What is the most outrageous / offensive thing you have seen a 'reporter' get away with saying?

I was just thinking about this earlier. In recent years, TV news anchors and commentators are blurring the lines further and further between fact and opinion.

Some spend their entire careers these days spewing catchphrases for the left or right, and sadly audiences lap it up.

Networks like FOX, CBS and MSNBC let their anchors get away with saying some horribly false and denigrating things, all because the audience can't tell whether it was meant as fact or opinion.

Take Bill O'Reilly for example. He is probably the most mentally unstable man on television. He doesn't provide evidence, he just spews opinion and verbally rapes anyone who disagrees or dares try to raise an alternate view.

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To me, the fact that he is allowed to even be on air is a slap in the face to the journalism profession.

I don't live in the US, so I probably miss seeing (thank god) many of these 'shockjocks' that waste air and space and genetic material by existing, so please enlighten me and let me know which presenters you think are the most outrageous and offensive.

To me, the worst treatment of a guest I have ever seen on TV was this 'interview' with Jeremy Glick done by O'Reilly.





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[edit on 16/5/09 by masqua]

Bill Orielly and the rest of the fox goofs are all the same. They're useless.

The first clip there reminds me of the movie Anchorman where he just keeps reading the prompter no matter what they put in it. Bill pops a gasket when he cant understand it lol.

reply to post by king9072


To me all his 'performances' scream of some deep issues he should work to resolve. He has problems with himself, not with others.

In saying that, I don't want this to be another bash FOX thread. I dislike them as much as the next guy, but I'd love to see some more of the dubious presenters from the US... spread across all networks.

I only know the enigma that is O'Reilly from the Outfoxed documentary.

I've heard names like Olbermann and Limbaugh thrown around on ATS. Are any of the presenters from the other networks as outrageous as O'Reilly?

Originally posted by fooffstarr
reply to post by king9072

 

To me all his 'performances' scream of some deep issues he should work to resolve. He has problems with himself, not with others.

In saying that, I don't want this to be another bash FOX thread. I dislike them as much as the next guy, but I'd love to see some more of the dubious presenters from the US... spread across all networks.

I only know the enigma that is O'Reilly from the Outfoxed documentary.

I've heard names like Olbermann and Limbaugh thrown around on ATS. Are any of the presenters from the other networks as outrageous as O'Reilly?

To me, every single time I turn on CNN or Fox news, the propaganda I watch them spew literally hourly makes me sick. I am quite an outspoken critic of the MSM which is reflected through many threads I have written.

For awhile i was considering actually watching CNN for an hour straight and dissecting the hour so people can see the deception and mind control that's used. But then I watched CNN for a few minutes and realized I couldn't take an hour.

reply to post by king9072


I really don't mind if the content of a program is politically biased or opinion-stated-as-fact.

Fact is it happens, and some people like hearing things they agree with just to feel better about themselves.

What really gets me frustrated is when content like that is interspersed within news and current affairs programs.

It muddies the water, intentionally making it harder and harder for the semi-brainless general public to tell the difference.

I don't remember exactly who was involved, but it was on FOX. There was this guy who didn't believe the official 9/11 story, and the commentators made him look like a complete idiot by breaking every debate rule in the book. They kept putting words in his mouth and then attacking things he hadn't even said (straw man attack) and casting doubts on his patriotism and stuff like that. It was absolutely disgusting, and by the end they were just interrupting every defense he made and heaping up the baseless attacks faster than he could verbally respond to, until he got taken off the air.

I didn't see that live, but I saw a youtube clip on ATS one time for it. It's got to be the lowest point in journalistic history.

reply to post by fooffstarr


What a disgusting piece of work Bill O'reilly is! Like a spoilt brat. Its frightening to think that his ilk are "responsibly" informing nations. In a film ( I think it was Loose Change), he gushes the 2 friendly methods to denigrate any opposing opinion- Ridicule & Denial. I think that was the film that an above poster was refering to.
Here in Australia, I've heard one radio commentator (journalist), refering to one of his callers as a "Dick-brain". The elderly lady was obviously shaken by this rude display.
Comedy outfit "The Chaser", then called his program On-air, and preceeded to call him the same thing; interesting to see the turn-around.

reply to post by KRISKALI777


Alan Jones or John Laws?

Sounds like something one of them would say.

I detest them both.

What I don't understand is the things that are far worse that are allowed through on US television. Do they not have defamation laws?

reply to post by fooffstarr


I wouldn't know about defamation laws in the US.
In regards to the said Aussie journalist, it was the 2 bufoons you had mentioned. It was another from Melbourne somewhere- sorry it was a while ago now!

reply to post by KRISKALI777


I meant to say it wasnt Laws or Jones .Thanks

When you talk about news, you should separate reporters from analysts. O'Reilly and Limbaugh are analysts, not reporters, so their interpretation will be much more personal than a reporter's should be.

I don't know which was the most outrageous thing I've ever heard a reporter say, but this dingbat from CNN is right up there. You can just feel the bias dripping off of her.

reply to post by jsobecky


I'm glad somebody knows the differance between reporters and analyst.

That "reporter" is desperatly wanting to become an analyst.



This thread will end up as an Orielly or Limbaugh hate thread though.