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| On The O'Reilly Factor...
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| 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.
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Guest: Howard Kurtz, Washington Post
"American troops are aggressively seeking out terrorists in Iraq right now. A good outcome in Iraq might be impossible, however, because many Iraqis are not helping coalition forces. So if the Iraqis don't wise up soon, U.S. forces will pull back. So now you're up to date on Iraq, and I didn't have to show you any terror bombings to make my points. The liberal press has made a big deal out of the fact that Fox News devotes less time to Iraq than our competitors at CNN and MSNBC. Talking Points asserts that showing pictures of terrorist activity purely for the visual helps the terrorists and doesn't advance the Iraq story. But some don't agree, including media reporter Howard Kurtz, who said this on CNN: 'It's certainly hard for me to imagine during World War II that we shouldn't cover every bombing in London because that's what the Germans want.' But what about President Roosevelt setting up the Office of War Information in 1942, which censored the results of enemy action and American casualties? Roosevelt did that to prevent the erosion of morale here in America. We don't censor the news on The Factor, but we don't help the terrorists, either. And that separates us from some in the anti-war press."
CNN and Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz joined The Factor to defend his criticism of Fox News. "I don't think we should show every bombing just for the visuals," Kurtz explained, "but the bombings do mean something to the soldiers who are killed and their families. Reporting that tries puts this into context gives us a scorecard as to how the war is going. I think you should take a better look at what some of your competitors are doing." The Factor reiterated that some media outlets seem far too eager to highlight carnage. "I've got a problem with the constant showing of terror activity for no other reason than showing it. The terrorist strategy is to blow something up every day to wear down the American population, and it's working. There is a lot of coverage about Iraq being done solely being done for political reasons, to make it look like a debacle."
News Link: Kurtz takes swipe at O'Reilly's Iraq coverage |
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Guests: Democrat strategist Laura Schwartz
Bill and Hillary Clinton play themselves in a new campaign video that parodies the "diner scene" in the final episode of The Sopranos. Democrat strategist Laura Schwartz praised the spot and Senator Clinton. "It was a great way to humanize Hillary Clinton. So many people don't get to see the self-deprecating humor she possesses. It was more of a take on popular culture, showing she's a part of it." The Factor seconded Schwartz's positive review. "It was well done, and they present a Senator Clinton who is in touch with what America is in touch with. It was a creative campaign idea that worked."
News Link: Video: Clintons' Sopranos spoof |
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Guest: Dave Salmoni, Animal Planet
11-year old Samuel Ives was killed by a black bear during a camping trip in Utah last weekend. Animal Planet's Dave Salmoni explained why bear attacks are apparently on the rise. "The danger isn't so much in the fact there are more bears, it's that there is more bear-human interaction - bears aren't as afraid of us as they used to be. Bears aren't going after people, they're going after our food." The Factor argued that more attacks occur primarily because there are more bears. "Listen to this city boy, Dave - if we have an exploding population of bears, you're going to have more bears going after people. I think we're going to see more and more of this."
News Link: Deadly black bear attack |
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Guest: Kevin Naff, The Washington Blade
The gay-oriented Washington Blade newspaper is calling for a boycott of the movie "Hairspray" because the movie's star John Travolta is a Scientologist. Blade managing editor Kevin Naff elaborated on his quarrel with Scientology. "Scientologists operate therapy clinics to 'cure' gay people. It's one of the worst slurs directed at gays and has totally been debunked. And it's a real insult to have an iconic gay role played by a Scientologist." But The Factor questioned the wisdom of a boycott. "Travolta is an actor just trying to make a living, and he has chosen Scientology. The movie is made by a gay director, so why bother with a boycott? Are you going to boycott every Catholic actor, too?"
News Link: Travolta in gay-play-scientology feud |
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Guests: Fox News analyst Sunny Hostin & correspondent Megyn Kelly
FNC legal experts Sunny Hostin and Megyn Kelly debated whether disgraced prosecutor Mike Nifong can and should be sued by the falsely accused Duke lacrosse players. "They can sue him," Kelly declared. "I'd sue for malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional distress. This is the most egregious case of prosecutorial misconduct anyone has seen." But Hostin argued that a lawsuit would be ill-advised. "Everybody should move on from this. The players got millions of dollars from Duke, and this guy has been a public servant for thirty years. This would have a chilling effect on what prosecutors do every day." Moving to another case, Kelly elaborated on an allegation of "hate speech" against homosexuals in Oakland. "This is about what can be said in the work place. Gays and lesbians were circulating materials that promoted their lifestyle, so a couple of Christian women posted their own flyers promoting marriage and traditional values. One lesbian woman complained, saying she felt 'targeted and excluded,' and Oakland passed an ordinance saying that speech was homophobic and illegal." The Factor predicted the ordinance will be overturned. "If the Supreme Court takes this case, the court will rule that this speech is protected. How can this possibly be 'hate speech?'"
News Link: Mike Nifong legal update
News Link: Hate speech debate |
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Guest: Body language expert Tonya Reiman
Finally, Tonya Reiman provided her weekly analysis of newsmakers and their body language. She began by watching video of Fred Thompson explain his desire to be president. "He's using his left hand when he talks about what he would like to do," Reiman said. "Normally when you feel passionately about something you use your dominant hand. I got the impression he wasn't that passionate." Next under the microscope was actress Angelina Jolie, who apologized for having reporters sign a detailed memo before she would talk with them. "She thought the memo was indeed excessive. You could see it in her eyebrows, and whenever a woman puts her hand to the chest, it means it's from the heart." Finally, Reiman watched Mike Nifong's apology and suggested it was less than sincere. "He's not taking full responsibility for his actions. I didn't get the feeling he was feeling fully apologetic." |
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Many of you wrote about the The Factor's confrontation with the San Francisco Chronicle's John Diaz. Some excerpts:
Tom Boone, Houston, TX: "Bill, what were you thinking making things difficult for Mr. Diaz by asking him a yes or no question? Those are really hard."
Bill Grady, Spring, TX: "It was good to see Diaz stand up to your bullying tactics, O'Reilly."
Mike Ostaffe, Maple Grove, MN: "If fences don't work as Mr. Diaz stated, why do we have them around our prisons?" |
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