The Oh Really? Factor: Unspinning Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly (Paperback)

~ (Author), Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (Author)
Key Phrases: United States, Bill O'Reilly, New York Times (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Peter Hart's book is fair and balanced, and if you don't think so you can sue me." -- Al Franken, author of Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them

Product Description

"Caution: You’re about to enter a no-spin zone" is the warning with which Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly kicks off his no-holds-barred cable news program The O’Reilly Factor every night. O’Reilly is the reigning king of cable news, with a huge lead in the ratings, two best-selling books, and a nationally syndicated radio program.

O’Reilly’s "no-spin" motto is clever marketing—but who’s keeping track of O’Reilly’s own spin? From his support for Bush’s tax cuts and the war with Iraq to his attacks on everything from National Public Radio to "welfare mothers," O’Reilly often contradicts himself and consistently concocts evidence to support his conservative talking points.

His misguided opinions, stated as facts, are often simply wrong, such as his claim that the U.S. "gives far and away more tax money to foreign countries than anyone else . . . Nobody else even comes close to us" (per capita the U.S. is near the bottom of the list for developed countries). Other of his statements are deliberately inflammatory, such as his suggestion that we bomb Libyan civilians in the aftermath of September 11 ("Let them eat sand"). Weeks later O’Reilly denied the sentiment, though he has publicly stated that "If you’re not providing controversy and excitement, people won’t listen or watch."

Following in the footsteps of FAIR’s hit book The Way Things Aren’t: Rush Limbaugh’s Reign of Error, The Oh Really? Factor will use facts, humor, illustrations, and comics to challenge the many absurd, outlandish, and just plain incorrect statements made on one of the U.S.’s most-watched "news" programs. Publication timed to coincide with O’Reilly’s forthcoming book, Who’s Looking Out For You.

Peter Hart is the activism director at FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting), the national media watch group. He is also a co-host and producer of FAIR’s syndicated weekly radio show CounterSpin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158322601X
• ISBN-13: 978-1583226018
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #724,837 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "SHUT UP! CUT HIS MIKE!", October 12, 2003

By	viagrafalls "Peter Schmitz" (Denmark) - See all my reviews

Not being American myself, I was pointed towards Bill O'Reilly by a friend in a chatroom, who claimed him to be the saviour of all people with a free mind.

Reading some of his columns, and checking out his website, though, made me feel different. The articles I read supported a heavy conservative point of view, and his whole site seemed to have but one purpose: "Make me rich!". Member-secluded areas (access can be gained by whipping out the credit card), merchandise with his 'logo' on it, banners, etc. His
very articles seemed like nothing more than bantering from someone who is plainly biased, and afraid to admit it.

While I am NOT someone to dismiss another point of view upfront, the turning point for me came after watching O'Reilly rip into a kid whose dad got killed at 9/11. When the kid tried (VERY Reasonably) arguing with O'Reilly, the latter responded by "SHUT UP!" eventually followed by "CUT HIS MIKE!". (Which apparantly is a favourite tactic of him).

After reading the summary to this book, I decided to buy it, just to see what the big scoop was really all about.

I was expecting the author to clearly show the times O'Reilly contradicted himself, did a 180 on certain points of view, etc. Unfortunatly, that's not exactly the case. Rather, the author starts off by what is (in my opinion) a nitpicking sort of way to address shortcomings in O'Reilly's articles.

While this makes an interesting read, that was not exactly what I was hoping for. I was hoping for the "Bias, contradiction" stuff that was promised.

Thankfully, the chapter labeled "O'Reilly Vs. O'Reilly" does just that. The chapter plainly shows O'Reilly's opinions switch completely, depending on how he can gain some points against his adversaries:

On Boycotting - He first claims Boycotting is "Un-american" (12/29/00). Yet, O'Reilly's very own website sports "Do you want to boycott French products?" on the mainpage.

On killing civilians - O'Reilly initially claims bombing civilians is something no civilized society would do. Yet, he quickly changes his point of view, and suddenly doesn't mind Serbian civilians, nor does he feel pity for the German civilians who were bombed in WW2. And when asked who will suffer when his plan to wipe out the complete infrastructure of Afghanistan, he pretty much shrugs it off and says it doesn't really matter.

The moment where he most plainly shows his conservatist point of view (even though he tries everything to debunk that by disagreeing with other little conservatist points of view) is when he starts whining about the 10 commandments being posted in a public place by the governor of Indiana. He feels he has every right to read those fine rules his society was built on, and that his rights are being violated.

Yet, when a female muslim police officer wears a scarf under her hat, he feels that religion and state should be seperated.

Add to that his constant backlashing towards the Clinton administration (Come on. They guy's been out of office for nearly three years now), while supporting blindly whatever decision Dubya makes (Although when he DOES disagree with little things that the administration does, he starts by disagreeing, and then turning it into yet another backlash at the Democrats, preferably the Clintons again), and I can't help but form a picture of a man will twist and turn his very own words just to fit his believes, while never looking back to see if he's arguing against his own statements.

"Judge Scheindlin has to go" (6/6/02)
"Just want to have an investigation into this. I'm not saying remove her yet." (6/7/02)

The book was highly enjoyable. I read it almost without a pause. I am left, however, with a slight feeling of dissappointment because of the (in my opinion) weak few first chapters. But since it was a humorous read, and the author ended up making sure O'Reilly's very own statements were proven to go against earlier arguments, I'll keep it at 4 stars.

57 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More wind than a tornado, October 12, 2003

By	Timothy P. Scanlon (Hyattsville, MDUSA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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I first heard of O'Reilly's show from my father-in-law who's one of the world's greater prudes. He showed me a few of O'Reilly's moralisms in one of the books the alleged unspinner markets. I read them then ignored them as I do most of what my father in law recommends.

But to hear O'Reilly on the tube! What is it about loudmouth windbags that appeals to people? Because that's all O'Reilly is.

To be honest, when I first saw this book advertised before it became available, I thought it would be thicker, a more "scholarly" documentary of what's wrong with O'Reilly. When I got it, I saw it wasn't that thick. It reminded me of some of those comedy manuals that made jokes of the inept rhetoric of Dan Quayle and George W. for example. So I opened it expecting to be disappointed. I wasn't.

The author does a pretty good job of refuting just about everything O'Reilly says. Billy boy claims he's not a conservative. But he says nothing positive about anyone remotely connected with the Democratic party, and nothing negative about right wing Republicans, not matter how outrageous the statement or act.

Yet O'Reilly still has the audacity to call his stands "unspin," where that's all he does but spin, spin, and spin some more for anything he chooses to believe in, any stand he chooses to make.

There's a lengthy section in which scores of O'Reilly's statements are listed, followed by an "Oh, Really?" in which the statement is always challenged, usually refuted.

There's an entire chapter dedicated to the many times O'Reilly has contradicted himself. And the section on the person on O'Reilly's show who had a relative die on 9/11, yet was opposed to the war is a gem! What O'Reilly said after the microphone was off is something that clearly contradicts any of the little moral platitudes Billy is forever shooting off.

By the way, what might be the antonym to "pinhead?" Because that's what the scholarly O'Reilly refers to anyone who might be audacious enough to disagree with him. And he, like a well-known and equally windy--and insubstantial--daytime radio "conservative", who, in fact, may be O'Reilly's political mentor, has mastered the art of simply tuning out those who disagree with him. When someone disputes him with simple things like FACTS, O'Reilly dismisses them all with, "Well, that's your opinion," and moves on.

Al Franken does a more amusing job of refuting O'Reilly but if you know anyone, father in law or other, who pays attention to this loudmouth, you might want to give them this book to put the guy in perspective.

Frankly, it's beyond me what appeals to anyone about the guy. I hope the people O'Reilly has on his show and whom he thinks he's defeating (because he has control over the show!) just refuse to appear with him any more. Then we'll be rid of O'Reilly's self praise (e.g., of awards he never received) and opinions based on nothing more than the fact that O'Reilly still has a breath.

60 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down, September 30, 2003

By	TheCafeWriter (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

It was everything Franken's book should have been: thoroughly researched, smart, sly, and even with a subtle, edgy humor to it. I particularly like the structure of this book: first he presents a quote from O'Reilly, and then he amplifies on it. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.

You won't come away from this book believing you are supposed to now hate Bill O'Reilly (which, by comparison, seems to be a theme in Franken's) but you'll likely become a more discerning viewer, taking broad statements and statistics with a greater degree of skepticism. The facts are there. To quote Fox, "YOU decide." You can't get any more 'fair and balanced' than that!