly Factor producer Andrea Mackris filed a complaint of sexual harassment against O'Reilly[17] alleging that O'Reilly had made numerous references to "phone sex, vibrators, threesomes, masturbation, the loss of his virginity, and other sexual fantasies."[18][19][20][21] The complaint also sought additional damages and described alleged actions of retaliation by Fox, et.al.[21] O'Reilly and his attorney, Ronald Green, never denied that O'Reilly had used the alleged language, but said he never broke the law and questioned whether Mackris was truly offended or was taking words and phrases out of context.

Earlier that same day, O'Reilly had filed a preemptive lawsuit against Mackris, her lawyer Benedict P. Morelli, and Morelli's law firm for extortion, contending Mackris had privately demanded more than $60 million (USD) to settle a claim of sexual harassment. Morelli did not deny that they had demanded the settlement prior to filing the complaint, but did deny the allegations of extortion.

Both cases were settled out of court and all parties agreed to keep the terms of the settlement confidential.[21] O'Reilly told reporters that there was "no wrongdoing in the case whatsoever by anyone".

O'Reilly's public beliefs and points of view

Political affiliation

On his January 10, 2000 show, O'Reilly claimed he was an Independent, but the New York Daily News reported on December 6, 2000, that he was registered as a Republican in Nassau County, New York, from 1994 to 2000. After the Daily News questioned O'Reilly on the matter, he re-registered as an Independent in 2001.[22]

O'Reilly is a self-described independent, but is often called a conservative, as the majority of his stated beliefs and positions align with conservatism in the United States.[23] 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."[24]

While O'Reilly often urges his audience to vote against particular candidates (some of whom are those O'Reilly believes are against "tougher punishment" for sex offenders, while the majority of them are Democrats), he has rarely, if ever, urged them to vote against Republicans or conservatives. O'Reilly has used several terms to describe his views. In his book Culture Warrior, he identifies himself as a "traditionalist" who he believes are in a "culture war" with "secular progressives."

The Iraq war

Speaking on ABC's Good Morning America on 18 March, 2003, O'Reilly made the following promise: "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."[25][26][27]

In another appearance on the same program on 10 February, 2004, O'Reilly responded to repeated requests for him to honor his pledge: "My analysis was wrong and I'm sorry. I was wrong. I'm not pleased about it at all." With regard to never again trusting the current U.S. government, he said, "I am much more skeptical of the Bush administration now than I was at that time."[25] He has continued to publicly support the U.S. invasion of Iraq, while criticizing the Bush administration's handling of it, often giving rhetorical advice to the administration.

After reading a poll showing that only 2% of the Iraqi people viewed the US Forces as liberators and 55% preferred that they leave, O'Reilly said they are a "prehistoric" group and he has no respect for them. He added: "we cannot intervene in the Muslim world ever again. What we can do is bomb the living daylights out of them (...) no more ground troops, no more hearts and minds, ain't going to work."[28]

Terrorism

O'Reilly supports coercive measures to extract information from detainees at Guantanamo Bay, which he visited on two occasions. He has said that, in comparison to torture procedures used under the regimes of dictators such as Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, the U.S.'s tactics are not torture and are beneficial even when involving physical techniques.[29]

He also thinks that detainees should be judged under military tribunals, but not protected under the Geneva Convention because the convention requires combatants to wear a uniform, although this is not the only reason given.[29]

He has been critical of politicians such as Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and private citizens such as financier George Soros for wanting to try terror suspects in civilian courts.[30]

Politics

O'Reilly said of the Bill Clinton impeachment that it "was not about sex. This is about honesty and cruelty. For Mr. Clinton, it was about undermining the justice system."[31] In the same article he points out that Gary Condit, a Democratic congressman who had an affair with Chandra Levy prior to her disappearance and death, should be held to the same standard when it comes to inappropriate behavior.[Citation Needed]

According to the NEWSMAX publication, O'Reilly has repeatedly claimed throughout the years that Clinton had the IRS audit him.[32]

In the 2004 presidential election he implied his support for George W. Bush, but also complimented John Kerry. During an interview on The Daily Show, O'Reilly told host Jon Stewart that he had yet to make up his mind on who he was going to vote for. He called the "Swift Vets and POWs for Truth" campaign criticizing Kerry's military record "terrible."[33] He is also cited as saying that most of those who voted for Kerry did so as a vote against Bush, stating that the Democratic party has been "hijacked by the left" and that they suffer losses because of this.[34] Immediately following the election O'Reilly ridiculed John Kerry, calling him a "sissy"[2].

O'Reilly does not endorse candidates directly, but he will generally advise viewers and listeners not to vote for a candidate that he opposes (which, in any race between two major-party candidates, becomes a de facto endorsement by O'Reilly of the other candidate).[35] In 2004 he urged his viewers to vote against Democratic senate candidate Betty Castor in Florida because of her attack of the show for their investigation of Sami Al-Arian, an instructor at the University of South Florida where Castor was president. Al-Arian was later arrested by the FBI.[36]

O'Reilly has been critical of former attorney general Janet Reno, calling her "perhaps the worst attorney general in history" for allowing the FBI to become a "disorganized mess" and not prosecuting corporate criminals. However, he later praised former Attorney General John Ashcroft for going after the Arthur Andersen accounting firm, as well as Enron, WorldCom, Sam Waksal of Imclone and Martha Stewart.[37]

O'Reilly has criticized Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton and her running for president in 2008. In an interview with Jay Leno he said, "I just feel that Hillary is a socialist, and I'm paying enough tax. Hillary wants to take my money [and] your money ... and give it to strangers. There's something about that that offends me." He pointed out that she had voted for every single spending bill that year. In the same interview, he accused her of running as a political carpetbagger, and said that she intends to abolish the Electoral College in favor of popular vote, claiming that it would be done only to give her an advantage in the presidential race.[38]

Secularism and the "elite media"

In 2003, O'Reilly criticized the Los Angeles Times for endorsing then-governor Gray Davis, who was running against Arnold Schwarzenegger in a recall election. He said that he "has never seen a newspaper try to destroy someone as aggressively as the Times is doing." He made the claim that Californians have canceled their subscriptions due to the "extreme left-wing bias" of the newspaper. At the same time, he felt that Davis and the "Democratic machine" were equally corrupt and had to be removed.[39] In the same segment, O'Reilly applauded that voters in Nassau County, New York, where O'Reilly resides, threw the "corrupt GOP" out of county government and that the new County Executive, Democrat Tom Suozzi, was doing a good job.

He has criticized the funding of left-wing interests by George Soros and Peter Lewis.

O'Reilly supported California Proposition 73 because it required parental notification for underage girls seeking an abortion. "[T]he left-wing media has been able to convince millions of Americans that the government knows what's best for families, not the parents," he said.[40]

He has commented extensively on the gay marriage issue that erupted in San Francisco, and has criticized Schwarzenegger and Bush for not speaking out against the issue.[41]

He has supported the mention of intelligent design in schools and considers the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science opposition to be fascist.[42]

O'Reilly has been critical of the ACLU, calling it "the most dangerous organization in the United States of America." He has called them a fascist organization in response to their threatened lawsuit against Los Angeles County for failing to remove a cross from its official seal.[43]

He regularly criticizes jurists in controversial cases as "activist judges." He uses the issue of gay marriage to support his point. "The folks decide that by voting and, in the case of gay marriage, the folks have decided. And that decision should be respected."[44]

O'Reilly has taken to using the abbreviation "S-P", for "Secular Progressive", as a shorthand way of referring to that general political category. However, neither Webster's Dictionary nor dictionary.com recognize the existence of such a category.[45]

O'Reilly has recently criticized NBC News several times, claiming they have a left-wing bias towards the War in Iraq.[Citation Needed]

Crime and punishment

The prison system

O'Reilly has called the current U.S. prison system too lenient, and has said that criminals have too many privileges like television and cigarettes, as well as access to drugs and sex. He has commented on support for military style labor camps for the nation's worst criminals as an alternative to the current prison system. He proposes a gulag style prison located in Alaska where such criminals would be forced to work eight hours a day, six days a week. Visitation would be limited to a few visitors a year. Punishment would be enforced through food rationing and solitary confinement. In his view, this could also replace the death penalty, to which he is opposed.[46]

The Mexican border

He has supported stricter border controls, including placement of the National Guard troops on the US-Mexican border and has criticized Bush for not allocating enough resources to make border security effective. He also criticized Ronald Reagan's act of amnesty, claiming that it made the illegal immigration problem worse.[47]

Gun control

O'Reilly supports limited gun control.[33] However, he also voiced support for private gun ownership after Hurricane Katrina.[48]

Jessica's Law

O'Reilly is a strong proponent of stricter penalties for child molesters. He has vehemently supported Jessica's Law and criticizes what he believes to be lenient treatment of those convicted of child molestation.[49] He has also criticized the law's detractors.[50] He has endorsed politicians like Republican Doug Forrester in the 2005 New Jersey gubernatorial election, suggesting that Jon Corzine, a Democrat, would be less likely to support a national version of the law.[51]

O'Reilly has been particularly critical of the Debra LaFave case, in which she was convicted of having sex with a 14-year-old boy but was only sentenced to house arrest and seven years' probation.[52]

He criticizes many politicians who oppose mandatory minimum sentences for child molesters. Specifically, he points out Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, Senator Brian Frosh of Maryland, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne. He has also called Vermont, Hawaii, Montana, Maine and Utah "child predator-friendly states".[52]


Fiscal issues

O'Reilly is a frequent critic of government welfare and poverty programs. He is also critical of the estate tax which taxes up to 46 percent of estates which, under current federal law, are valued over $2 million. However, he does not differentiate between the marginal tax rate (46%) and the effective tax rate (roughly 9%).[53]According to the IRS, the estate tax in its "current form only affects the wealthiest 2% of all Americans" (a section of the population that O'Reilly is a member of), or approximately 52,000 estates. [3]

O'Reilly has said French unemployment and subsequent riots are the "common effects of socialist thinking". He says the French unemployment rate is high because of entitlements sanctioned by the French government, and that these entitlements make employers hesitant to hire young employees for fear that they will be stuck with an underperforming worker while being required to give them benefits and extensive vacation time.[54]

He says he supports income-based affirmative action as opposed to race-related affirmative action.[55]

He said that much of the chaos following Hurricane Katrina occurred because roughly 10 percent of the population cannot sustain itself. He has said that much of the funds doled out under entitlement programs is wasted on alcohol and drugs.[56]

Environmental issues

O'Reilly generally supports the science behind global warming, although he has said that it is not entirely certain that fossil fuels are the cause. Nonetheless, he has expressed support for a long-term strategy to curb fossil fuel use. He has said he would not support the Kyoto Treaty for economic reasons, but supports the use of fewer polluting agents, more conservation, and "tons more innovation" such as tax credits for alternative fuels.[57]

O'Reilly has also stated his belief that the United States is not doing enough to make it independent of foreign oil. "If Brazil can develop an ethanol industry that makes it completely independent of foreign oil, then the USA can."[58]

Controversy and criticism

For a more detailed treatment, see Criticism of Bill O'Reilly.
Over the years, there have been several controversial issues highlighted in O'Reilly's print and broadcast work. He is involved in many disputes with figures and sources (both liberal and conservative) including Al Franken, Michael Savage, George Clooney, Joe Scarborough, Jon Stewart, Keith Olbermann, Tucker Carlson, David Letterman, Neal Boortz, Michael Kinsley, Bill Maher and Ludacris.

On his prompting, Fox News sued Al Franken over his book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, claiming that the book's satirical mockery of the network and of O'Reilly himself was a copyright violation. The title was critical of O'Reilly, among many others, and an unflattering image of O'Reilly from the show was included on the cover, along with Ann Coulter, Dick Cheney, and George W. Bush. The counter-argument in the suit was the book was a parody and could not be mistaken for a Fox News publication. On August 22, 2003, U.S. District Judge Denny Chin denied Fox's request for an injunction to block the publication of Franken's book, characterizing the network's claim as "wholly without merit, both factually and legally." Three days later, Fox filed to drop its lawsuit.

O'Reilly is frequently challenged by his critics, who question his accuracy on issues such as the Malmedy massacre (O'Reilly incorrectly blamed American soldiers for a henious war crime of which they were in fact victims), and his claim that Inside Edition won two Peabody Awards. In the March 1, 2001 Washington Post Reliable Source column, Al Franken corrected O'Reilly's claim - it was actually a single Polk award (won for reporting that was done after O'Reilly left the show);[59] - In the same column, O'Reilly admitted to confusing the two awards, and stated, "Al Franken is on a jihad against me." A few days later, O'Reilly changed the story, and stated that he had never made the Peabody claim (O'Reilly Factor, 3/13/01): "Guy says about me, couple of weeks ago, 'O'Reilly said he won a Peabody Award.' Never said it. You can't find a transcript where I said it."

However, on the May 19, 2000 broadcast of the O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly repeatedly told a guest who brought up his "tabloid" past: "We won Peabody Awards. . . . We won Peabody awards. . . . A program that wins a Peabody Award, the highest award in journalism, and you're going to denigrate it?" O'Reilly had made the same claim on the May 8, 2000 broadcast of the O'Reilly Factor, as well as the claim of a single Peabody on the August 30, 1999 broadcast of the O'Reilly Factor. [60]

He has also discussed controversial topics such as his annual reports on the Secularization of Christmas, which he calls the "War on Christmas".[61]

While some have claimed that O'Reilly is really only "entertainment", and not "news", and therefore should not be held to a high standard for factual content, O'Reilly has been quoted as saying that Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer and should not be cited for hard facts, whereas O'Reilly is a journalist.[33]

The media watch group, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, has published a book entitled The "Oh Really?" Factor, by author Peter Hart (ISBN 158322601X). The book catalogues what are argued to be distortions and inaccuracies on the part of O'Reilly.

In January 2007, O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor stated that Missouri pre-teen Shawn Hornbeck, who was abducted at gunpoint by Michael J. Devlin and held captive by him for four years, had "liked ... his circumstances" and "had a lot more fun" with Devlin than with "his old parents". While some commentators wondered why the young boy had not tried to escape from his captor, O'Reilly went further, flatly stating that "Shawn had the freedom to get away if he wanted to." [62] Following his remarks, Lowe's canceled its advertising on the O'Reilly Factor. The following month, Devlin was charged with multiple counts of forcible sodomy and producing child pornography. [63]

The Comedy Central program The Colbert Report, hosted by Stephen Colbert, parodies, among others, The O'Reilly Factor. Colbert has called his character a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot." [4] Colbert has continued his in-character satirization/criticism of O'Reilly in venues other than "The Colbert Report", most notably at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.

On the January 24, 2007 edition of The O'Reilly Factor O'Reilly said that he was personally responsible for effecting the dismissal of the Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Boston. "I claim credit for getting Cardinal Law booted out of this country," O'Reilly said, and then stated that his relentless reporting on Cardinal Law's immoral and criminal behavior is why Law was dismissed.[Citation Needed]

Publicity of biography

Marvin Kitman, author of The Man Who Would Not Shut Up: The Rise of Bill O'Reilly, claims that O'Reilly, who was interviewed by Kitman 29 times, had promised to give a huge publicity send off. He claims that O'Reilly has intimidated FOX News reporters from interviewing Kitman. Kitman also claims (probably jokingly) that he has written the only book that says anything positive about O'Reilly. [5]

Published works

O'Reilly writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column that appears in hundreds of newspapers, including the New York Post and the Chicago Sun-Times.[64]

He has written five non-fiction books and a novel, entitled Those Who Trespass. The latter, a detective thriller, achieved a great deal of notoriety for its graphic scenes of sex, including adults having sex with teens, and violence. The ending of the book depicts a shower scene very similar to the one described in Andrea Mackris' sexual harassment suit against O'Reilly.

Books

References

  1. Pragoff, Cat. "Fox News' Bill O'Reilly was in classroom before newsroom", New Hampshire Union Leader, February 9, 2005. Page D10
  2. O'Reilly's Fox News biography
  3. O’Reilly and the Levittown Issue: Answered
  4. Duffy, Don (1970). "Campus Stuff" (The Circle). Poughkeepsie, NY: Marist College (Originally published in The Circle on November 19, 1970). Retrieved on December 26, 2005.
  5. Marist (2001). 2001 Commencement Program. Poughkeepsie, NY: Marist College, Office of Alumni Relations (Originally published in the May 19, 2001 Commencement Program). Retrieved on December 26, 2005.
  6. TheSmokingGun.com (2006) "Bill O'Reilly, Big Pimpin': At 26, the future Fox News star just wanted out of Scranton" via heirs of an O'Reilly correspondent, accessed October 2, 2006
  7. Bill O'Reilly's Bio Accessed August 2006
  8. 8.0 8.1 Malinowski, Scoop (November 8, 2004). Get 2 Know Bill O'Reilly!. TheBioFILE.com. Retrieved on September 9, 2005.
  9. "Fear Factor - Bill O’Reilly’s baroque period", Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker, March 20, 2006
  10. Gay, Verne (2005). "What's hate got to do with it?", October 18, Newsday. 
  11. Bill O'Reilly Birdseye, cryptome.org
  12. "O'Reilly rips celeb 'phonies'", Richard Johnson with Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson, PapillonsArtPalace.com, November 2, 2001
  13. "Fight the power", Bill O'Reilly, WorldNetDaily, December 13, 2001
  14. "Red Cross Diverts Donations From Sept. 11 Victims", Kevin Curran, NewsMax.com, October 31, 2001
  15. "Red Cross President Resigns Under Pressure From Board", Grant Williams, Philanthropy.com, October 26, 2001
  16. Opening Statement of the Hon. J.D. Hayworth, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Oversight of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Hearing on Response by Charitable Organizations to the Recent Terrorist Attacks, Committee on Ways & Means, November 8, 2001
  17. Photocopy of lawsuit
  18. You must specify title = and url = when using {{cite web}}. Available parameters:

    {{cite web
    |url = 
    |title = 
    |accessdate = 
    |accessdaymonth = 
    |accessmonthday = 
    |accessyear = 
    |author = 
    |last = 
    |first = 
    |authorlink = 
    |coauthors = 
    |date = 
    |year = 
    |month = 
    |format = 
    |work = 
    |publisher = 
    |pages = 
    |language = 
    |doi = 
    |archiveurl = 
    |archivedate = 
    |quote = 
    }}
    TheSmokingGun.com (2004a). . Courtroom Television Network LLC (appeared October 13). Retrieved on July 11, 2005.
  19. TheSmokingGun.com (2004b). O'Reilly Hit With Sex Harass Suit. Courtroom Television Network LLC (appeared October 13). Retrieved on July 11, 2005.
  20. Howard Kurtz, "O'Reilly, Accuser Air Their Cases", Washington Post, October 15, 2004
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 Howard Kurtz, "Bill O'Reilly, Producer Settle Harassment Suit", Washington Post, October 29, 2004
  22. Ingrassia, Michelle. "HE'S LIVING THE LIFE OF O'REILLY: The TV pundit looks at his success an d sees the Levittown factor", New York Daily News, December 6, 2000, p. 40. 
  23. see Seth Ackerman and Peter Hart, "Bill O'Reilly's Sheer O'Reillyness: Don't call him conservative — but he is" FAIR (July/Aug 2001)
  24. Random House, [1], Excerpt from the introduction of O'Reilly's book, The O'Reilly Factor, March 12, 2002
  25. 25.0 25.1 "Bill O'Reilly's 'Apology': Still Spinning in the 'No Spin Zone'" by Peter Hart, Common Dreams NewsCenter, February 25, 2004.
  26. "Devil in the Details: He Is the Eggman" by Heidi Pauken, The American Prospect, March 1, 2004.
  27. "My Bad: 25 Years of Public Apologies and the Appalling Behavior That Inspired Them" by Paul Slansky and Arleen Sorkin, Flak Magazine.
  28. O'Reilly: Iraqi people are "primitive," "prehistoric group". Media Matters for America (2006-06-18). Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  29. 29.0 29.1 Therese, Marie (June 17, 2005). Will Wonders Never Cease? NPR's Juan Williams Finds His Voice, Argues with O'Reilly. News Hounds.
  30. The O'Reilly Factor Flash, Talking Points Memo & Top Story (2006-09-28). Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  31. talking Points: Condit Should Resign.
  32. "IRS Official to Judicial Watch: Clinton Enemies Were Audited", Carl Limbacher, NewsMax.com, April 23, 2002
  33. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CBS_1
  34. O'Reilly and Romerstein inaccurately cited exit poll data to.... Media Matters For America. Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  35. G.W. (2004). Self-proclaimed non-partisan Bill O'Reilly urged listeners to vote against Daschle in South Dakota; O'Reilly's Dem Convention preview: Daschle's "no good"; Pelosi's a "nut"; Max Cleland's "strange". Media Matters.
  36. O'Reilly, Bill. Notes from the Campaign Trail.... FOX News.
  37. O'Reilly, Bill. Right Man for the Job?. FOX News.
  38. Kovacs, Joe. [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27695 O'Reilly scorches Hillary on 'Tonight Show']. World Net Daily.
  39. O'Reilly, Bill. Would You Vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger?. FOX News.
  40. O'Reilly, Bill (2005). Election Day, 2005. FOX News.
  41. Bill's Talking Points Memo (Friday, February 20, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  42. God versus science: that is the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo".. FOX News (2005-08-03). Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  43. O'Reilly: ACLU is America's "most dangerous organization ... second to Al Qaeda". Media Matters for America (2004-06-08). Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  44. Gay Marriage and the Culture War. FOX News.
  45. Billoreilly.com, Culture Warrior Test. Accessed January 8, 2007.
  46. Work or die (2001-06-14). Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  47. Bill O'Reilly (2005-06-22). Guarding the border. Jewish World Review. Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  48. BillO'Reilly.com: The O'Reilly Factor Flash, November 7, 2005: "Once I saw what happened in Hurricane Katrina, I said every American household should have a firearm. If there's a tremendous earthquake in San Francisco and looting, you don't want your family protected? You don't want a firearm in your house? You're living in the world of Oz. And the military is a noble enterprise. Why should the rest of the country protect your butt if San Francisco is going to thumb your nose at the military by passing this resolution?"
  49. Jessica's Law Report Card. BillOReilly.com.
  50. Protecting the Kids - Liberal Versus Conservative. FOX News (2006-01-20). Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  51. O'Reilly, Bill (2005). Protecting the Kids in New Jersey.... FOX News.
  52. 52.0 52.1 What Is Convicted Child Sex Offender Debra LaFave Doing on TV?.
  53. O'Reilly, Bill (June 8, 2006). A Taxing Proposition.
  54. O'Reilly, Bill (April 3, 2006). French whine.
  55. O'Reilly, Bill (June 30, 2003). Affirmative action, negative reaction.
  56. O'Reilly: "Many, many, many" hurricane victims who failed to evacuate New Orleans are "drug-addicted ... thugs". Media Matters for America.
  57. O'Reilly, Bill (June 4, 2002). Global Warming & the Bush Administration. Fox News.
  58. O'Reilly, Bill (May 8, 2006). Oil and immigrants.
  59. George Polk Award for Journalism, Accessed January 8, 2007.
  60. "The Washington Post Reliable Source"
  61. Occurrences of the phrase "War on Christmas" on billoreilly.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.
  62. "O'Reilly, unapologetic for remarks about the "fun" had by kidnapping victim...". Retrieved on 2007-2-22.
  63. "Boys' kidnapping suspect faces sodomy charges". Retrieved on 2007-2-22.
  64. BillOReilly.com, Newspaper Column List, Accessed January 8, 2007.
  65. 65.0 65.1 65.2 65.3 New York Times Best Seller; Number Ones Listing; Non Fiction By Date, Hawes.com
  66. Bill's Bio. BillOReilly.com.

External links

Template:Wikiquote

fr:Bill O'Reilly nl:Bill O'Reilly ja:ビル・オライリー no:Bill O'Reilly fi:Bill O'Reilly sv:Bill O'Reilly