Bill O'Reilly Doesn't Listen -- My Encounter with Fox News

Bill O'Reilly was nice to me. When I appeared on his show this week with my son Gotham, he admitted that the Iraq war was misguided, that the U.S. originally backed the Mujahedin and Taliban in the Afghan conflict with Russia, and that I was a patriot. What was going on? O'Reilly kept his voice down, and he didn't interrupt.

I could smell roses as I left the studio. (Later, as I walked past cubicles on Fox News' 27th floor, I spied more than a few Obama stickers and some staff members even approached me to teach them meditation.) It's a peculiar feeling being swept up, however briefly, in the right-wing message machine. But if I thought I could walk away unscathed, I was fooling myself. On O'Reilly's website there's still a headline this morning off to the side: "CNN Analyst Blames America." It links directly to the original Wall street Journal op-ed piece that smears me for saying that U.S. foreign policy inflames radical jihadists. No indication that I have responded to the smear, much less that almost every sensible intelligence analyst around the world absolutely agrees that Bush's "war on terror" has created as many extremists as it has killed. As a parting brickbat, O'Reilly had the forgotten comedian Dennis Miller on last night to call me an idiot. Fox analysis at its best, I suppose.

Striking back at O'Reilly and his jesters is mostly ineffective. They are used to backchat and take any response as fuel for their well-tended fires. Fox News is about giving their right wing audience new faces to hate. That's what the right-wing message machine sells. Rabinowitz, Hannity, Hasselbeck, O'Reilly, Miller, they all feed their audiences if they can label someone as un-American. They may not believe it personally and they may be good people otherwise, but they get paid if they can stoke the fires of outrage and fear. It's hard to understand, but they really don't care if what they are doing is dishonest and hurtful; they have compartmentalized this work as "media business."

The bottom line about appearing on The O'Reilly Factor is that he doesn't really listen. His guests are cardboard props in an echo chamber filled with his voice alone. He said he even wants me back! I sent him a message that if he genuinely wants to discuss creative solutions for terrorism, then I would of course accept his invitation. On the other hand, if he only wants to continue this game of pretense dialogue, I'm not interested. I am waiting to hear back.

Comments

[hellmann9655]

How many people here actually watched the entire interview? how many people here actually watch fox news? I watch all the time, and while O'Reilly can be harsh he gave Mr. Chopra time to explain his side. Fox does give equal time to opposing point of view, people here are so quick to attack Hannity but what about Colmes? a liberal and a conservative how is that not balanced?

[ravenspirit]

I disagree. I did watch the entire interview. O'Reilly did not give Deepak time to explain his position. Noticed that he continually cut off Deepak responces. But this is not specific to Deepak.O'Reilly has his own agenda. When the guest does not meet his agenda, the result slander by Mr.Oreilly and the guest being stifled. This is not objective journalism.

[PhilipTaylor]

How would you like to have O'Really as a judge in your court case?

What a "Brainless Knuckle-Head!"

As ususal he ignores the FACTS when they get in the way of his Silly IDEOLOGY!

[balrog221]

O'Rielly and his ilk should be marginalized and exposed for the danger they create for all of us. To keep our precious homeland truly safe we need to be vigilant yes, but we also need friends and allies.

[Eric8869]

AMEN - you said it all.

[fishgirl26]

It takes a strong person to yell, but a stronger one to listen. Mr.Chopra, Bill O'Reilly will NEVER listen in fear of maybe learning something.

[ScooterLiddy]

Then we need to turn him off.

[Pearlswan]

"Those who know don't talk. Those who talk don't know." --Tao te Ching

"What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's job?
If you don't understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret." --Tao te Ching

Bill O'Reilly has a large audience that may benefit from the insights Deepak Chopra offers in his books. What Bill O'Reilly sells his audience is delusion. O'Reilly may be a closed book but there may be some in his audience that are looking for truth and self-awareness rather than self-delusion. I think Deepak Chopra came on the show to talk to those people, not O'Reilly. And, his observations of the experience gave us all a peek inside the delusion and how it is created and sustained. As such, the appearance was well worth the time and energy expended in the effort. The Master does his job and then lets go.

[dougiec]

Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.
- Mark Twain

[drkazmd65]

Twain,... as politically and socially astute now as he was more than a century ago.

[M1]

Why did you go on fox news in the first place? Just curious because all that you say is so true and I have seen this from a less enlightened life than yours but you attended. I think just by showing up you add legitimacy to these peddlers of hatred and division. I would like to know why you took the interview?

[Photofarm]

I'm tired of people here saying that anyone that disagrees with their ideas are full of hatred and deception. The real hate comes from the people calling the other side hatefull.

[pfc1369]

Stop trying to make sense.

You have no facility for it.

[drumz]

huh?

[M1]

It is not the disagreement being criticized it is the lack of civility and the volitile communication style used that has incited people to commit criminal acts. Hence, the theft of an athiest sign in a Governmental Christmas display. Often lies are told to make emotional points. This is not news and this is not simple disagreement. Photofarm do some fact checking.

[MillaRSC]

For O'Reilly to say that Chopra is naive?!
Obviously, he never had any of his books in his hands.
And, one more time - please, ignore him, don't go on Fox...
If you go back, they will have higher ratings, and, they will think that they are doing good job.

[Scarabus]

Fox is by no stretch a legitimate news organizati­on--unless you agree with Richard Vigurie that journalism is just opinion (any distinction between honest opinion and the bought and paid for kind being just laughable).

Forgive the mixed metaphors, but if they get to choose the ground of encounter, they get to set the rules, they get to control the on/off switch for the mikes, and they absolutely always get to fire the last shots? That can't even pass the laugh test, let alone pass for either fair or balanced.

Can't help thinking that the best strategy would be to de-legitimize them. In other words, to make obvious the blatant, bullying lack of legitimacy that has defined them from the get-go. Don't appear on their shows. Don't invite them to press events. Don't answer their questions (because you know that you'll be quoted out of context, misrepresented, and mocked).

But always, always repeat this mantra to explain your behavior: They are a propaganda mill, not a legitimate news organization. To treat them as legitimate is an insult to the integrity of the profession and a profound disservice to the honest civil discourse on which our democracy depends.

[ScandalousCandice7]

O'Reilly reminds me of the blowhard media guy from V For Vendetta. A c-orrupt h-ypocrite preaching to the masses while he takes his cut for it.

[kidflash]

What FOX news and Bill O'Reilly not fair and balanced? The hell you say.

[Huffingposter]

Thank you for your reasoned and principled approach. We can not just ignore what we don't agree with, we need to engage. Besides, Gotham's hot.

[retrorio]

Any time Bill O'Reilly says something which irritates you, just go to this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2YDq6FkVE

It always cheers me up.

[texastrixie]

i had never seen this. It actually made me fall over in my chair, laughing. Will bookmark it for days when I am feeling down.

[M1]

Great video!! Thanks.

[kdublya]

Better to laugh at at Bill'O The Clown than to get discouraged at the grim prospect of a miracle.