BIll O'Reilly Honest Journalist? or Hypocritical Entertainer?

Essay by paulkimCollege, UndergraduateA, October 2004

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Bill O'Reilly: Honest Journalist? Or Hypocritical Entertainer?

Type "Bill O'Reilly" in any search engine, and you will find that viewer opinions about him reach both extremes of the spectrum. On one side, scattered all over the internet are thousands who vehemently abhor him, he has been called arrogant, obnoxious, repulsive, and a whole lot worse, "giant blubbering vagina." Meanwhile, his TV ratings prove his now celebrity-like status. With an average of 3million viewers each episode, not including millions who listen in on his syndicated radio show, O'Reilly reigns supreme in cable news. On the rare occasion will you find someone with an impartial view, but oftentimes their arguments are underdeveloped which ultimately undermines their stance. So what is it about Bill O'Reilly that the public is continually drawn to him? What makes him stand out from other TV newscasters like Peter Jennings, and Barbara Streisand, who have been in the field of journalism far longer than he has? Is he the honest "new pope of TV journalism" according to television critic Marvin Kitman, or is he in fact a deceitful and corrupt person that many claim him to be?

To start, I've begun by picking up one of his New York Times bestselling books called "The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life." Before I go into detail, upon completion of the book, I came to a few conclusions. I was undoubtedly hooked by his clear, powerful and careful crafting of the spoken word. He does an effective job of appealing to rational reasoning to win the reader over. And unlike many other TV commentators, he has a blunt unapologetic style and an almost theatrical way of talking. When speaking about ex-president Bill Clinton he says, "Bill Clinton was awarded greatest honor...