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

[SiberianRat]

Years ago, I read several of Dr. Chopra's books.; therefore, I find it curious that he's (a) cavorting with such hateful types and (b) getting sucked into their web of nastiness. There is NOTHING about these "people" at Fox that promotes inner peace, well-being, health of any type, etc. I think the doc might want to evaluate whether he has strayed onto a path that I think he would not have advocated some time ago. Spiritual growth and dealing with O'Reilly, Hannity, or any other Fox stooge are completely incompatible.

[microcosm]

In its six-page written decision, the Court of Appeals held that the Federal Communications Commission position against news distortion is only a "policy," not a promulgated law, rule, or regulation. Fox aired a report after the ruling saying it was "totally vindicated" by the verdict.

The attorneys for Fox, owned by media baron Rupert Murdock, argued the First Amendment gives broadcasters the right to lie or deliberately distort news reports on the public airwaves.

"But in my heart I do believe that democracy was harmed by my network and others on November 7, 2000. I do believe that the great profession of journalism took many steps backward."
- Roger Ailes, President of Fox News Channel and Chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group
Committee on Energy & Commerce Oversight Hearing: Election Night 2000 February 14, 2001

google "Fix News Now" and sign the news quality rating system petition to undo what Fox's damage

[microcosm]

"But in my heart I do believe that democracy was harmed by my network and others on November 7, 2000. I do believe that the great profession of journalism took many steps backward."
- Roger Ailes, President of Fox News Channel and Chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group
Committee on Energy & Commerce Oversight Hearing: Election Night 2000 February 14, 2001

The attorneys for Fox, owned by media baron Rupert Murdock, argued the First Amendment gives broadcasters the right to lie or deliberately distort news reports on the public airwaves.

In its six-page written decision, the Court of Appeals held that the Federal Communications Commission position against news distortion is only a "policy," not a promulgated law, rule, or regulation. Fox aired a report after the ruling saying it was "totally vindicated" by the verdict.

google "Fix News Now" and sign the news quality rating system petition to undo what Fox's damage

[MajorKong]

PRAVDA had more shame than Fox News.

[Alethia]

Fox News is a three-ring circus- it's strictly for entertainment.

Dr. Chopra is an intellectual. Forget that Bill O'Reilly or the others on that show care anything for intellectuals of the left or right. They don't know what intellectualism is.

Sorry, Dr. Chopra, that you were taken advantage of. But if we laugh about the basic premise of the show we would be better off.

Let's view it as a comedy variety show and have some good laughs - on them.

[JScott]

At next invitation just RSVP with a cardboard cutout of yourself.

Remember Rupert despises Bill, but it is all about the money, Rupert should be apalled.

[Jackalheadedgod]

I don't know anyone who watches Fox (except the Simpsons).

Guess I'm lucky.

Cheers,
Jack

[LeftLeanWing]

It's odd how a entrenched partisan news channel like FOX can host Hannity, O'Reilly and then have Shepard Smith who is rather Fair and Balanced.

They should allow Shepard to do interviews to regain some credibility.

[L. Rozner]

Just be thankful you weren't interviewed by L. Brent Bozell or any of his cronies at Newsbusters and MRC, Mr. Chopra. I saw some pretty nasty remarks against you on Newsbusters, and the insults were pretty rude towards you, to say the least. I'm pretty sure no evangelical Christian was called the kind of names you were called, so I would be flattered about being knicked by O'Really because he's just small fry compared to Bozo the Clown and his cronies .

[Chalkeater]

You're right. At Fox it is always about feeding the right wing animal with a constant supply of left wing villains. If you've got to bend the facts in order for the animal to be fed, so be it.

[ExRepublican]

And that doesn't happen on Keith O's show?? LOL

You're caught inbetwixt in between. Believe it. If healthy, don't fall for either side.

[timetorevolt]

KO doesn't stoke fear and hatred..

[coot]

I love Keith

[LeftLeanWing]

Nope....

Olbermann keeps the number of villains to a minimum. He basically recycles the 1st tier ; which includes Bush, Hannity, O'Reilly and anything FOX NEWs.

[OrganOfThought]

Unlike the people on Fox, KO is not a liar.

[LeftLeanWing]

Keith doesn't manufacturer controversies

[MajorKong]

"Americans like to be told who to hate." - Gore Vidal

[Motik70]

Trying to have a discussion with FOX News is like trying to explain astro physics to a monkey. FOX News is bad entertainment, it's just too bad Americans think it's a news channel.

[ExRepublican]

"Striking back at O'Reilly and his jesters is mostly ineffective"

Serious? I never knew.

In reality you (everyone) can take them down. Actually, in some ways it's already happened. It's a SLOW process. Be patient, persistant and stick to the facts.

Now, about liberals ........... similar problem? Same solution........take 'em down ever so slowly. It's the only way, unfortunately. What's right is right. Stick to the facts or what's right and eventually, they WILL drown, cut their own thr*at. Again, it's a lonnggg process but it does work.

[gfs5541]

Funny, but why Bill O'Reilly seem to remind me of the fictional J. Jonah Jamison?

[LeftLeanWing]

"....feeding the right wing animal with a constant supply of left wing villains."

That is so true...

That's why they would have Sharpton on.... a groups like the New Black Panther Party.

And does anyone know what George Soros even looks like or sound like ? They've been bogeymanning him for years.

[kimleehan]

You sound shocked but you should'nt. Fox news in neather fair or balenced matter of fact their the most opinuated news station out there and so are the people that listen to Fox news.

[MAragon]

If you'd been watching Olbermann, you'd have been amply forewarned and forearmed about O-Reilly and Fox.

[OrganOfThought]

That is why I think KO is the best source for the real information on the top news stories of the day. He doesn't cover everything, but whatever is the most important, he covers with no fear.

He was the only one that stood up to Shrub in 2002 and 2003. Everyone else chickened out. Even some "liberal" magazines acted neo-con-ish. KO has guts.