Fox renews war to save Christmas from the “loony left” and ACLU

Written by Anna Dimond

Published

On the October 20 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, Fox News re-launched its campaign to end what several of its hosts have referred to as liberals' “war” on Christmas. During the show, host Bill O'Reilly discussed the “war” with John Gibson, a fellow Fox News host and author of The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought (Sentinel, October 2005). O'Reilly sought to focus their offensive more narrowly than on all “liberals.” “I think you made a mistake by saying it's [the war on Christmas] a liberal plot,” he told Gibson. “And I'll tell you why. I believe -- and I could be wrong -- that most liberals are as angry about this as conservatives. It's the far left. It's the loony left, the Kool-Aid secular progressive ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union] America-haters. That's who's doing this.”

Before Christmas last year, Fox News devoted extensive coverage to a number of small incidents involving public holiday displays that didn't specifically reference Christmas. O'Reilly and fellow Fox News host Sean Hannity led the campaign, which included a recurring segment on The O'Reilly Factor called “Christmas Under Siege.”

At the time, Media Matters extensively documented the dubious nature of Fox News' claims (see here, here, here, here, and here).

From the October 20 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: “Back of the Book” segment tonight. For the past few years, The Factor has been reporting extensively on the ACLU and other secular groups trying to remove Christmas scenes from public display. Now there's a book about the controversy, and here is John Gibson, who wrote it. The book is called The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse Than You Thought. You know, those liberals -- I mean, the liberal plot? You sound like Ann Coulter.

GIBSON: Well, what we reveal in this book, The War on Christmas, is, we all know the nativity scene is a religious symbol --

O'REILLY: Right.

GIBSON: -- and there's arguments about whether that should be in schools and public places. But we are talking about secular symbols. We are talking about banning Christmas trees, the colors red and green.

O'REILLY: Yeah, but you see, I think you made a mistake by saying it's a liberal plot. And I'll tell you why. I believe -- and I could be wrong -- that most liberals are as angry about this as conservatives. It's the far left. It's the loony left, the Kool-Aid secular progressive ACLU America-haters. That's who's doing this.