Thursday, September 13, 2007
On The O'Reilly Factor...
Segment Summaries
All content taken from The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel. Each weeknight by 6 PM EST a preview of that evening's show will be posted and then updated with additional information the following weekday by noon EST.
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
More dishonesty from the media
"Last night we opined that it is almost impossible for you, the American public, to get the truth about Iraq and other important issues because propaganda and defamation are overwhelming the facts. Well, the New York Post is reporting that the New York Times gave MoveOn an enormous discount for its smear advertisement against General Petraeus. This is a very serious matter - the founders gave the press huge privileges because they wanted you to be informed. But now we have some mainstream media actively trying to impose a left wing ideology on the nation rather than inform them about the facts. The Times is clearly an ideological outfit, as is NBC News, which routinely takes propaganda from far left Internet sites and presents it as truth. Then we have Bill Moyers of PBS, who promotes a far left ideology under the guise of reporting. How can fair-minded people make responsible decisions when they can't get truthful reporting? The New York Times should turn itself into a magazine; that would be the honest thing to do. Americans know the Times is in bed with MoveOn, a radical organization that is funded in part by George Soros, who can well afford to pay the legitimate rate for a newspaper advertisement."

News Link: NYT gave MoveOn.org discount for "Betray Us" ad

For more on the subject, The Factor was joined by media analysts Cal Thomas and Jane Hall. Thomas slammed the Times as a blatantly biased organization. "MoveOn is promoting a policy that dovetails with the Times editorial position. The left in this country is invested in American defeat in Iraq and the defeat of the Republican Party in the next election, so anything that is seen as positive in Iraq is viewed as a threat." But Hall claimed this incident has nothing to do with bias. "The New York Times advertising pages are different from the editorial pages. My understanding is that they also run conservative ads, who get the same discount. So this does not prove your point." When Hall brought up the Swift Boat ads as an example of unfair tactics on the right, The Factor confronted her. "Jane, every time I speak with you, you justify bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior. You make excuses by digging up something up that was wrong as well."
Impact Segment
Far-left demonstrators interrupt 9/11 memorial
Far-left radicals at San Francisco State University disrupted a solemn 9/11 memorial ceremony with anti-war protests. The Factor welcomed student leaders from both political parties, both of whom denounced the protesters. "This was a bipartisan effort," said Democrat Ian King. "to remember the victims, and I was a little mystified that people would disagree with what we were doing. None of those protestors were part of the Democratic Club on campus." Republican Leigh Wolf added that school administrators will not mete out any punishment. "These protestors infringed on our First Amendment rights by shouting us down while we were trying to speak, but the school is just afraid to deal with any kind of controversy. These are radical left wing elements that exist in our administration and in the student body." The Factor condemned the radicals and their boorish behavior. "They were using this ceremony to defile the flag and call the United States a fascist nation. They wouldn't even give a moment of silence to Americans who were killed on 9/11 - this is disrespect off the chart."

News Link: Video: 9/11 commemoration marred by protesters
Unresolved Problems Segment
Using a child as a political tool
The open-borders crowd has a new poster boy - 8-year old Saul Arellano, whose mother was deported to Mexico. Even though Saul became visibly distressed as he led a contingent of protestors through the halls of Congress this week, immigrant advocate Enrique Morones defended the boy's role. "Saul wants to do these types of things," Morones claimed, "and his mother has said it is up to him. There are 4-million children in the same situation, and it is not right that parents are being deported." But The Factor contended that ideologues are exploiting an 8-year old boy. "He's not in any position to make any decision about this kind of sophisticated issue. The anarchy that you seem to want to promote and then using a little boy to do it is disturbing."

News Link: Boy "thrust" into immigration debate
Factor Follow Up Segment
John Stossel takes on Michael Moore
On ABC's 20/20 this week, John Stossel disputes many of the arguments made by Michael Moore in his movie "Sicko." "He says government health care is free," Stossel told The Factor, "but it's not free. When government provides it, we pay for it in taxes, and 'free' government care inevitably leads to rationing. In Canada it can take 17 weeks to see a specialist. So we tell people the parts he won't tell, how in England some people pull their own teeth because they can't get to see a dentist, and how some hospitals just flip over the sheets rather than wash them."

News Link: Stossel vs. Moore
Personal Story Segment
Hardee's releases (and pulls) offensive TV ad
The Hardee's hamburger chain recently produced a TV commercial showing a sexy female teacher performing a salacious dance in front of her thug-like students. Advertising expert Laura Ries reported that Hardee's is aiming at one particular market. "There's so much advertising out there aimed at young men, and they have to break through the clutter. And what gets young boys' attention better than sex? They know this is tasteless, but what they want to do is create controversy." Teacher advocate Tracey Bailey complained about declining respect for educators and women. "It's completely irresponsible to throw these kinds of examples on the airwaves. And we're sexualizing young women to the point where some high schools have become meat markets." The Factor denounced Hardee's for reaching new depths. "This same company did an ad with Paris Hilton, and they must have the biggest morons in the world working there. There's no excuse for this."

News Link: Video: Sexy Hardee's burger ad condemned by teachers
Back of Book Segment
The Dhue Point
The Factor introduced a new segment featuring "ombudswoman" Laurie Dhue, who will serve as viewer representative. As one example, Dhue read a letter from a viewer who complained that "the way you treated Congressman Ron Paul the other night was unacceptable." The Factor responded with this rationalization: "I interrupted the Congressman when he didn't answer a question. If I ask a question and they dodge it, they're going to get cut off." But Dhue sided with the letter-writer. "I reviewed the tape very carefully and you did interrupt him twice, you did not let him finish his thought. At one point I felt sorry for Ron Paul." Viewers with grievances about The Factor can contact Dhue at dhuepoint@foxnews.com.
Pinheads & Patriots
Who's helping and who's hurting?
Thursday's Patriots: Yance Gray and Omar Mora, U.S. soldiers who were killed in a truck accident in Iraq. They had openly objected to how the war is being waged, but remained loyal to their commanders and their country. And the Pinhead: Comedienne Kathy Griffin, who went on an offensive anti-Jesus rant at an awards ceremony.

News Link: Kathy Griffin tells Jesus to "suck it"