O’Reilly Producer Who Ambushes People For Avoiding Interviews Refuses NYT Requests For Comment
O’Reilly Producer Who Ambushes People For Avoiding Interviews Refuses NYT Requests For Comment
On the front page of today’s Arts section, New York Times reporter Brian Stelter has a story with the headline, “Gotcha TV: Crews Stalk Bill O’Reilly’s Targets.” In the piece, Stelter notes that over the past three years, O’Reilly’s “young producers” have stalked more than 50 people. In “almost every case,” the Fox News host has used ambushes “to campaign for his point of view,” and 10 of the last 12 ambush targets “were either outwardly liberal or had criticized Republicans.” The network began using the tactic in 2002, but it became an O’Reilly Factor “staple” in 2006. (It has now spread to other Fox shows as well.)
Stelter talked to a Fox executive, who claimed that O’Reilly goes after people only when they won’t give the network “answers.” Ironically, producer Jesse Watters — who staked out my apartment and stalked me — refused to give Stelter any answers:
The Fox News producer responsible for most of the ambush interviews, Jesse Watters, refused repeated interview requests. But the network did make David Tabacoff, the program’s senior executive producer, available to comment. Mr. Tabacoff — who started a telephone interview by asking, “This is going to be a fair piece, correct?” — said the interviews are “part of the journalistic mission” of “The O’Reilly Factor.” He called the program an “opinion-driven show that has a journalistic basis.”
“We’re trying to get answers from people,” he said. “Sometimes the only way to get them is via these methods.”
The attitude, as summarized by Mr. Watters in a BillOReilly.com blog post: “If they don’t come to us, we’ll go to them.”
Spencer Ackerman points out one thing missing from this article: “Stelter might also have noted in this piece that O’Reilly’s people never once contacted for comment Amanda before following her to a vacation spot, despite the Factor’s frequent protestations that the ambush-interviews are a last journalistic resort.”
Stelter also writes that O’Reilly’s crew went after me because of “a protest [I] helped organize against Mr. O’Reilly.” This statement isn’t true. Neither I — nor ThinkProgress — ever had anything to do with a protest regarding O’Reilly speaking to the Alexa Foundation. At that time, all we had done was write a short March 1 post highlighting controversial comments he had once made about a rape victim. You can view the post here and judge for yourself whether we “helped organize” a “protest” against O’Reilly. (We did launch a campaign to get O’Reilly’s advertisers to issue statements on whether they agreed with his brand of “journalism,” but that was after my ambush — not before.)
O’Reilly’s tactics have nothing to do with journalism. As Al Tompkins of the Poynter Institute noted, “Nobody should hijack the power of journalism or use the public airwaves (or cable signals) simply to settle personal scores.” Mike Hoyt, the editor of the Columbia Journalism Review who has also faced his own O’Reilly ambush, has said that all O’Reilly does is try to grab “whatever out-of-context quote that he can use to make you look stupid.”
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Another rethug exhibiting the so as I say, not as I do syndrome.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:07 pmWhat about when these dopes tried the same garbage on Bill Moyers last summer, I think? The Master sent that yokel back to his mom.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:08 pmo’reilly is a “media terrorist.”
April 16th, 2009 at 1:10 pmJesse Watters “can dish it out but he can’t take it.” Apparently, he can’t even handle a simple interview.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:14 pmFox News has become little more than a propaganda vehicle for the Republican party. Unfortunately, every cable package except basic automatically includes Fox News, which means anyone who gets cable is being forced to give money to what has become a part of the Republican party – both directly through cable bills and indirectly by giving Fox inflated viewer numbers when they set ad rates. I’ve contacted Comcast and there’s nothing they can do about it, they say. I’ve started writing to anyone I think might be interested, and have complained to the FCC, the FEC, my congressmen and class action law firms. I also discovered that the FCC is soliciting public comments on making cable networks “a la carte,” so you could pick and chose what you receive. Here’s the link (top item on page) – http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs/Upload/
I don’t think the Fairness Doctrine will be coming back anytime soon, but I see no reason why viewers should have to subsidize the hatred and intolerance that Fox News spews out every day. We need to start complaining loudly to people who can do something about them.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:16 pmWatters is such a pussy. When the harsh light of the media is turned on HIM, he skulks away to hide in his spider hole.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:16 pmI’m not surprised.
Cockroaches flee when light is shined on them.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:19 pm“No, no, no, you’ve got it wrong. I’m an ambushER — not an ambushEE!”
April 16th, 2009 at 1:22 pmCaption:
WEASEL
April 16th, 2009 at 1:22 pmIs there a best way to let Time warner know that I am none to happy that part of my cable package is being spent on ideological welfare?
April 16th, 2009 at 1:25 pmDAVID TABACOFF: “This is going to be a fair piece, correct?”
__________________________________________________________
No, Mr. Tabacoff — we thought we’d make you feel at home and do the piece Fox News style (snark).
Geez — what projection! Because they wouldn’t know how to do a “fair” piece if their journalistic integrity depended on it (which is why they don’t have any), they assume everyone else operates the same way.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:25 pmO’Reilly’s ‘Putty Patrol.’
April 16th, 2009 at 1:32 pmI am a liberal who watches fox noise. At first i viewed it as pure entertainment,now when i watch it i get sick to my stomach.They are so far over the top with the lies. They are one big propaganda machine for the rightwingnuts. I cant even begin to comprehend how anyone with some bit of intelligence could actually believe this crap. I know i dont have to watch it but its so fcking pathetic that its hard not to. Any other fellow libs out there who tune in once in a while?
April 16th, 2009 at 1:34 pmtime to turn the tables on watters. i say for every ambush he has committed, he should be likewise treated…right down to the stalking and eventual on camera mic in your face showdown.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:35 pmThe attitude, as summarized by Mr. Watters in a BillOReilly.com blog post: “If they don’t come to us, we’ll go to them.”
So I guess NYT that Billo is saying its okay for you to stalk Jesse and get answers.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:37 pmI guess the next time Waters sticks a camera in somebody’s face they should ask him why he’s afraid to do an interview. Before they ask him about Andrea Mackris.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:38 pmAnyone got a camera? Let’s go track down Jesse Waters next time he goes on vacation and ask him some fair and balanced questions while he’s trying to sip a pink lady by the pool.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:39 pm.
Shocked…
… I. Am. Shocked. I tell ya!
.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:39 pmsaid the interviews are “part of the journalistic mission” of “The O’Reilly Factor.”
This particular ‘journalistic mission’ looks like billy sending out his aggressive goons to stalk someone he doesn’t like and try to create the illusion that they are somehow getting to the bottom of the issue so that billy can follow up by attempting to slander that person while showing that he was correct all along and they had really pulled the mask off of something and had shown the viewers the real deal.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:40 pmThen it’s off to take care of his need for sexual harassment.
I say next time he sticks a camera in someone’s face, they should pepper spray him.
Make him a bit gun-shy…
April 16th, 2009 at 1:40 pmAmbush the little twerp.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:40 pmconstructivedisorder,
Good info. I’ll follow up a little later today. I never watch FOX except for clips here or other sites. It’s too infuriating, I think I get a little bit of coal in my chest when I watch fox and if I keep watching it the coal just gets larger.
Another good outcome of taking FOX out of basic, is how many nut job right wingers can actually afford, or would choose to pay, additional money to watch FOX?
Really, their base, outside of the rich who push the stupids buttons, seem to be fairly far down on the income ladder.
By charging a few dollars more for FOX the stupids might get smarter.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:44 pmWhen I was a little kid, my father told me that all bullies are cowards.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:47 pmI’m not typically this judgemental, but something about Jesse Watters’ appearance screams “date rapist”.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:47 pmSo far I’ve only seen this ahole pick on older men and young women. How come he doesn’t pull this shi* on someone who could kick his as*?
April 16th, 2009 at 1:54 pm@ #5- thanks for the FCC link- I filed a request to allow a la carte channels. Great idea.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:54 pmWe’re trying to get answers from you people. “Sometimes the only way to get them is via your own methods.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:56 pm“opinion-driven show that has a journalistic basis.”
is that anything like a really stupid idea that has at least some basis in fact ?
April 16th, 2009 at 1:58 pmhp Says:
Jesse answers to no one.
Great contribution. Keep them coming, dooshnozzle.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:02 pm——————————————————————————–
Doodlebug Shayne Says:
——————————————————————————–
I guess the next time Waters sticks a camera in somebody’s face they should ask him why he’s afraid to do an interview. Before they ask him about Andrea Mackris.
————————
I believe this is the strategy that has the most chance of success when dealing with this buffoon.
I would only amend it by not “asking about Andrea Mackris” but by screaming “ANDREA MACKRIS, ANDREA MAKRIS, ANDREA MAKRIS” at the top of my lungs, emptying a can of the most powerful pepper stray (it comes in many strengths and formulae, and then dialing 911.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:06 pmNY Times also failed to mention that when a judge refuses to speak to the media, it’s because the law compels them to stay silent. Why didn’t they ask Jesse if he knows that and why he persists?
April 16th, 2009 at 2:09 pmNice of Watters to show that he is a coward. No effort to hide it at all.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:10 pmFreedom of Speech should also include the freedom to not speak to those who use bullying techniques, and invasion of personal space, to give their boss a false of power. Even if a law suit wouldn’t be successful it would drag Billo and his little hit man into the sunlight.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:11 pmWow! Jesse Watters is such a hypocritical punk!
April 16th, 2009 at 2:15 pmTasers are both legal (in 48 states) and “safe” (so the cops say every time they kill somebody with one).
I’d LOVE to watch Jesse writing on the pavement, clutching his roasted nutz, and whimpering, after one of his ambush victims “didn’t recognize him” or thought he was a stalker, and tasered him in teh ballz…
April 16th, 2009 at 2:16 pmSavage calls CNN’s Roesgen “a self-hating white woman, who couldn’t get a job as a hooker”
The Savage-weiner is a self-hating Jew who couldn’t get a job at Storm-front…
April 16th, 2009 at 2:17 pmconstructivedisorder @5,
Thanks so much for the link to the FCC. Just sent my e-mail survey and comments. I encourage others to do the same. It is quick and easy and well worth the time.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:18 pmThat should be spray not “stray” @32.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:22 pmOk, it’s time for someone to stalk Jessie Watters and ambush him to try to get an interview. The first question should be “why won’t you answer questions put to you about your ambush tactics”.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:38 pmO’Reilly and his ambushers won’t agree to interviews. It’s time for legitimate journalists to do ambush interviews on the O’Reilly gang.
Let’s smoke them out of their extreme, right wing holes.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:42 pmI can’t wait until this clown sends his stooge to ambush me. I have been ragging him for months now on both my website, http://democratictribune.com, and the Daily Kos.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:50 pmYou mean these chickenshits are claiming they are trying to get answers from people this way because the refuse to talk and that is good investigative journalism. Doesn’t Watters now deserve the same be done to him. Where the hell are all those “liberal” journalists when you need them?
April 16th, 2009 at 3:06 pmThe only logical action to take would be to stalk out his home, wait for him to go on holiday and then ambush him with questions like “why do you hate America” “are you sure you’re not a terrorist, I saw you interview one” or my personal favorite “are you sure you love America enough?”
April 16th, 2009 at 3:15 pmThanks for the link above constructive disorder (love the handle)!
I don’t think its fair that minimal cable services include FOX but you have to pay extra for such networks as MSNBC. That’s why I stopped cable, opted for broadband and now enjoy downloading Keith, Rachel and now Ed.
April 16th, 2009 at 3:18 pmAmanda, you weren’t hoping for accurate, unbiased reporting from Pravda on the Hudson, were you? It’s astonishing how often the NYT’s stories err or bend in favor of the establishment, for lack of a better word. I would have thought that the Times’ writer would contact you for your side of the story.
April 16th, 2009 at 3:20 pmDear Crap For Brains-
You are a clueless and gutless hack! Can you at least use the man’s first and last name? This is not Madonna you’re dealing with! Think Progress is a glorified message board and you’re baseless attacks on Mr. O’Reilly are a useless exercise!
April 16th, 2009 at 3:51 pmDear Crap For Brains-
You are a clueless and gutless hack! Can you at least use the man’s first and last name? This is not Madonna you’re dealing with! Think Progress is a glorified message board and your baseless attacks on Mr. O’Reilly are a useless exercise!
April 16th, 2009 at 3:51 pmDear Crap For Brains-
You are a clueless and gutless hack! Can you at least use the man’s first and last name? This is not Madonna you’re dealing with! Think Progress is a glorified message board and your baseless attacks on Mr. O’Reilly are a useless exercise!
Here check this link out and shut the fuk up!!!!!
http://www.sean-o.com/blog/index.php/2008/05/14/colbert-report-oreilly-outburst-parody/
Its fun to make fun off a witless moron that makes an ass of himself everyday on public TV!!!
April 16th, 2009 at 4:05 pmO Reilly is a freak thats why he wrote a book about a journalist going out and killing his former coworkers after he himself was fired from CBS!!! And he was a high school teacher too!!! Now that is freaking scary
April 16th, 2009 at 4:12 pmOK I have to defend my good friend Billy O!!! He just cant see the beautiful sunshine of reality through the shit clouds with his head up Murdoch’s ass!!! Repentance Billy
April 16th, 2009 at 4:14 pmThe best way to get him to stop might be to merely point out that he’s just copying Michael Moore’s schtick.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:21 pmElBruce Says:
The best way to get him to stop might be to merely point out that he’s just copying Michael Moore’s schtick.
Thats beautiful!!
Then scream ANDREA MAKRIS
April 16th, 2009 at 4:27 pmMy advice for those SNFUNews gimps comes from Bill Hicks:
Squeegie your third eye and rid us of your fevered egos that are tainting our collective conscious
April 16th, 2009 at 4:35 pmOne more time. Fox News is an ENTERTAINMENT channel. They got out of a Florida law suit because they were NOT registered as a News Network. They try to look like a news show, but they’re not journalists. They tried to look like the Daily Show but they’re not funny. They claim to have phenomenal ratings, but they don’t. Why they’re still on the air is a mystery, but TP had decent luck with their sponsors. It’s long past boycott time. Anyone have a list of their current sponsors? I’m game.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:50 pmHey everyone Beck is on right now. Why this treasonous piece of sht isnt locked up is beyond comprehension. He said over three hundred thousand bozo`s showed up at the tea party`s. Does anyone know what the real numbers are? I havent seen anything yet. I really enjoy when he say`s Americans are fed up. What Americans does he think hes talking about. I guess 26% means all Americans to him. This loser has got to go.
April 16th, 2009 at 5:17 pmsscncturn64,
In all the shots I’ve seen (it’s only been a few), I haven’t seen anymore than a couple of dozen people at any one place.
April 16th, 2009 at 6:23 pmFor those who slept through World History 101…… here is a condensed version.
Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.
The two most important events in all of history were:
1. The invention of beer, and
2. The invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer, and the beer to the man.
These facts formed the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:
1. Liberals
2. Conservatives.
Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That’s how villages were formed.
Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BB Q at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.
Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQ’s and doing the sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.
Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became known as girlie-men.
Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy and group hugs, the evolution of the Hollywood actor, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide all the meat and beer that conservatives provided.
Over the years, Conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.
Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of liberal women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn’t fair to make the pitcher also bat.
Conservatives drink domestic beer. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, Marines, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.
Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for nothing.
Here ends today’s lesson in world history…….
It should be noted that a liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to the above before forwarding it.
A conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true believers, and to more liberals…just to **** them off.
April 16th, 2009 at 6:55 pmsscncturn64 Says:
Hey everyone Beck is on right now. Why this treasonous piece of sht isnt locked up is beyond comprehension. He said over three hundred thousand bozo`s showed up at the tea party`s. Does anyone know what the real numbers are? I havent seen anything yet. I really enjoy when he say`s Americans are fed up. What Americans does he think hes talking about. I guess 26% means all Americans to him. This loser has got to go.
Typical Liberal response…if you disagree with someone…they have no right to voice it.
April 16th, 2009 at 6:57 pmJesse Watters only believes in the script and nothing but the script.
He’s not trained to think about anything other what he’s given or told.
April 16th, 2009 at 7:16 pmIn the San Francisco Chron this morning they gave 5000 for Sacramento, and had way-back pictures, and 500 for San Francisco.
April 16th, 2009 at 7:28 pmReality Check needs a reality check about plagiarism.
I don’t give a shit if you eat red meat and provide for your wimmin folk — if you plagiarize, you are a thief and a liar.
But that’s just who you are, isn’t it?
April 16th, 2009 at 7:30 pmWhen 60 Minutes did it, we cheered. Then again, 60 Minutes was real journalism.
The problem isn’t the tactic, IMO, it’s who’s using that tactic, and to what end.
April 17th, 2009 at 4:17 pmOK Pat obviously senile dementia has set in. Time to see the nice young men that will need to take care of you soon.burun estetigi rent a car arac kiralama
April 18th, 2009 at 5:17 amsac ekimi