# Bill O’Reilly really is the most virulent scumbag in the media today **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 21, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069 "2003-04-21T17:11:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/41 "2003-04-22T17:31:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Gui \* > \*\*Yes, I get a big ole’ erection watching Cokie Roberts berate those poor conservatives that dare cross her. :rolleyes: \*\* Cokie comes from a staunch Democratic background. Her father was Democratic House Whip when he died in a tragic plane crash in Alaska. Her mother and sister have also been elected Democrats. Her brother has collected many millions of dollars for Democratic candidates. I guess that makes her a middle-of-the-roader. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/42 "2003-04-22T23:01:11Z")
No, that would make her a shameless Media Whore who probably is not welcome home for Thanksgiving. Not quite the knee-padder that Connie Chung is, but still… ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/43 "2003-04-23T00:31:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elucidator \* > \*\*Not quite the knee-padder that Connie Chung is, but still… \*\* Knee-padder?! That sounds dirty. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/44 "2003-04-23T00:50:14Z")
A “knee-padder” is a polite euphemism for a “Woodward”. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/45 "2003-04-23T05:56:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBeer \* > \*\*Ditto Michael Moore. He’s every bit the left equal of O’Reilly. \*\* I don’t know, I think O’Reilly is more mean-spirited. To me, Mike Moore comes off as “I pity you, my friend, you aren’t smart enough to think like I do” while O’Reilly comes off as “Shut up, liberal! You should be lucky that conservatives fought and died for your freedoms! Cut your hair!” ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/46 "2003-04-23T06:07:28Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m convinced the networks put on outrageous people on the air to draw ratings. _gasp_ You’re kidding ;). ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/47 "2003-04-23T06:10:47Z")
Looks like Salon beat you to the idea of deflating O’Reily by challenging him to an actual debate: [http://www.salon.com/letters/editor/2003/04/23/kamiya\_oreilly/index.html](http://www.salon.com/letters/editor/2003/04/23/kamiya_oreilly/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/48 "2003-04-23T19:49:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cainxinth \* > \*\*Bill O’Reilly really is the most virulent scumbag **in the media** today. \*\* Ah, I misread your thread title. My apoligies. Of course, that _is_ just an opinion after all… ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/49 "2003-04-23T20:00:30Z")
Candy Crowley has heavier-duty kneepads than Connie Chung. I actually saw a bit she just did on CNN Headline about the Democratic presidential candidates, all showing up at a fundraising dinner talk a couple of days, in which _she had their pictures shown on playing cards_. Can there be any doubt about the associations that was intended to bring up? While briefly mentioning for appearance’s sake that they did discuss the war and the economy, the only sound bites she used were Kerry mentioning his prostate and Sharpton mentioning his jail time. While party hackery in the guise of reporting comes in different forms, I’d suggest that it’s more virulent and scumbaggy when the pretense is still there. The O’Reillys of the world are, I think, too generally seen as entertainers to have their views taken seriously, but biased “reporting” like Crowley’s is far more insidious. That’s where the outrage needs to be directed, folks. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/50 "2003-04-23T20:42:14Z")
ElvisLives, can you be more specific about Crowley’s report? What day was it on? How did she have their pictures on playing cards (a graphic with the story, real cards, etc.) Just wondering if I can document this for use elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/51 "2003-04-23T20:44:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by js\_africanus \* > \*\*Knee-padder?! That sounds dirty. \*\* Isn’t that what the one alien called Arthur Dent in the American edition of _Life, the Universe, and Everything_? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/52 "2003-04-23T22:05:26Z")
Apos, it was at the end of the Monday 4/21 midnight (US Eastern Time) CNN Headline News show (OK, that’s Tuesday AM). I don’t know when else it might have run. Transcripts show up on the website eventually, but I didn’t see it when I looked. The pictures were on a graphic, all at once, with the cards in a fan like you’d hold them, with Crowley doing a snarky voiceover about being dealt a bad hand. The segment was introduced by Rudy Bakhtiar saying clearly, “Next, Candy Crowley reports on the men who want **ed** to be President”. ---
**Author:** ![djf750](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@djf750](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/djf750)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/53 "2003-04-24T01:23:46Z")
I listen to Oreilly’s radio show ( the first hour) almost every morning as I’m driving. Yes, he is a ratings whore, yes “the no spin zone” does not apply to his spin , but he is not the asshole Rush Limbaugh is. Yesterday morning, Oreilly said that SARS and other odd diseases are being caused by our filthy, diseased environment and that the Bush Administration was neglecting this important issue. I almost lost control of the car. I also heard him once say that even though all Americans have the opportunity and freedom to do anything, that Blacks DO have it harder in this country than whites. Does this sound like a right wing fanatic? I think Limbaugh is the devisive force in this country, exagerating every issue to make liberals look bad. O’reilly’s act is for ratings, but he is more of a moderate in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/54 "2003-04-24T20:01:47Z")
Can’t even find CNNHeadline News among the list of shows for which they have transcripts. Am I looking in the right place? [http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/](http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/55 "2003-04-25T12:37:51Z")
That’s the only place I know of to look - and they hint at incompleteness, anyway. I haven’t checked [mediawhoresonline.com](http://mediawhoresonline.com) yet, but that’s a treasure trove of the stuff you’re looking for even if it’s mainly print media. Ah, well - she’ll do more of this stuff, undoubtedly - plenty of time to find other examples. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/56 "2003-04-25T12:57:21Z")
So _that’s_ O’Reilly. Not having satellite, I don’t get the wonder of 24-hour Fox news (assuming that’s his channel). However, someone sent me an AVI of that ‘interview’ the other day. I cannot believe how tactless, rude, and _unprofessional_ this chap is. I have to say, viewing that prompted me to coin a new word: **News Wanchor** ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/45deac/32.png) [@Evil\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_One)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/57 "2003-04-25T16:29:47Z")
IMO, many people on the left feel like thier opinion should be the default opinion in the media. When someone steps out of line in that regard, they are desribed as right-wing fanatics, unfair, baised, etc. That’s why the idea of a left-wing bias in the media is so hard for them to swallow. What many of us see as bias, they see as the truth from God himself simply being confirmed yet again. Bill O’Rielly doesn’t toe thier line, so therefore he is evil. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/58 "2003-04-25T16:39:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Isn’t that what the one alien called Arthur Dent in the American edition of Life, the Universe, and Everything? I believe it was “complete knee-_biter_.” ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/59 "2003-04-25T16:49:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil One \* > \*\*IMO, many people on the left feel like thier opinion should be the default opinion in the media. When someone steps out of line in that regard, they are desribed as right-wing fanatics, unfair, baised, etc. That’s why the idea of a left-wing bias in the media is so hard for them to swallow. What many of us see as bias, they see as the truth from God himself simply being confirmed yet again. Bill O’Rielly doesn’t toe thier line, so therefore he is evil. \*\* Um… have you _seen_ the clip, or read the transcript? He was just damned rude. Regardless of his political leanings, he made an unprofessional ass of himself. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069/60 "2003-04-25T16:50:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil One \* > \*\*IMO, many people on the left feel like thier opinion should be the default opinion in the media. When someone steps out of line in that regard, they are desribed as right-wing fanatics, unfair, baised, etc. That’s why the idea of a left-wing bias in the media is so hard for them to swallow. What many of us see as bias, they see as the truth from God himself simply being confirmed yet again. Bill O’Rielly doesn’t toe thier line, so therefore he is evil. \*\* Funny, I see it as completely opposite. The media is basically middle to right with no left. The right-wing media (like Fox) is _so_ right wing, and conservatives have their minds so skewed from listening to hate screaming radio demagogues all day, that anything approaching the center seems like the far left. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-o-reilly-really-is-the-most-virulent-scumbag-in-the-media-today/170069.md?page=4)