Day: 6/12/2009

Re: Joan Walsh On Bill O’Reilly: I Told You So!

Posted by on June 12, 2009 at 10:25 pm. 31 Comments :

Earlier today I warned Salon editor Joan Walsh against appearing on the O’Reilly Factor to discuss the controversy surrounding the murdered abortion provider, Dr. George Tiller. I argued that there was no possible upside because Bill O’Reilly would just turn the interview into a shoutfest wherein O’Reilly would seek only to harangue and ridicule.

Guess what?

This was a pathetic display of bullying by an ignorant, dishonest, and obsessed man. O’Reilly deftly validated my long-held position that no Democrat or progressive should EVER appear on Fox News. O’Reilly loaded the segment with quotes and video clips to which Walsh had no prior access and could not reasonably respond with any authority. She, however, had no opportunity to do likewise, or even to respond to his questions. When he wasn’t hollering at her, saying that “You have blood on your hands,” he was bellowing at her to “Stop talking!” That is the natural state of an O’Reilly interview. It is a format in which he excels, but others can be made to look foolish. So even though Walsh has been an effective and articulate presence on other TV programs, it was easily predictable that she would be jostled and beaten here. Walsh herself seems to agree with me after the fact:

“If I’m sorry I did the show — and I’m not yet sure I am — it’s only because of one thing: He used me to try Dr. Tiller again, postmortem.” […] “I’m a little embarrassed because they make me look like a liberal Pollyanna, a lamb ready to lie down with the lion — to be eaten! Live and learn.” […] “Epic fail! What was I thinking?”

You ought to be sorry, Joan. But you’re right, he did use you. He used you to attack everyone who believes that private, personal medical decisions should be between the patient and the doctor. He used you to bash everyone with liberal values that are rooted in free choice and freedom from groups or governments that seek to impose their moral standards on you. He used you to validate himself and to reinforce the falsehood that he and Fox News are “fair and balanced.”

You should be embarrassed, too. And I hope that you have learned. I hope others can learn from your unfortunate experience. The deck is stacked against anyone who wanders into that lair. It has nothing to do with your debating skills or subject knowledge. It is fixed from the outset. O’Reilly is, as you said, “driven by demons.”

I simply cannot say this enough: Stay the HELL off of Fox News. The only thing they care about is ginning up the rage and hyping the resultant conflict. Just take a look at how they are already promoting the Walsh episode just hours after it was taped:

Notice they proudly plug the flaring tempers in part one. And, worse, part two is pitched as “O’Reilly’s Dr. Tiller shoot-out.” Remember, this is about a man who was just shot to death. This is all you need to know about Fox News and how they will gleefully exploit you in the most repulsive manner imaginable.

[Update – 6/21/09] Joan Walsh wrote another followup to her O’Reilly misadventure. She seems to have learned her lesson.

“I didn’t expect to go into a debate on late-term abortion, or the details of Dr. Tiller’s practice. I was asked to discuss my reasons for criticizing O’Reilly’s crusade against Tiller, and why I hoped he would turn down his rhetoric. I was sandbagged, but that’s the O’Reilly game plan.” […] “I should have been prepared for him to hit me again Monday, when I couldn’t defend myself, with selective re-editing that took out my criticism of him and made me look evasive and/or stupid.”

I can’t imagine why she didn’t expect to be sandbagged and ridiculed. She should have read what I wrote before her appearance. I predicted precisely what would take place. I just hope that others will learn from her mistake. When you go on Fox News you are abandoning the world of responsible media and volunteering to be victimized by unscrupulous practitioners of self-righteousness and deceit. Just say no!

Joan Walsh Falling Into Bill O’Reilly’s Trap

Posted by on June 12, 2009 at 12:15 pm. 1 Comments :

[Note: See my post-broadcast update here}

Yesterday on Hardball, Salon editor Joan Walsh quite correctly called right-wing media to task for being provocateurs who openly engage in inflammatory rhetoric that paranoid, racist, lunatics feed upon. She said:

“When Bill O‘Reilly goes on TV every night and calls Dr. Tiller a baby killer and a Nazi and a Mengele, and shows where he works, why do we put up with that? Why is that entertainment in our culture? It‘s demonizing a private citizen for doing a lawful job? Why are people doing that? Why is that acceptable?”

Why, indeed? Why are these people given platforms to spew such thinly veiled rationalizations of violence and hatred? Why are their baseless rants regarded as acceptable in the discourse of controversial issues? Why are their words not associated with the all too predictable consequences wrought by the entranced disciples who congregate on the ledge of sanity? And why do otherwise reasonable editors persist in lending their credibility to these media malignancies, as Joan Walsh has agreed to do?

After her remarks on Hardball, O’Reilly invited her to appear on his program to debate the issue. She inexplicably accepted. It is beyond ridiculous for her to agree to participate in what will surely be a manipulated exercise in justifying O’Reilly’s incitations and massaging his bloated ego. What can she possibly hope to accomplish? She won’t change his mind or those of his brainwash followers…er…viewers.

I have previously documented the multitude of reasons why all Democrats and progressives should refuse to appear on Fox News (Starve The Beast parts One, Two, and Three). O’Reilly, in particular, is well known for bullying his “guests” and for using his editorial control to dismiss and humiliate them. He isn’t interested in winning an argument on its merits when he can just shout you down and exploit the resulting chaos to enhance his ratings. Here is a simple primer for an encounter with O’Reilly:

The O’Reilly Interview 101
Ask direct yes or no questions where one answer is clearly reprehensible and the other is totally meaningless, and bully your guest into responding.
“Do you want the U.S. to lose in Iraq? Well, do you?”

Create an association with an unpopular (preferably mischaracterized) opinion with the broadest attribution possible.
“Do you agree with Harry Belafonte, and the rest of the liberal establishment, that Venezuela should take over America?”

Never concede on substance, even if your arguments are demonstrably false.
“Saddam Hussein did too meet with Osama Bin Laden at Michael Moore’s compound in Libya – Twice.”

Employ ad hominims liberally.
“Why should anyone listen to a radical, Kool-Aid drinking, far-left loon like you?”

Shout louder than your guests and interrupt frequently, especially when they are making a good point.

Walsh is making a mistake by sucking up to this demagogue and she should seriously consider canceling the appearance. She is not merely placing herself in a position where she will be disparaged and diminished, she is creating an opportunity for O’Reilly to project his venom on everyone with whom she presumes to represent. She is willfully doing harm to all of us who are fighting so fiercely against the sort on poisonous rhetoric that O’Reilly dispenses on a daily basis.

It’s not too late to tell Walsh to back out of the booking. She asked for advise on her Twitter stream. Let’s give her some. And you can speak out at her blog as well.

Update: Well, after the taping, Walsh blogged about the experience. It wasn’t pretty.

Even though she has already gone through with it, we can still let her know that it was a mistake.