{{Infobox Celebrity | name = Bill O'Reilly | image = Bill Oreilly.jpg | caption = Bill O'Reilly | birth_date = [[September 10]], [[1949]] | birth_place = {{flagicon|USA}} [[New York City]], [[New York|NY]], [[USA]] | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = [[Commentator]], [[Author]], [[Journalist]], [[Print syndication|syndicated]] [[columnist]], [[television personality|television]] and [[talk radio]] personality | spouse = Maureen E. McPhilmy | children = Madeline, Spencer | height = 6'4" | website = [http://www.billoreilly.com/ billoreilly.com] | footnotes = }} '''William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr.''' (born [[September 10]], [[1949]] Pragoff, Cat. "Fox News' Bill O'Reilly was in classroom before newsroom", ''[[New Hampshire Union Leader]]'', February 9, 2005. Page D10) is an [[Emmy award]] winning [[journalist]], [[commentator]], [[television personality]], [[Print syndication|syndicated]] [[columnist]] and best selling [[author]].[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1256,00.html O'Reilly's Fox news Bio] O'Reilly is best known as the host of the [[cable television|cable news]] program ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]'', broadcast on the [[Fox News Channel]]. Between 2003 and the first half of 2006, it ranked #1 among U.S. cable news programs, averaging 2.2 million viewers daily in 2005.{{cite web| year=2005| author=[[Nielsen Media Research]]| url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/original/2005ranker.pdf| title=Nielsen Media Research; 2005 Competitive Program Analysis}}[http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/q2_06_program_ranker_39233.asp Q2 '06: Program Ranker], MediaBistro.com He has been described as "one of the most provocative news figures in [[United States|America]]" by journalist [[Mike Wallace (journalist)|Mike Wallace]].{{cite web | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/23/60minutes/main645202.shtml|title=Bill O'Reilly: 'No Spin': -- Mike Wallace Takes On Fox News' Biggest Anchor |publisher=CBS News| date=2004-09-26|accessdate=2006-10-10 }} O'Reilly also hosts a radio program, syndicated by [[Westwood One]], entitled ''[[The Radio Factor]]'', and has written six books, mostly featuring his own social-political views. ==Biography== === Background === 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. In 1951, his family moved to a home on Long Island, in [[Levittown, New York]].[http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A62722-2000Dec12?language=printer "The Life of O'Reilly"], Paul Farhi, ''Washington Post'', December 13, 2000[http://lyingliar.com/lies/images/deed.jpg Deed.jpg, LyingLiar.com] After graduating from [[Chaminade High School]] in 1967, O'Reilly attended [[Marist College]], a small, co-educational private institution in [[Poughkeepsie (city), New York|Poughkeepsie]], New York. While at Marist, O'Reilly played punter in the National Club [[American football|Football]] Association,{{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 }} 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]]. O'Reilly has deleted this information from his official biography at FoxNews.com.{{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 }} 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, leading him to try out to play for the American professional baseball team, the [[New York Mets]]. After college he worked for two years as a high school [[teacher]]. 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]]".{{cite book| first = Verne| last = Gay| year = 2005| title = "What's hate got to do with it?"| edition = October 18| publisher = Newsday}} O'Reilly has requested that no photographs of his home or family be made public—citing a desire to protect his family's privacy and security. He and his family now live in [[Manhasset]], [[New York]].[http://cryptome.org/billo-birdseye.htm Bill O'Reilly Birdseye], cryptome.org === Broadcasting career === [[Image:0301061billo1.jpg|thumb|right|Bill O'Reilly in 1975 worked as the "Action Consumer troubleshooter" for [[WNEP]], an [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate in [[Scranton, Pennsylvania]], USA.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]]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]]''. [[Image:IEPromoWJLA1993.jpg|thumb|left|[[WJLA-TV|WJLA]], [[Washington, D.C.]] ''[[Inside Edition]]'' promo featuring Bill O'Reilly, 1993.]] 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 an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]] for his coverage of a [[skyjacking]].[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155,00.html Bill O'Reilly's Bio] ''Accessed August 2006''{{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 }} O'Reilly also worked for [[KATU|KATU-TV]] in [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]], as well as TV stations in [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] (WFSB), [[Connecticut]], and in [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]. In 1980, he anchored his own program on [[WCBS-TV]] in New York where he won his second 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, amongst 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 violent ritualistic murders.)[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 In 1986, O'Reilly joined [[ABC News]] as a correspondent on ''[[ABC World News Tonight]]''. In three years, he appeared on the show over one hundred times, receiving two National Headliner Awards for excellence in reporting. In 1989, O'Reilly joined the nationally syndicated [[King World]] (now [[CBS]]) program ''[[Inside Edition]]'', a tabloid-style current affairs television program in competition with ''[[A Current Affair (US TV series)|A Current Affair]]''. He started as senior correspondent and backup anchor for celebrated British TV host [[David Frost (broadcaster)|David Frost]], and subsequently became the program's anchor after Frost's brief tenure. 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 nascent channel's most popular show was renamed to ''The O'Reilly Factor'' when it moved to a later time slot in 1998 since the host was the main "factor" of the show. === ''The O'Reilly Factor'' === {{main|The O'Reilly Factor}} [[Image:oreilly.jpg|250px|thumb|''The O'Reilly Factor'' Promotional Image]] 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 daily on the FOX News Channel at 8:00 p.m. [[North American Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern Time]]. At the conclusion of each episode of The Factor, O'Reilly ends the show by reminding viewers to visit his two websites, providing his email address, and requesting that they "opine", being sure to include their "name and town, name and town, name and town" and to keep it "pithy". His final words are always marked by telling his viewers that if "they wish to opine, then please do not be a (colorful descriptive noun---see next paragraph)". Sometimes, O'Reilly reminds the viewers not to "[[bloviate]]", because in his words, "that's my job." After this, he usually announces the imminent upcoming episode of ''[[Hannity & Colmes]]'', and then signs off, saying "the spin stops here, because we're looking out for you." Some of the colorful descriptive nouns mentioned above include "[[popinjay]]", "[[jackanapes]]", "[[blatherskite]]", "[[ninnyhammer]]" and "[[scaramouch]]." He occasionally will spring a new word on the viewers, and such an action often results in a barrage of e-mails commenting on his new "word". ===American Red Cross and the United Way=== In the wake of the [[September 11th 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 9/11 terrorist attacks.[http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/celebrit.htm "O'Reilly rips celeb 'phonies'"], Richard Johnson with Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson, PapillonsArtPalace.com, November 2, 2001[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25667 "Fight the power"], Bill O'Reilly, WorldNetDaily, December 13, 2001 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.[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 Actor [[George Clooney]] defended the United Way from O'Reilly's criticisms of a telethon which ended up raising $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]], forced the president of the Red Cross to resign for her role in the situation, and then the Red Cross pledged that all funds would go to directly benefit the victims of the September 11 attacks.[http://philanthropy.com/free/update/2001/10/2001102601.htm "Red Cross President Resigns Under Pressure From Board"], Grant Williams, Philanthropy.com, October 26, 2001 In the aftermath, O'Reilly helped the Red Cross develop a revised policy regarding how donations would be distributed. 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.[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 On January 6, 2005 about three years after the Red Cross revised its policy on distributing its funds for the 911 families, O'Reilly claimed that a fund raising telethon by the United Way for the [[2004 tsunami]] victims would end up the same as the 9/11 funds raised by the Red Cross. On January 10, 2005 George Clooney sent an e-mail to O'Reilly which pointed out that the United Way, not the Red Cross, sponsored the telethon and claimed that O'Reilly's comments were for personal gain and would cause fewer people to donate to the cause. Clooney also invited O'Reilly to present at the event and personally oversee and help the fund raising. O'Reilly responded later on his nightly show, "That sounds good to me, but I have to see what the format is."[http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/10/oreilly.clooney/ "Clooney, O'Reilly spar over tsunami telethon"], CNN.com, January 11, 2005 O'Reilly did participate in the telethon.[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445772/fullcredits Full Cast and Crew for ''Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope''], IMDb.com ===Extortion and sexual harassment lawsuits=== On [[October 13]], [[2004]], O'Reilly filed a preemptive lawsuit against ''O'Reilly Factor'' producer [[Andrea 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]]. Mackris filed her complaint of sexual harassment later the same day.[http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackris16.html Photocopy of lawsuit] In her complaint, she alleged that O'Reilly had made numerous references to "[[phone sex]], [[vibrator]]s, threesomes, [[masturbation]], the loss of his virginity, and sexual fantasies."{{cite web | author=TheSmokingGun.com| 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}}{{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}}Howard Kurtz, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34312-2004Oct15.html "O'Reilly, Accuser Air Their Cases"], ''Washington Post'', [[October 15]], [[2004]]Howard Kurtz, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7578-2004Oct28.html "Bill O'Reilly, Producer Settle Harassment Suit"], ''Washington Post'', [[October 29]], [[2004]] The complaint also sought additional damages and described alleged actions of retaliation by Fox, ''et.al''. O'Reilly filed an answer to the complaints, and the two cases were settled out of court. Both parties agreed to keep the terms of settlement confidential, and to withdraw their claims of wrongdoing, which each has done. According to the ''[[New York Post]]'', the settlement amount was likely in the millions of dollars. After the case was settled, O'Reilly's only public comment was, "This chapter is behind me, and I will never talk about it again." O'Reilly has not commented on it since. A concert-length [[oratorio]] based on allegations of sexual harassment by O'Reilly called ''[http://www.mackrisvoreilly.com/home.html Mackris v. O'reilly ]'' will play at University of Washington's Meany Hall. The court documents filed by Mackris can be found at http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackris1.html ==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 Party (United States)|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.{{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 }} He claimed that Nassau County would not allow him to register as an Independent, but that the form did allow him to register with "no party affiliation".{{fact}} O'Reilly disagrees with a common claim that he is a conservative, preferring to call himself a traditionalist and a [[populism|populist]]. He has also used the term Independent. 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."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]] ===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."[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]].[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]].[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]]''. 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." 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 in areas in which he feels they are failing. After reading a poll showing that only 2% of the Iraq 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." {{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}} ===Terrorism=== O'Reilly supports coercive measures to extract information from detainees at [[Guantanamo Bay]], which he visited on two occasions. He believes such measures protect the lives of thousands and that such measures are effective. He agrees that some may view such measures as [[torture]], but claims that in comparison to torture procedures used under the regimes of dictators such as [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Pol Pot]], the tactics used by the U.S. are not torture and are beneficial even when involving physical techniques.{{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]]}} He also thinks that detainees should be judged under military tribunals, but not protected under the [[Geneva Convention]] because the convention requires combatants to, under his interpretation, wear a [[uniform]]. The [[Third Geneva Convention]], Article 4 lists the wearing of a "fixed distinctive sign" as a requirement for a combatant to be considered a [[prisoners of war|prisoner of war]]. He has been critical of so-called secular progressives like Democratic [[Speaker of the House]]-to-be [[Nancy Pelosi]] and [[George Soros]] for wanting to leniently try terror suspects in civilian courts.{{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}} Shortly after O'Reilly concluded his visit to the Guantanamo Bay prison, three prisoners committed suicide. [http://www.billoreilly.com/show;jsessionid140A34804B922F5408B327A8DB56C4?action=viewTVShow&showID09 The O'Reilly Factor Flash] ===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."{{cite web | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,29294,00.html | title=talking Points: Condit Should Resign}} In the same article he points out that [[Gary Condit]] a conservative [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[congressman]], who had an affair with [[Chandra Levy]] prior to her disappearance and death, should be held at the same standard when it comes to inappropriate behavior. O'Reilly has repeatedly claimed throughout the years that [[Bill Clinton]] had the [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] audit him.[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 In the [[2004]] [[United States presidential election, 2004|presidential election]] he implied his support for [[George W. Bush|Bush]] but also called [[John Kerry]] a patriot and worth listening to. He felt the [[Swift Vets and POWs for Truth|Swift Boat]] attacks were "terrible" and unjustifiable. 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.{{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}} O'Reilly does not endorse candidates directly, but he will generally advise viewers and listeners not to vote for a candidate that he opposes.{{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"}} 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]].{{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...}} 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. He also was critical of Attorney General [[John Ashcroft]] for [[CIA]] blunders in intelligence over [[weapons of mass destruction]]. However, he later praised Ashcroft for going after the [[Arthur Andersen]] accounting firm, [[Enron]], [[WorldCom]], [[Sam Waksal]] of [[Imclone]] and [[Martha Stewart]].{{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?}} O'Reilly has expressed criticism of Democratic Senator [[Hillary Clinton]] and her presumed intention to run 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 criticized her for running as a political [[carpetbagger]] as well as her intentions of abolishing the [[Electoral College]] in favor of popular vote, claiming that it would be done only to give her an advantage in the presidential race.{{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}} === 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" was equally corrupt and had to be removed.{{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| }} However, in the same segment, O'Reilly mentioned that the "corrupt GOP" that was once in power in his home of Nassau County, New York should also have been removed, and that the new Democrat in charge had been doing a good job. He has criticized the funding of far left interests by [[George Soros]] and [[Peter Lewis]] using California Proposition 73 as an example of "liberal ideals gone too far." He feels the proposition undermines parental authority by allowing girls of any age to have an abortion without telling parents. "[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."{{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}} He feels that traditionalists are not doing enough to fight against the radical, far-left secular agenda. He cites the [[gay marriage]] issue that erupted in [[San Francisco]], and blames Governor Schwarzenegger and President Bush for not speaking out against the issue, which O'Reilly interpreted as "just hide whenever the culture war issues appear.{{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}} He claims when [[Bill Moyers]] retired from [[PBS]] the press did not describe Moyers as a liberal, but "[i]f I retire, from THIS program, the word conservative would be used 18 times..." 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]]. He does not advocate the telling of the story of [[Genesis]], and does not think it should be presented in equal standing to [[evolution]]. He did get upset when reporter [[Ron Hutchinson]] reported President Bush's stand on the issue "essentially endorsed efforts by Christian conservatives to give intelligent design equal standing with the theory of evolution in the nation's schools" when in fact the president said that he favored an exposition of intelligent design so "people can understand what the debate is about". This, to O'Reilly, is another example of media spin.{{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}} He has been critical of the [[ACLU]] calling it "the most dangerous organization in the United States of America". He feels their agenda is taking away freedoms and called them a [[fascist]] organization. This was in response to their threatened lawsuit against [[Los Angeles County]] for failing to remove a cross from its official seal. {{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}} He criticizes "[[activist judges]]" whom he claims try to supersede the will of the people. 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." He said this issue shows how progressives like [[Ted Kennedy]] try to change America so that everyone is nurtured and all individual needs are catered to.{{cite web | title=Gay Marriage and the Culture War|publisher=FOX News|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,198343,00.html}} O'Reilly has taken to using the abbreviation "S.P.", for "Secular Progressive", as a shorthand way of referring to that general, radical political category. [http://www.billoreilly.com/quiz?action=viewQuiz&quizID=134&destinationpage=/pg/jsp/community/cwtest.jsp] ===Crime and punishment=== ====The prison system==== Bill O'Reilly feels that the current U.S. prison system is too lenient, and that criminals have too many privileges like television, cigarettes as well as easy access to drugs and sex. He has commented on support for military style [[labor camps]] for hardened criminals as an alternative to the current prison system. He proposes a [[gulag]] style prison located in [[Alaska]] where 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) as many criminals don't really care whether they live or die and that innocent convicts would not be put to death.{{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}} ====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 [[immigration]] problem worse. He believes that liberals, and particularly the [[New York Times]], have an agenda to bring in as many foreign nationals into the U.S. citizenry to "save" America through a diverse demographic.{{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}} ====Gun control==== O'Reilly is a supporter of [[gun control]]. However, he also voiced support for private gun ownership after [[Hurricane Katrina]].[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 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?" ====Jessica's Law==== Bill 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.{{cite web | url=http://www.billoreilly.com/outragefunnels|title=Jessica's Law Report Card|publisher=BillOReilly.com}} He has criticized liberals for their criticisms of Jessica's Law because it tracks predators after their release from prison.{{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}} He feels that the only way to pass Jessica's Law nationally is to remove from office governors who will not support it. 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.{{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...}} 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. He considers it an addition of insult to injury that the [[Florida]] judge in the case, [[Wayne Timmerman]], allowed LaFave to appear on NBC to discuss her crime.{{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?}} He continues to call various politicians villains for not supporting mandatory minimum sentences for child predators. 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]] as well as [[Vermont]], [[Hawaii]], [[Montana]], [[Maine]] and [[Utah]] as child predator-friendly states. ===Socialism and personal responsibility=== Bill O'Reilly claims that the far-left is trying to create a "monstrous central government" to take care of the poor. He believes that this social engineering is bad for America and will not work. He claims that government does not use money wisely, and cites the large amount of money used for education, arguing that the results do not match the effort. He is particularly 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. This, he says, is not only unreasonable but unconstitutional. Although taxes are necessary, he argues, they should not be used to assist others in ensuring their lifestyles.{{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}} O'Reilly has cited [[France|French]] [[unemployment]] and subsequent [[riots]] as a common effect of socialist thinking. He claims the 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 regardless of merit.{{cite web | url=http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/oreilly040306.asp|title=French whine|author=O'Reilly, Bill|date=April 3, 2006|Publisher=Jewish World Review}} He says he supports income-based [[affirmative action]] as opposed to race-related affirmative action.{{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]]}} He claimed that much of the tragedy in [[New Orleans]] due to [[Hurricane Katrina]] was because roughly 10 percent of the population cannot sustain itself no matter what. He cedes that the government has an obligation to help these people, but because it is given in entitlements, it is inevitably wasted on [[alcohol]] and [[drugs]]. He cites their absence of personal responsibility as a large factor in their plight.{{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.}} ===Environmental issues=== Bill O'Reilly believes that there is strong evidence to support [[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 would not support the [[Kyoto Treaty]] for economic reasons, but supports the use of fewer polluting agents, more conservation, and "tons more innovation" as well as tax credits for alternative fuels.{{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]]}} 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."{{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]]}} ==Controversies, critics, and rivals == [[Image:Jeremyglickinterview.jpg|thumb|right|230px|The [[Jeremy Glick (author)|Jeremy Glick]] interview as seen in the documentary ''[[Outfoxed]]'' -- Top-left: Jeremy Glick speaks about his interview; top-right: Bill O'Reilly tells Glick to "shut up"; bottom-left: O'Reilly cuts Glick's mic and gestures for security to take Glick out of the studio; bottom-right: O'Reilly criticizes Glick the next day, claiming Glick used "vile propaganda".]] {{Main|Bill O'Reilly controversies|Bill O'Reilly critics and rivals}} 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 including [[Al Franken]], [[Michael Savage]], [[George Clooney]], [[Jon Stewart]], [[Keith Olbermann]], [[David Letterman]], [[Neal Boortz]], [[Michael Kinsley]] and [[Ludacris]]. O'Reilly is frequently challenged by his critics, who question his accuracy on issues such as the [[Malmedy massacre]]; his erroneous claim (which he has not corrected when brought to his attention, though he has corrected it on later occasions) that a show for which he had worked, ''Inside Edition'' won two [[Peabody Award]]s when it was actually a single [[George Polk award|Polk]] award (won after he left the show)[http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/polk/prev/prev90.html][http://www.lyingliar.com/lies/oreilly/peabodypolk.htm]; where he grew up; etc. He has also discussed controversial topics like the "[[Secularization of Christmas|War on Christmas]]." {{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 }} He has been quoted as saying that [[Rush Limbaugh]] is an [[entertainer]] and should not be cited for hard facts, whereas O'Reilly himself is a [[journalist]]. The media watch group, [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]], has published a book entitled ''The "Oh Really?" Factor'', by author Peter Hart. The book catalogues what are argued to be distortions and inaccuracies on the part of O'Reilly. In addition, the Comedy Central program ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', hosted by [[Stephen Colbert]], parodies ''The O'Reilly Factor''. Colbert's character is based on O'Reilly, and Colbert calls his character a "misinformed high-status idiot". On the Australian show, ''[[The Chaser]]'', a parody of him is "The Firth Factor". ==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]]''. [http://www.billoreilly.com/pg/jsp/general/newspapercolumn.jsp] He has written five non-fiction books and a novel: *''[[Those Who Trespass]]''. Novel.
Bancroft Press, April 1998; reprint, Broadway Books, February 2004. 288 pages. ISBN 0-9631-2468-4. *''[[The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life]]''. Non-fiction.
Broadway Books, September 2000; reprint, Broadway Books, March 2002. 224 pages. ISBN 0-7679-0528-8.
Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.[http://www.hawes.com/no1_nf_d.htm New York Times Best Seller; Number Ones Listing; Non Fiction By Date], Hawes.com *''[[The No Spin Zone]]''. Non-fiction.
Broadway Books, October 2001; reprint, Broadway Books, March 2003. 208 pages. ISBN 0-7679-0848-1.
Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list. *''[[Who's Looking Out For You?]]''. Non-fiction.
Broadway Books, September 2003; reprint, Broadway Books, September 2004. 224 pages. ISBN 0-7679-1379-5.
Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list. *''[[The O'Reilly Factor For Kids: A Survival Guide for America's Families]]''. Non-fiction.
HarperEntertainment, September 2004; reprint, Harper Paperbacks, September 2005. 208 pages. ISBN 0-06-054424-4.
Co-authored with [[Charles Flowers]]. Best-selling non-fiction children's book of 2005.{{cite web| url=http://www.billoreilly.com/pg/jsp/general/billbio.jsp|title=Bill's Bio|publisher=BillOReilly.com}} *''[[Culture Warrior]]''. Non-fiction.
Broadway Books, September 2006. 240 pages. ISBN 0-7679-2092-9.
Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list. ==References==
{{start box}} {{succession box | title= Host of Inside Edition| before=[[David Frost (broadcaster)|David Frost]]| after=[[Deborah Norville]]| years=1989–1995}} {{end box}} ==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://informationclearinghouse.info/article7798.htm Bill O'Reilly in OUTFOXED in Real Audio format] ********************** [[Category:1949 births|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:Harvard University alumni|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:American journalists|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:American political writers|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:American radio personalities|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:American schoolteachers|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:Boston University alumni|O'Reilly]] [[Category:American television personalities|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:Broadcast news analysts|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:Columnists|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:Fox News Channel personalities|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:Irish-American journalists|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:Irish-American writers|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:Living people|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:People from Long Island|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:People from Nassau County, New York|O'Reilly]] [[Category:People from New York City|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:Roman Catholic journalists|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:American Roman Catholics|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:Sex scandals|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:Political pundits|O'Reilly, Bill (commentator)]] [[Category:New York television anchors|O'Reilly, Bill(commentator)]] [[Category:Alumni of Queen Mary, University of London|O'Reilly, Bill(commentator)]] [[de:Bill O’Reilly]] [[fr:Bill O'Reilly]] [[nl:Bill O'Reilly]] [[ja:ビル・オライリー]] [[no:Bill O'Reilly]] [[sv:Bill O'Reilly]]