"Journalist," not "jingoist" O'Reilly "uncomfortable wearing" U.S. flag, but apparently not commercializing it
On the October 10 edition of his nationally syndicated radio program, while discussing CNN founder Ted Turner's recent assertion that it is "inappropriate" for the news media "to have the American flag flying in the background" during newscasts, Bill O'Reilly claimed that Turner "doesn't really like the fact that we, in the media, took a, let's say, an encouraging position toward American forces in Iraq." O'Reilly went on to claim that he has "never worn an American flag lapel, ever ... because I am a journalist. I am. And I don't think I should have any insignias on." O'Reilly further explained: "You know what I think. I tell you what I think. I don't need to wear a lapel. I don't need to do it. ... And even a flag ... I felt uncomfortable wearing it. I'm not a jingoist."
But, while O'Reilly may not wear a U.S. flag lapel pin during his broadcasts, he does not appear to be "uncomfortable" using the U.S. flag to promote his work. In fact, O'Reilly's website, BillOReilly.com, offers "Premium Members" a "Free No Spin Lapel Pin," which features a picture of the U.S. flag with the words "No Spin" written beneath, "with each yearly membership purchase." O'Reilly also features a picture of himself on the website wearing a "No Spin Microfiber Jacket," which features a U.S. flag insignia. As well, the front cover of his latest book, Culture Warrior (Random House, September 2006), shows O'Reilly posing next to a prominently displayed U.S. flag. Moreover, "The O'Reilly Store" section of O'Reilly's website displays numerous O'Reilly paraphernalia for sale, including jackets, sweatshirts, hats, coffee mugs, and stickers, which all bear the U.S. flag insignia.
For example:
- Free gift for BillOReilly.com "Premium Members:"
- No Spin Microfiber Jacket:
- Culture Warrior book cover:
- No Spin Fleece Vest:
- No Spin Windshirt:
- No Spin Coffee Mug:
- No Spin Polo Shirt:
- No Spin Unstructured Baseball Cap:
- No Spin Flag Magnet:
From the October 10 edition of Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:
O'REILLY: OK, so he doesn't really like the fact that we, in the media, took a, let's say, an encouraging position toward American forces in Iraq. Ted Turner didn't like that.
Now, here's something interesting. I never wore a lapel, a U.S. flag lapel, when I was broadcasting during the initial stages of any -- I've never worn an American flag lapel, ever. And I got a lot of mail that said, "Hey, O'Reilly, where's your flag lapel?" And I said, "Well, look, I'm an American. You know what I think. I tell you what I think. I don't need to wear a lapel. I don't need to do that." And I don't do it because I am a journalist. I am. And I don't think I should have any insignias on. I don't wear a Nike cap. You know, I'm not -- I'm in that business. And even a flag, I don't -- I felt uncomfortable wearing it. I'm not a jingoist, OK. If American troops go into a house and shoot down women and children, I'm gonna be on their case.
So, I didn't wear the lapel, but you certainly knew where I stood about that war. And, today, I think we were correct in removing that dictator. Our strategy, obviously, was flawed, but morally, we did the right thing. All right. I want to win the war, and we're obviously in a stalemate now, so it's complicated.
Pee Wee Herman is as much of a journalist as Uncle Bill.
O'Reilly went on to claim that he has "never worn an American flag lapel, ever ... because I am a journalist. I am. And I don't think I should have any insignias on."
So what is it, he is or he isn't? Cmon, I'm pretty sure we have some examples of him claiming he isn't one on this site...
A while back Roger Ailes wrote a Wall Street Journal editorial in which he defended attacks on Fox News "pseudo-journalism" by saying it was just "opinion". He singled Bill O'Reilly out as well as an opinion/analysis program:
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Mr. Carroll essentially announced that the reason Fox News Channel is the No. 1 cable news network and is gaining viewers is because the American people are stupid and gullible. In addition, he deliberately confused our highly rated news analysis and opinion shows like Bill O'Reilly with our hard news coverage. Mr. Carroll cites not a single example of what he calls "pseudojournalism" from our actual news coverage. He cites only Bill O'Reilly's opinions and an old push poll that purports to show that more Fox News viewers believed things that were not true about Iraq and the War on Terror than did viewers of other outlets. But he cites no instance of our having reported any of these things. --WSJ
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Who could blame this Mr. Carrol for "confus[ing] [FoxNews'] highly rated news analysis and opinion shows like Bill O'Reilly with [their] hard news coverage"? Mr. O'Reilly seems to be confused himself.
On August 2, 2004 Bill claimed "[F]or the umpteenth time, this is an opinion program. The hard news people give you objective journalism." --MMFA
Great "No Spin" gifts for the "Holidays"?
No way he can "Christmas" his way out of this one. All the frantic text touchup in the world won't help this time.
...getting "pwned". That is a satisfying read, MMFA.
[url][link to en.wikipedia.org]
And I don't do it because I am a journalist. I am.
And I'm Henry the Eigthth I am I am
But he did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
Sorry about the bad link! Pretty ironic considering the "internet savvy" line. Wish I could edit my posts.
If a real journalist like Edward R. Murrow ever came back and saw what a putz like BO is doing in the name of journalism, he'd never stop throwing up.
"never worn an American flag lapel, ever ..."
He also never wore a uniform.
As Admiral of the Bathtub Falafel Navy.
He was a member of that elite squad known as the remington raiders, the backbone of the corps.
Part of the personal massager unit?
They specialized in massaging egos.
Remember...
“The war doesn’t start until a Remington Raider types the order”.
How about a Red, White and Blue Loofah!!
By the way, Bill keeps denouncing "San Francisco Values" on his radio show! Is it my imagination or is the picture of him wearing a jump suit on his book make him look more Castro Street than Main Street??
If this were a "tongue in cheek" thread on O'Reilly, I could understand the facetiousness of it, but it appears many of you, perhaps rightly so, consider it more than that. Please.
O'Reilly may sell all sorts of things to his loyal followers, it's his business to do so, and the buyer's business to purchase if they choose to. He says he doesn't wear flag lapel pin, for whatever his layered reasoning is, apparently he doesn't.
It's hard to take anything about O'Reilly seriously anymore. He has burned the bridge to the serious world and now lives in a fantasy world that he pretty much created for himself.
It's hard to take anything about O'Reilly seriously anymore.
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I would absolutely agree with you. But apparently this website, and many of it's readers, disagree with you.
And instead gets to draw his with zig-zags and hairpins.
Everyone else is hung up on Bill calling himself a journalist, but I think the real misinformation lies in his proclamation that he's not practicing jingoism.
"I'm not a jingoist."
And yet his show is full chock full of empty "America rules and all other countries can kiss my ***" bravado (and when I say empty, it's because he's never truly known defending his country). He also pimps his own line of senior citizen clothing displaying the our flag along side one of his lame, hypocritical catch phrases that he drives home on a daily basis in his shows and in his so-called books.
If that doesn't this "journalist", author AND geriatric fashion mogul a jingoist, what the hell does?
Let me rephrase...
If that doesn't MAKE this "journalist", author AND geriatric fashion mogul a jingoist, what the hell does?
O'Reilly also technically is breaking the law by using the American Flag for advertisement purposes.
US Code Title 4, Chapter1, § 3. Use of flag for advertising purposes; mutilation of flag
§ 8. Respect for flag
As you can see O'Lielly is clearly in violation of the law by selling any of those articles.
Not the District of Columbia.
You don't think they get the internet in D.C.?
He violates teh other laws about "attaching words to" and "advertising"
O'Reilly: "...I don't need to wear a lapel. I don't need to do that." And I don't do it because I am a journalist. I am..."
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Firstly: O'Reilly is all over the place in the above quote. Is he saying Ted Turner is right? Seems like it. He is just too cowardly apparently to say so explicitly. It is a sure sign of partisanship to avoid agreeing with the "other side".
Secondly: O'Reilly laughably claims to be a "journalist" --Whoa! Not even close. He may have been at one time, but if he was a "journalist" he would have been fired long ago just for his frequent inaccuracy.
Thirdly: O'Reilly claims not to be a jingoist. Does he even know what that word really means? I would like to see how he can possibly claim to be an exception to that definition at all.
I can understand how O'Reilly may be confused about the jingoism thing because of its obligatory omnipresence (especially where he works) during conflict of any sort. He simply has no connection with reality. He lives in a Fox bubble.
I've figure out why BO doesn't wear a flag pin. Looking at the flag-laden merchandise he's flogging in his web site, my guess is there arent any left.
I agree w/ Tommy's comments (1 above). BO's comments about not feeling comfortable about wearing a American flag lapel, stating he's "a journalist not a jingoist." & hawking items w/ American flag on them are 2 different things. He seems to be agreeing w/ Ted Turner's comments about broadcast/cable News media improperly using the American flag. I don't blame him for selling items that appeal to the patriotism of his audience* and see only the flag in the background of his book cover as a contradiction to his comments, but remember he was just talking about lapel pin. Also MMFA failed to point out that according to BO "hundreds of thousands of dollars have gone to charities" from the profits on sale of these items. Maybe they should investigate that.
*Thanks to prev poster for printing the laws re: commercialization of the flag. BO being in violation of the law is a separate issue, but it's very unlikely if he or anyone will be prosecuted for.
My real pt is MMFA needs to be especially vigilant to avoid being unfair, inaccurate, nitpicky, or appear to be just picking on someone.
Bill first changes Ted Turner's original argument and inserts his own strawman. Then Bill knocks down strawman and you apparently fell for that canard with "but remember he was just talking about lapel pin" --which wasn't the original topic at all...Ted Turner's remark was that it is "inappropriate" for the news media "to have the American flag flying in the background" during newscasts. That is also more obviously analogous to the book cover as well.
O'Reilly doesn't even have the cajones or decency to admit that he apparently agrees with Turner. He just kind of spins off into the Ether with a ramble.
As for the lapel pins and other store items, I am with you mostly. It is kind of petty by MMFA as it should be expected of any news-like personality on FoxNews-like to hawk patriotism.
It is also important to be fair as you stated and for the most part MMFA was.
The most agregious thing Bill O'Reilly did on this show in my opinion was to call himself a "journalist". He has contradicted that himself (when it apparenlty served a purpose to do so) on previous occasions as I have pointed out in one of my posts above.
Oops. Misspelled "egregious". Sorry.
If he were to act, behave, or otherwise do the job of a journalist to any discernible degree, he wouldn't have to tell people what he is, it would be obvious.
Athletes on a field or court don't have to tell the crowd in attendence what they are.
You may not watch a lot of professional sports. There are a handful of athletes that are prima donnas that have to constantly remind their coaches and teammates who and what they are.
Perhaps, you don't have physicians keep telling you that he's a doctor while you're in the examination room. However, they do display all those diplomas in their office. Okay, that was another bad analogy...
Crap, I can't think of a good one. Maybe, O'Reilly's statement that he's a journalist is part of his daily affirmation, so that he can feel better about himself.
...how about a simple fact?
Nobody BUT O'Really refers to O'Really as a journalist.
that they chose THAT picture to be on the COVER of his new book. They couldn't get a better picture than THAT?
The contents of the book are utter garbage, at LEAST the cover could look good!
jingo: supporter of policy favoring war, blustering patriot.
From: the Oxford desk dictionary.
I'd say BillO qualifies as being a flag waving, war supporting jingoist. The patriot part I would disagree with, but blustering, you bet. He is a blustering loyalist though. But I'm sure he qualifies as a patriot in some alternative universe.
"There was a man who sold a flag and Bill-O' was his name-o J-I-N-G-O, J-I-N-G-O, J-I-N-G-O, and Bill-O' was his name-o"
has the American flag on his billboards advertising his show.
What a jerk!
You had your chance to serve, you coward, and you pussied out. Who the hell are you to use our flag for your monetary gain? Coward. You and Hannity, cowards.
Limbaugh, Kristol, Cheyney, Libby, Wolfowitz, Rove, Savage, Coulter, Boortz, Ailes, Hume, etc.
I would have also added Tom DeLay's name, but at least he wanted to serve. Here is the reason he gave for not enlisting to fight in Vietnam:
“So many minority youths had volunteered…that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like myself.”
"Good night, and good luck." - Edward R. Murrow
- versus -
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" - Bill O'Reilly
This is easily the most entertaining story I have ever come across on MMFA. Informative, yes. But seeing all those self-promotional items bearing the same flag from which O'Reilly has claimed his independence is just priceless. Hypocrisy at its finest.
I certainly hope all of uber-patriot O'Reilly's merchandise is union made in the USA.