Get Ready For More Years Of Falsehoods and Smears From Hannity And O'Reilly

Media have reported that Fox News will be renewing the contracts of Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, for multiple years and multiple millions of dollars. Based on O'Reilly and Hannity's previous years with the network, these extensions will likely result in several more years of blatant falsehoods and smears.

Hannity Fed The Birther Movement

Hannity Questioned President Obama's Religion

Hannity Launched A Vicious Anti-Gay Smear Campaign Against Former Obama Administration Official Kevin Jennings

Hannity Has A History Of Race-Baiting

Hannity Has Frequently Pushed Falsehoods About The Environment

Hannity Has A History Of Fearmongering About Muslims

Hannity Has History Of Smearing Obama Administration Officials

O'Reilly Repeatedly Demonized Abortion Provider Dr. George Tiller And Then Lied About It After Tiller Was Murdered

O'Reilly Has A History Of Using Nazi Analogies To Demonize Opponents

O'Reilly Has A History Of Making Racially Charged Statements

O'Reilly Has Frequently Pushed Falsehoods About The Environment

O'Reilly Has A History Of Fearmongering About Muslims

O'Reilly Has Made Anti-Immigrant Statements

O'Reilly Has Engaged In Anti-Gay Rhetoric

Fox To Extend Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly Contracts

Deadline: Fox News Is Finalizing “Multi-Year, Multi-Million Dollar Agreements” With O'Reilly And Hannity. From Deadline's Nellie Andreeva:

I've learned that Fox News Channel is finalizing new deals with its two biggest stars, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. The new multi-year, multi-million dollar agreements, which are expected to be completed by early next week, will take both hosts past their 20-year mark at the cable news network. [Deadline, 4/18/12]

NY Times: O'Reilly And Hannity “Are On The Verge Of Renewing Their Contracts Through The 2016 Election Season.” From The New York Times:

Whether a Democrat or a Republican is inaugurated president next year, the conservative commentators Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity will still be in their respective studios, holding forth for the Fox News Channel.

The two men, whose contracts are up after the presidential election this year, are on the verge of renewing their contracts through the 2016 election season, according to people with knowledge of the negotiations. The people insisted on anonymity because the negotiations were confidential.

[...]

The news was first reported by the Web site Deadline.com on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, a Fox spokeswoman confirmed Deadline's report that the contracts for both men are expected to be completed by early next week.

The precise lengths of the contracts are unknown, as are the salary levels. But both men are already believed to make more than $10 million a year, on par with the top news anchors at the broadcast networks. [The New York Times, 4/19/12]

Hannity's History Of Falsehoods And Smears

Hannity Fed The Birther Movement

  • Hannity: “What's The Deal? Produce The Birth Certificate, It's Over, Done With.” [Fox News, Hannity, 3/24/11, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity: Obama “Grew Up In Kenya.” [Fox News, Hannity, 10/17/11, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity On Obama's Birth Certificate: “Can't They Just Produce It, And We Move On?” [Fox News, Hannity, 3/23/11, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Said It's “Not True” That Obama Has Shown His Birth Certificate. [Fox News, Hannity, 3/25/11, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Said Obama Was Born In The U.S., But Demanded That He “Show The Stupid Birth Certificate.” [Fox News, Hannity, 4/5/11, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Had No Problem With People “Asking To See The Birth Certificate.” [Fox News, Hannity, 1/27/11, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Advanced Obama Birth Certificate Conspiracies. [Fox News, Hannity, 7/15/09, via Media Matters]

Hannity Questioned President Obama's Religion

  • Hannity Fueled Obama Muslim Myth While Denying Fox's Role In Feeding Such Falsehoods. [Media Matters, 3/21/12]
  • Hannity Asserted That Obama “Went To A Muslim School.” [Fox News, Hannity, 3/24/11, via Media Matters]

Hannity Launched A Vicious Anti-Gay Smear Campaign Against Former Obama Administration Official Kevin Jennings

  • Hannity Escalated Anti-Gay Bigotry, Asked, “Does Kevin Jennings Support The Group NAMBLA?” [Fox News, Hannity 10/7/09, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Pushed Falsehood-Based Smear That Jennings Is “Indoctrinat[ing]” Kids About Homosexuality. [Media Matters, 10/9/09]
  • Hannity Lauded GOP Fruits Of His Smear Campaign Against Jennings. [Fox News, Hannity, 10/15/09, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Repeatedly Falsely Claimed That Jennings Failed To Report The Statutory Rape Of A 15-Year-Old Student, And Even Advanced The Falsehood After It Had Been Conclusively Debunked. [Media Matters, 10/5/09, 10/7/09]
  • Hannity Repeatedly Brought Up Roman Polanski While Discussing Jennings. [Media Matters, 10/8/09]

Hannity Has A History Of Race-Baiting

  • Hannity Repeatedly Pushed Bogus Connection Between Obama And The New Black Panther Party. [Media Matters, 10/3/11, 4/10/12]
  • Hannity Predicted Use Of “Race Card ... Is Going To Be At An All-Time High” In 2012 Election. [Fox News, Hannity, 5/19/11, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Asked: Is Obama's Problem That He's “In Over His Head” Or That He Believes In “Black Liberation Theology”? [Fox News, Hannity, 8/10/11, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Smeared Former USDA Official Shirley Sherrod As Having Engaged In A “Racial Incident.” [Media Matters, 7/20/10]
  • Hannity Has Hosted New Black Panther Fringe Group More Than 30 Times. [Media Matters, 7/14/10]
  • Hannity Defended Beck's Claim That Obama Is A “Racist.” [Media Matters, 3/10/10]
  • Hannity Asked: “Do The Obamas Have A Race Problem Of Their Own?” Then Continued To Smear Them. [Media Matters, 3/5/08]
  • Hannity Suggested That Obama “Associated” Himself With Farrakhan. [Media Matters, 1/18/08]

Hannity Has Frequently Pushed Falsehoods About The Environment

  • Hannity: Global Warming “Doesn't Exist.” [Fox News, Hannity, 11/19/10, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Cited Questionable Report That Climate Experts Predicting “Mini Ice Age.” [Media Matters, 1/13/10]
  • Hannity Completely Missed Big Picture On Coal And Asthma. [Media Matters, 4/21/11]
  • Hannity: The “True Agenda” Behind Global Warming Is To Punish The U.S. And Redistribute Wealth. [Media Matters, 8/27/10]
  • Hannity Blamed “Environmentalists” For BP Spill Because They “Pushed Us Out There” To Drill In Deep Water. [Fox News, Hannity, 6/10/10, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Advanced Falsehood To Claim Scientists Were “Fudging” Climate Data. [Media Matters, 12/4/09]
  • Hannity: “The Latest Buzz” Is “It's Not Global Warming, It's Global Cooling.” [Fox News, Hannity, 6/24/11, via Media Matters]

Hannity Has A History Of Fearmongering About Muslims

  • Hannity Used Segment On Cain's Plan To Keep Muslims Out Of His Cabinet To Fearmonger About Sharia. [Fox News, Hannity, 4/6/11, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Drew Comparisons Between Building A Community Center And Burning The Quran. [Fox News, Hannity, 9/9/10, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Falsely Claimed Muslim Cleric Rauf Wants To “Shred Our Constitution.” [Media Matters, 8/12/10]
  • Hannity Defended Evangelist Franklin Graham's Attack On Islam. [Fox News, Hannity, 4/22/10, via Media Matters]
  • Hannity Likened Restriction On Christian Leaflets At Michigan Muslim Festival To “Enforcing Sharia Law.” [Fox News, Hannity, 6/24/10, via Media Matters]

Hannity Has History Of Smearing Obama Administration Officials

  • Hannity Advanced Dubious Claim That State Department Legal Adviser Harold Koh “Advocates The Use Of Sharia Law In America.” [Media Matters, 9/10/09]
  • Hannity On “Demoniz[ing]” Hillary Clinton: “That's My Job.” [Media Matters, 8/26/08]
  • Hannity Falsely Claimed Science Adviser John Holdren “Advocated Compulsory Abortion.” [Media Matters, 9/9/09]
  • Hannity: “Health Reform Czar” Nancy-Ann Deparle Is A Member Of “Obama's Shadow Government.” [Media Matters, 9/9/09]
  • Hannity And Malkin Attacked Ron Bloom, Couldn't Decide If He's “Manufacturing Czar” Or “Green Jobs Czar.” [Media Matters, 9/9/09]

O'Reilly's History Of Falsehoods And Smears

O'Reilly Repeatedly Demonized Abortion Provider Dr. George Tiller And Then Lied About It After Tiller Was Murdered

  • O'Reilly Repeatedly Referred To Tiller As “The Baby Killer.” [Media Matters, 6/2/09]
  • In 2006, O'Reilly Sent His Producer To “Confront” The “Doctor Known As Tiller The Baby Killer.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 11/8/06, via Media Matters]
  • In 2007, O'Reilly Again Sent A Producer To Ambush The “Doctor Known As Tiller The Baby Killer.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 6/12/07, via Media Matters]
  • After Tiller Was Murdered, O'Reilly Repeatedly Falsely Claimed He Had Only Reported What Other Groups Called Tiller. [Media Matters, 6/2/09]
  • O'Reilly Subsequently Accused Joan Walsh Of Having “Blood On Her Hands” For Defending Tiller. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 6/12/09, via Media Matters]
  • In 2012, O'Reilly Was Still Claiming That “What Tiller Was Doing Was Murder.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 3/1/12, via Media Matters]

O'Reilly Has A History Of Using Nazi Analogies To Demonize Opponents

  • O'Reilly: Liberals Who Support Gun Control Are “Totalitarians” Like Hitler. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 3/2/10, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly: Huffington Post Uses “Same Exact Tactics That The Nazis Used.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 3/5/08, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly: “I Don't See Any Difference Between [Arianna] Huffington And The Nazis.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 2/27/08, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly: Daily Kos Is “Like The Nazi Party.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 7/16/07, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Compared Tim Robbins' Comments To Those Of “Von Ribbentrop In The Nazi Hierarchy.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 12/13/07, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Compared Michael Moore's “Power” To What “Happened In Nazi Germany.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 7/28/04, via Media Matters]

O'Reilly Has A History Of Making Racially Charged Statements

  • O'Reilly Dismissed Racist Chant As A “Sporting Arena Taunt.” [Media Matters, 3/24/12]
  • O'Reilly Joked: How Will The Obama Administration Reach Out To African Americans? “Are They Going To Be On Soul Train?” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 12/6/11, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Asked, "[S]hould White Americans Be Concerned About Judge Sotomayor?" [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 7/13/09, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly, On His Now-Defunct Non-Fox Affiliated Radio Program, “Couldn't Get Over The Fact That There Was No Difference” Between Harlem Restaurant And Other New York City Restaurants. [Westwood One, The Radio Factor, 9/19/07, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Warned Of Immigration Bill's “Unintended Consequences” -- Changing Ethnic Landscape. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 5/17/07, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Said “White Americans Are Terrified” To Compliment Blacks Out Of Fear “They May Be Taken As Condescension.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 2/5/07, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Opposed “Clustering” Of Mexicans. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 7/30/07, via Media Matters]

O'Reilly Has Frequently Pushed Falsehoods About The Environment

  • O'Reilly Described Renewable Energy As A “Phantom,” Said “God Controls The Climate.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 4/7/11, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Claimed That Environmental Movement “Absolutely Did” Contribute To The BP Oil Spill Disaster. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 6/10/10, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Hosted AccuWeather.com's Bastardi To Claim That “The Globe Is Actually Cooling.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 9/9/09, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Said Question Of Whether Humans Are Causing Global Warming Is “All Guesswork.” [Media Matters, 3/4/08]

O'Reilly Has A History Of Fearmongering About Muslims

  • O'Reilly: “For Every Muslim In The World That Wants Democracy And Wants Human Rights, There's One Who Doesn't.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 5/19/11, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Pressed Trump On Whether There Is A “Muslim Problem In The World.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 3/28/11, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly: “There Are No Democratic Countries At All” In The Muslim World. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 2/18/11, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Insisted That Extremism Is “A Muslim Problem.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 10/25/10, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Claimed “The Muslim Threat ... Is Real.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 10/25/10, via Media Matters]

O'Reilly Has Made Anti-Immigrant Statements

  • O'Reilly Scapegoated Undocumented Immigrants And Public Employees For California's Budget Problems. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 11/18/11, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Proposed “More Prisons” To Curtail Undocumented Immigration. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 11/16/11, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Smeared La Raza As “A Pretty Radicalized Group” That Opposes “Any Kind Of Border Security.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 7/27/11, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly: “The Constitution Is Being Misused” By The Parents Of “Anchor Babies.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 1/6/11, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly Falsely Claimed That Undocumented Immigrants Don't Pay Taxes. [Media Matters, 3/10/10]
  • O'Reilly Warned Of Immigration Bill's “Unintended Consequences” -- Changing Ethnic Landscape. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 5/17/07, via Media Matters]

O'Reilly Has Engaged In Anti-Gay Rhetoric

  • O'Reilly Was Accused Of “Equating Gays” With “Terrorists.” [Media Matters, 6/3/10]
  • O'Reilly Advanced Myth That DADT Repeal Would “Cause A Lot Of Morale Problems.” [Media Matters, 4/21/10]
  • O'Reilly Suggested That If Same-Sex Marriage Is Legalized, “Polygamy Is Then Going To Run Rampant.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 5/11/09, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly: Gay Marriage Could Lead To Goat, Duck, Dolphin, And Turtle Marriage. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 5/11/09, via Media Matters]
  • O'Reilly: "[T]housands" Of Gays In One Place “Can Be Confusing To Children.” [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 7/12/07, via Media Matters]