Frank McCoy
2004-12-11 03:33:32 UTC
An open letter to Bill O'Reilly:
Bill,
On your show (AND several times on the actual news) you and others
have recently accused people you call "liberals" of confusing
Commentary (like your show) with legitimate news ... also put on by
FOX News.
There is some legitimacy in the accusation; because many people DO
confuse the two ... But it's not mainly liberals who make the mistake
... I submit that it's by far the majority of people who watch FOX
news (thus mainly what many people would classify as "conservatives"
but I wouldn't) ... and you in particular, because you do your best TO
confuse your watchers by putting forth your viewpoints *AS IF* they
were valid news and not commentary ... and worse-yet, not clearly
labeling your completely right-wing views as just your opinions;
presenting them as if they were completely straight news stories like
those people who have been watching the *real* news expect from a
purely news channel. In other words, you LEAD people to believe your
commentaries are straight news ... Then castigate people who disagree
with the face FOX news channel puts on by doing so for not seeing the
difference you do your best to hide!
Your "No Spin Zone" is presented as presenting "Straight facts with no
spin" when in actuality it's about the most slanted presentation on
the air, bar none. Dan Rather's completely biased and unfair account
of George Bush looks mildly slanted indeed compared to the "No spin"
news you present as "facts" every day.
Yet, you complain about "the liberals" not being able to tell the
difference between commentary (your show) and "real news".
Perhaps you might do yourself the favor of *watching* one of your own
shows and see why it isn't just the liberals who get confused in that
manner, but *everybody* who watches ... and I would guess far more of
the conservatives you court than any liberal ... Because they BELIEVE
you're telling them "real news" not commentary, since that's the exact
attitude you're trying to project.
I doubt VERY much if you really want to stop projecting the image that
you're telling "the straight dope" ... So stop complaining when
"liberals" see you doing exactly what you're trying to do: Give
slanted commentary that people will THINK is real news.
To do so (complain that people are getting the exact impression you're
trying your damnedest to give) is hypocritical, to say the least!
I could say more to the point; but that last sentence tells the whole
story.
If you don't want to appear to be a hypocrite, either:
A. Stop giving commentary as if it WAS news.
(I really don't expect you to do that; considering
that's what you do for a living.)
B. Stop complaining when your commentary has the effect you
intended it to have.
Otherwise, if neither of those two options appeal to you, then just go
on being a hypocrite, doing what you're doing, and stop acting
surprised when people point it out that you are.
(Not that I think you really ARE surprised.)
But you ARE right, in that liberals ARE confusing your commentary with
the Legitimate News put on by the FOX network ... But so are far more
of the "conservative" watchers of the network; and I think that's
*exactly* your main aim: To appear as "real" news.
This is an open letter I'm posting on the net to newsgroups I
frequent.
You're welcome to reply to either me by email, or the groups
(particularly in alt.callahans), or both.
Note cross-posting!
Bill,
On your show (AND several times on the actual news) you and others
have recently accused people you call "liberals" of confusing
Commentary (like your show) with legitimate news ... also put on by
FOX News.
There is some legitimacy in the accusation; because many people DO
confuse the two ... But it's not mainly liberals who make the mistake
... I submit that it's by far the majority of people who watch FOX
news (thus mainly what many people would classify as "conservatives"
but I wouldn't) ... and you in particular, because you do your best TO
confuse your watchers by putting forth your viewpoints *AS IF* they
were valid news and not commentary ... and worse-yet, not clearly
labeling your completely right-wing views as just your opinions;
presenting them as if they were completely straight news stories like
those people who have been watching the *real* news expect from a
purely news channel. In other words, you LEAD people to believe your
commentaries are straight news ... Then castigate people who disagree
with the face FOX news channel puts on by doing so for not seeing the
difference you do your best to hide!
Your "No Spin Zone" is presented as presenting "Straight facts with no
spin" when in actuality it's about the most slanted presentation on
the air, bar none. Dan Rather's completely biased and unfair account
of George Bush looks mildly slanted indeed compared to the "No spin"
news you present as "facts" every day.
Yet, you complain about "the liberals" not being able to tell the
difference between commentary (your show) and "real news".
Perhaps you might do yourself the favor of *watching* one of your own
shows and see why it isn't just the liberals who get confused in that
manner, but *everybody* who watches ... and I would guess far more of
the conservatives you court than any liberal ... Because they BELIEVE
you're telling them "real news" not commentary, since that's the exact
attitude you're trying to project.
I doubt VERY much if you really want to stop projecting the image that
you're telling "the straight dope" ... So stop complaining when
"liberals" see you doing exactly what you're trying to do: Give
slanted commentary that people will THINK is real news.
To do so (complain that people are getting the exact impression you're
trying your damnedest to give) is hypocritical, to say the least!
I could say more to the point; but that last sentence tells the whole
story.
If you don't want to appear to be a hypocrite, either:
A. Stop giving commentary as if it WAS news.
(I really don't expect you to do that; considering
that's what you do for a living.)
B. Stop complaining when your commentary has the effect you
intended it to have.
Otherwise, if neither of those two options appeal to you, then just go
on being a hypocrite, doing what you're doing, and stop acting
surprised when people point it out that you are.
(Not that I think you really ARE surprised.)
But you ARE right, in that liberals ARE confusing your commentary with
the Legitimate News put on by the FOX network ... But so are far more
of the "conservative" watchers of the network; and I think that's
*exactly* your main aim: To appear as "real" news.
This is an open letter I'm posting on the net to newsgroups I
frequent.
You're welcome to reply to either me by email, or the groups
(particularly in alt.callahans), or both.
Note cross-posting!
--
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