O'Reilly producer chases me down in Minneapolis; More big names call for serious media reform

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Bill O'Reilly can't leave me alone.

I'm left feeling this way after a producer from O'Reilly's Fox News Channel show approached me following my appearance Friday at the National Conference for Media Reform. I shared a dais with folks from liberal watchdog groups such as Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting and Media Matters, talking about media criticism, how I do my job, and why such work is necessary to keep modern media honest. (See the Utne Reader's take on our session here)

After leaving the session -- rushing to catch an evening flight which would get me back to St. Petersburg by midnight -- a producer from the O'Reilly Factor came up to me, microphone in hand and camera rolling ambush journalism style. I am increasingly finding O'Reilly's attempts to intimidate others both amusing and ludicrous, and this producer's pointed questions about my attendance at this conference seemed just another attempt to get in the face of those who oppose him.

The producer asked if I felt the panel was balanced; I said I wished there was another mainstream journalist on the panel like me. He asked whether I felt my credibility was affected by the people I was surrounded by; I answered that my credibility was only affected by the answers I gave. He asked if I had an axe to grind against hosts such as O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck (I had said during the session that critiquing them was like going after low hanging fruit because their shows are so awful); I replied that I have a set of values that I clearly and repeatedly articulate for my readers, and these hosts violate those value quite often. (See the Neiman Watchdog's piece on our session here)

O'Reilly's goal here seemed crystal clear; he's going to denounce the conference as an unhinged gathering of lefties, attempting to muddy the reputation of anyone who would dare to attend. Given the conference's antipathy to corporate-owned media and the conservative punditocracy, I'm not surprised he's going after them. Interestingly, another producer has been following O'Reilly's guy around, documenting his attempts to ambush folks for a counter-video; he called me at the airport to ask about the encounter and I'm afraid I wasn't outraged enough for him. I just wished I had been as eloquent in reponding to the guy as Bill Moyers; watch his encounter with this guy here.

As I tried to explain during the session, I think a lot of the issues which disappoint people about media are rooted in economics. Whenever I give a lecture about media and its absurdities, I always start by drawing a big dollar sign on the chalkboard. I don't think the audience agreed with me, but I said Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch would put on a glossy version of lefty-news outlet Pacifica Radio if he thought it would make money. That remark and others like it even drew a little scorn from another blogger, but I remain convinced it is true -- which is why media reformers should look closer at economics and stop seeing it solely or mostly as an ideological feud.

Given that the producer also accosted big names such as Bill Moyers, I doubt I'll make it off OReilly's cutting room floor. But I'm interested to see if he'll use any of the footage on his Monday show, and whether he'll repeat the producer's inaccurate claim that I have turned down numerous requests to appear on his program. Funny enough, after this guy ambushed a friend and fellow TV critic Joanne Ostrow when she refused to appear on O'Reilly's show, HE refused to comment on his actions to other journalists.

Looking at some of the video and news releases bandied about regarding speeches from Moyers and Dan Rather, it looks like i missed some good stuff on Saturday. Click on the video below to watch Rather outline how journalists made those who dissented from the administration's line in the run up to the Iraq war look like isolated cranks instead of a group with a connected, valid line of reasoning.   

Comments

[Russia Travel]

Media in this country is seriously crooked.

[ward]

Patrick
It's equally amazing how don't explain how I skirted. As for the content of the article- Please. It's all anti-FOX news. Which lefties equate with anti- Bush. FOX news or NewsCorp is one TV outlet and it titls or sways right compared to EVERYOTHER media outlet that sways to the left. Just because they have numbers and don't sway the way the others do that makes them bad, right. Tell me what I'm missing Pat.

Look Gov and Biz telling the media what to say is nothing new

[Patrick]

Ward, it's amazing how you managed to skirt the actual content of the article to defend a ridiculous theory.

[justthinking]

Dan Rather is right. The corporations and our government are dictating what information is given to the general public. News that is not going to support the government's agenda is not going to be fully available. Corporations care only about the bottom line not about the principles upon which this country was founded. If the news media is owned by a corporate conglomerate that has legislation pending that will affect other business interests held by the conglomerate don't you think they will make deals with the government? Like, hey - I know this but if you don't want it released right away, I can put it on the back burner.... Oh, hey, by the way.....etc. My brother stopped listening to the American press years ago...

[ward]

..."will bring together growing movement to create a more accountable, democratic and diverse media." It's a fact that media with a more conservate bent is more popular with the public. The left doesn't like that. When they voice their opinion it comes across as hate speech as well. On no- from the right it's hate speech, from the left it's called free speech.

[ward smith]

You can end this right quick: Go on the factor and set him straight.I'd like to see two MEN armend with facts go at it.

You want media reform: Have ALL media outlets- your paper included, refuse advertising dollars. Until that happens, all media watchdog groups are lap dogs unto themselves.

[Allie]

The scariest part of "commentary" by O'Reilly, Limbaugh and like-minded people is that there are so many who believe and support their tactics. O'Reilly is nothing more than a bully, in the estreme.

[Eric Deggans]

I'm a lover, not a fighter. But I love dreaming about that move :)

[Simon]

Per Wikipedia:

"The Rock's People's Elbow, involves the user dropping his opponent supine in the middle of the ring (usually with a scoop slam or a spinebuster), pulling off his elbow pad and throwing it into the audience, bouncing twice off the ring ropes to gain acceleration, getting near his opponent again, performing a feint leg drop and hitting an elbow drop to the opponent's chest."

Eric, I have faith that you can pull this off.

[Eric Deggans]

That sounds like a wrestling move! How in the world do I do that?

[Simon]

Eric, as the voice of the people you have the opportunity to give Bill's minions "THE PEOPLE'S ELBOW".

Do this and we shall proclaim your greatness.

[justin]

OMG Moyers put that guy to shame. He looked like he wanted to cry. The best part was when he tried to flee the scene and was like "c'mon guys leave me alone". What a little pimple that guy is. The moral of the story is don't bring a knife to a gunfight when you are screwing with Bill Moyers.