Bill O’Reilly is a fraud
Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” used to be a regular part of my evening television viewing, and on several occasions Bill O’Reilly read comments of mine in the program’s viewer mail segment. He is always prepared and knowledgeable, and his program was informative and entertaining, notwithstanding some dopey segments.
As credible allegations of sexual harassment with common themes have stacked up against him, for which he and Fox have paid $13 million to the accusers, it has become hard for me to look at him.
In a cagey statement attempting to muddy the waters, the network has stated that, although O’Reilly writes off the allegations of impropriety as unfounded attempts to garner a big payday, it acknowledged that the host has offered payments on those accusations he considers to be his “personal responsibility.” Hmmm. Why would he be personally responsible if he was a perfect gentleman with these women?
Those who have watched “The Factor” know that O’Reilly is anything but the “humble correspondent” that he purports to be. He is pompous, arrogant, belligerent, hostile, coarse and crude. It is easy to envision him flexing his muscle with the vulnerable, beautiful young women who comprise the majority of those who appear on the air, just as he does in banter with the guests he seeks to destroy by yelling and talking over them when he disagrees. The self-proclaimed culture warrior, the man who writes children’s books with wholesome themes, is a fraud.
Fox bobs and weaves as the crisis deepens, with principled advertisers beginning to flee the show. It pays lip service to fostering an environment in which all are respected, and it claims to want the aggrieved to report when something inappropriate has taken place. On the other hand, with knowledge of most of the O’Reilly accusers and their payoffs, it renewed the contract of the man who has brought so much revenue into the company, his salary reported to be a whopping $18 million per year. Money talks.
Like so many of the high and mighty, we see in O’Reilly a man who is facing disgrace as he is in the twilight of his career. Another in the same boat who comes to mind is Bill Cosby. Our “humble correspondent” has brought it on himself.
Oren M. Spiegler
Upper St. Clair