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

[lovable]

now go on other shows and expose fox!!!!!!!!!these people got a good thing going fox does. they know people will not go on other shows and embarres them u be the and start a war !!!!!! tell the netwoks how u were treated . i saw the interview it was civil . now this!?????

[realpolitic]

Deepak Chopra must have higher expectations of Fox news than the rest of us. O'Reilly uses every guest as a prop. He invited Rep. Barney Frank on just to scream at him and he did the same with Senator Chris Dodd. Did you really expect to get an honest discussion of the Bush war on terror from O'Reilly and get him to admit the almost universal truth that this war has created many more terrorists than it has killed? O'Reilly can not even admit that the Bush torture policy not only does not work, but harms our reputation. Once in the all-spin zone, you are in O'Reilly's territory and no one there talks louder or can shut your mic off quicker than he. It is all a sad joke and bears no resemblance to an actual conversation.

[MontanaHome]

You are the picture of patience and reason, Mr. Chopra.

[Vivek]

There is a site with the tag line "we watch Fox News so you don't have to." Deepak, thanks for being one of those few that are willing to engage with the Fox News people, so the rest of us don't have to. Most of us don't have the stomach for it. But they have a lot of viewers, and surely some of them must be ready for the truth.

[LeftLeanWing]

News Hounds
We watch FOX so you don't have to.

http://www.newshounds.us/

[Azooz]

Deborah, one of the Ladies of News Hounds, had a medical problem (brain stroke?) before Obama's win - so go visit newshounds ang give her some love :)

http://www.newshounds.us/check_on_deb/

[carrieanna]

He is an "entertainer" not a journalist. I would never expect to be treated fairly or with respect to go on any "entertainer's" show. They only care about the ratings and do whatever it takes to get a laugh or put their spin on a topic.

[courageunderfire]

But the tragedy here is that many, many Americans think that Fox is real news, and that Hannity, O'Reilly, etc, are reporting the truthful news etc. Sorry to say, it doesn't say good things about American intellect. In contrast, Deepak, it is always interesting and refreshing to listen and read what you have to say, you are a highly evolved man with a great intellect I admire very much. Sadly, the Fox channel is as far from this as possible, and I am not surprised how this turned out.

[dessertsfirst]

Very well said.

[emerson53051]

Have followed Mr. Chopra's activities for many years. Anyone who has taken even a little time to research his writings and endeavors, and was honest with themselves, would see him for the knowledgeable, insightful intuitive that he is. Smiling as I view his incredibly intelligent responses, and his refusal to stoop to the same condescending, inflammatory rhetoric as his fearful, clueless antagonists. CLEARLY, he is not the one who is the "itiot" here. If you're not a bit outraged by the right-wing ignorance, fear-based name-calling and selfisness, you're not paying attention.

[monam]

You hit the fox nail on the head with this one. Bravo to you for not playing their game. They are all hate and fear mongers if it means making an all mighty buck on it and even it it dosen't.