Bill O'Reilly Needs to Enroll in "Understanding the Internet 101"

As I arrived at the ballroom of the Omni Shorehem hotel in Washington yesterday to give a speech at the Take Back America conference, I was approached by one of Bill O'Reilly's video crews, looking to do an ambush interview about objectionable anonymous comments that appeared on our site (comments that we unequivocally repudiate and take down as soon as we become aware of them; more on this in a moment).

O'Reilly has been banging this tired drum -- calling me no different from Nazis and the KKK -- for weeks now and is giddily promoting yesterday's exchange on his website as "An Explosive Showdown. We confront the Huffington Post over Tony Snow comments." (It will apparently air tonight).

My first response to the Fox hit squad was that they needed a lesson on the rudiments of how the Internet works, especially when it comes to comments.

HuffPost gets around 500,000 comments a month. These comments are anonymous and in no way represent my opinions, or the opinions of HuffPost or our bloggers. We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to abusive or hateful language or comments -- such comments are taken down as quickly as they come to the attention of our moderators.

And we are constantly working to develop new technologies -- and backing them up with more and more 24/7 moderators -- which will allow us to more effectively filter out objectionable comments. But no system is perfect and offensive comments occasionally slip through -- on our site and any place else on the Internet that encourages a free and open exchange of ideas. Including the Fox News site.

Indeed, Crooks and Liars' John Amato has gathered a collection of hateful comments that can still be found on foxnews.com. And Keith Olbermann has pointed out comments posted on Bill O'Reilly's own site that, among other things, threaten the life of Hillary Clinton.

Let me be as clear as possible. We find the kind of toxic comments O'Reilly is pointing out utterly repugnant and take them down. Period. But we refuse to let the vile actions of a miniscule number of anonymous, trouble-making trolls force us to shut down our comments section -- as many sites, including many conservatives sites, have done. We are committed to striking a balance between freedom of expression and freedom from a noxious atmosphere that ultimately discourages expression.

Finally, I find it laughable to be lectured on hate speech by Bill O'Reilly, who has done as much if not more than anyone else in the media to debase the public dialogue. He spews hate as readily as he breathes. It's his lifeblood.

In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if O'Reilly had one of his staffers put these offensive comments up on HuffPost, just so he could have something to rail against.

Related: Why I Am Grateful that Rush Limbaugh Attacked Me Today

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[Kalima]

Game, set and match, Ms. Huffington. Thank you!

[57basque]

Arianna, I know you do not hate America anymore than me. Though I have been REAL PISSED, at what it has become. I hear Bill O. say a lot how the left on the internet, are things like the worst to happen to America. If I was you, I would demand a public apology from Bill O. for those words about you, me and the rest of the left. I love you Lady, you gave me something to hope for, when all hope was gone.

[john85msy]

Why was Rush Limbaugh in the Dominican Republic with a bottle of Viagara?

[slobone]

I give up, why?

[gevan]

"...needed a lesson..." You want them to LEARN how things work? How the world really is? Where is their political advantage in that? Those guys' philosophy doesn't allow for mere reallity to intrude on their world view. The attempt to take them to task for their ridiculousness is FUTILE.

[imusintheevening]

Bill won Arianna, and the proof is that we can no longer have interactive discussions due to your new need to vet every comment so that by the time it is posted we have all moved on.

[wilhelmR]

Ariana and the people who control the Site: You do a fantastic job. O'Reilly is not longer in your Big League. He stopped being a major player when he went to eat at a Restaurant in Harlem and was amazed that the people there "ate with spoons and forks." He is just plain ignorant and his time (of glory) has past.

[H.L. Mencken]

It has long been a wisdom of the western world that too ignore history and its lessons can be ultimately disastrous!
I am witnessing the identical political mistake made by the democratic party that culminated in 1972 with the nomination of George McGovern! The difference this time is the radical are more polite less violent and are not openly seeking sex or a sexual encounter! But their reason estere of an anti war motive is evident!
Move on is their prime mover and shaker and these folks are and so progressively radical that they fail to distinguish decency from adverse political legerdemain and misinterpret meanings and actions of the other side!

If Obama is nominated it is a harbinger of a democratic party Hillary admonishion that a hefty moiety of white and black proletariats will vote for John McCain!

[notnuffsaid]

As tobeing called a nazi and KKK, it's practically a sure sign that it descroibes him. It is a fundemental characteristic of the demagogue to accuse others of the very characteristics trhey themselves possess.

[JustJoan]

Arianna, you should have done what Keith Olbermann has suggested to do when Billo's boy does the sneak attack. Be extremely happy that you have the opportunity to discuss Miss Andrea Mackris and the transcripts that are so creepy to read but say so much about the real Bill. For any of you that haven't had the chance to take a look they are over at Smoking Gun I believe. I showed them to my Grandmother and she sees Bill in a whole new light. I always send the link to my Republican friends when they are getting a bit too much to take, all in good fun, of course. Yes, there are good people on the other side and they are not fond of Bill.

[chendri887]

Help me understand what is going on at this site. It used to be fun to dialogue with people here. Now, due to someone's (Huffington's?) desire to people-please the Faux Media outlets of the world, we have to wait three, four, five days before our posts are up on the site? So, there is no dialogue. It's only an email site, and no one wants to read the comments a week after they've been written. Please, we're all adults here. I can take it if someone calls names. I don't need this type of moderation when I post comments at sites. Plus, most of us come here to vent, so it's nice to be able to let off a little steam. It's sad to see censorship so beloved on the "left" as much as it is on the right. Whatever.

[H.L. Mencken]

Unfortunately Governor Richardson:sans race color or gender, emits vibes of rhetoric behavior and appearance that promulgates and argues for deceit and suspicion! He publically is throwing his home boys overboard to perpetuate his own political existence!

Deservedly his chances of achieving such a spirited goal of greatness is litle or next to none!

With past associate such as him and Dick Morris who are visibly struggling with their own political crosses respectively; who needs enemies?

[wilhelmR]

I do not understand this post at all, what is this all about? Why is Governor Richardson thrown-in here when Ariana is talking about O'Reilly? Please people kee your comments at issue with the blogger's.

[hearye]

I forget to say in my previous post that O'Really? should grow up. He's like a little tattling kid and it's
quite annoying to adults. Maybe that is why the Internet is growing and TV audiences are shrinking.

[hearye]

Ms. Huffington,

You do a fantastic job with your website. You have nothing to apologize for. I agree with you that
offensive posts could have been planted here just to do a hit piece on you.

I have heard O'Reilly accuse women whose children have gone missing of being the sinister force behind the disappearance on the first day of the search. I have heard him make outrageous statement along those lines without any basis other that personal bias.

When O'Reilly pontificates, it's just "fair and balanced news" regardless how unfair and biased and even vicious and inflammatory. When someone else airs an opinion that differs with theirs, it's
hate speak or abusive attacks.

He's an overpaid blow-hard.

OOOPPPSSS. Did I just say something anonymously and offensive?

Let me correct that.

In my opinion, he is an overpaid blow-hard.

And let's face it, he has issues concerning women.

Opps.....l­et me correct that.

It's my opinion that he is a male chauvanist.

Consider his negative attention a compliment,.
I hope it promotes your website and increases traffic.

You have one of the best sites on the Web. Wishing you a long internet life here.

[LightningJoe]

You wanna hear something funny? I actually KNEW that your opinions about Bill'O were just that -- your opinions -- BEFORE you told me even said it! Yes, really I did!

Maybe I'm psycho, er, psychic. Or maybe there was some sort of giveaway, like that you posted your missive on an, er, OPINION forum, where adults -- and the occasional troll -- lay down the world-acco­rding-to-t­hem.

I have an opinion, too, but I'm much too afraid to air it in public now; even in forums specifically for opinions. Big Bill's sweatshop minions might be watching. I'm so leery of offending giga-blowhard Faux commentationers that I'm self-censoring from now on!

-------

Kill your TV, and free your mind!

[Miguel]

Let's see. The last sentence of today's blog post, accuses O' Reilly of the very thing I see often encouraged informally by the politicos on this blog site. As a former leftist who's seen a little too much of the truth about my former leftist colleagues, I can literally feel the fervent 'fear and loathing' for the Fox news network characterizing the life blood of said former colleagues; because Fox indeed does allow something close to both sides being able to address the issues.

What those former colleagues don't seem to understand is that there are actually other people out there besides they, themselves, and them, who have rights and do NOT deserve to just be sent off to "re-education camps" where so many Vietnamese got to die courtesy of Jane Fonda, et al.

Many, it seems, believe that they alone are just so much smarter "n" better 'n' everyone else, that no one else has a right to speak, or be heard, especially if they dare to utter non-pc language. Is that not why our great nation was crated in the first place; so that everyone, not just the elitists, get to speak and be heard?

Violating the pc of the French Revolution got you head chopped off by the mob, which was soon replaced by the violent dictator, Napoleon. Violating the pc of the kings and queens of old Europe/Russia got you and your's slaughtered. Violating the pc of Moslem extremists has (since the seventh century) always gotten your head chopped off, as my brother has witnessed week-ends in Saudi Arabia. Violating modern-day leftist pc will get you violently shoved off the stage by screaming illiterates schooled only in intolerance. The difference is only in the degree of intolerant failure to be able to think or empathize.

Often I have encountered hate-speech right here on Hufpost, giving credence to O' Reilly's claims; O' Reilly not being one of my favorites either. My non-threatening but non-pc comments have often been censored, Before, not After they were put up. Why are these "toxic comments" posted the first place? . . then taken down? I can clearly see that the "moderating" task is monumental. So why cannot there be more tolerance of the foibles on the either side? . . . except when there are long-standing patterns?

Showing one's terror of the other side by vicious denigration, only cements the fear in that denigrating individual's heart, if not their mind. I know the arguments from whence I've come. Many old 'friends' are fearful to talk anymore; since my newer, more empathetic logic/heart are now much wider and more accepting than theirs, which befuddles and angers them.

[chimpevil]

Is this horrorwitz? If not, great imitation (but next time throw in some blather about leftist profs and it will be perfect!)

[mickeyrat]

well, can't accuse you of being illiterate, but what you speak of is common both to the left and right internet posters.

However, this is the difference between left and right when it comes to internet invective. The left incorporates its invective in the facts it uses to refute the rightwing's idiocy. Thus, we're likely to say, "look, you halfwitted moron, here's a link the latest statistics that show etc. etc.".

The right limits itself to "you're a halfwitted moron" and leaves it at that.

Oh, and the leftist would understand that "halfwitted moron" is redundant--the rightwinger won't.

[Miguel]

I had many great 'profs'; the finest ones were never political to us, our education being the highest priority. Some were very weak, relying on their politics. Are you one of the followers who shout down wayward thinkers and keep all thoughts pure and "correct"?

[BigFootJesus]

Jane Fonda sent people to die in Vietnamese reeducation camps? I guess you learn something new everyday. You sure are a strange variety of leftist.

[Miguel]

We all simply empowered NVA gunmen to do that mass murder for us, I mean for them, or was it for us? She helped them through critically important symbolism to help ensure the leftist imperative to keep the people in bondage.

[CHIPFXDWG]

IMAGINE HOW IT MUST BE IN IRAN.
PEOPLE HAVE NO CHOICE FOR WHO THEY VOTE.
THEIR VOTES ARE BASICALLY MEANINGLESS.
MUST BE A LOT LIKE FLORIDA & MICHIGAN.