Al Franken Exposes Bill O'Reilly Deceit on Saddam

[Eric J in MN]

On June 21, 2004, Bill O'Reilly intentionally deceived his viewers about what Thomas Kean said about Saddam's govt. and al Qaeda.

Kean said there weren't collaborative links.

O'Reilly was planning to play a clip of Kean, but decided to summarize Kean as saying "definately" (O'Reilly's word) links instead.

You can listen to the Al Franken clip and get more information at:
http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2004_06_25_al_franken_exposes_bill_oreilly_deceit_saddam.asp

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. Is any one surprised?

Can his broadcasting license be revoked for flat-out lying?

[Eric J in MN]

2. actually, yes I'm surprised

Actually, yes, I'm surprised.

I didn't like O'Reilly before I heard this story, but I still didn't think he would be so deliberate:

O'Reilly consciously, purposely misled his audience about a matter of war and peace.

What could be lower for a broadcaster?

[TexasSissy]

7. "O'Lie-lies" lies are documented in Franken's book,

"Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them." There's a whole chapter on O'Rielly's past lies. Ann Coulter gets a whole chapter, too, I think.

Franken carefully documents the lies, and the authority that proves the statements were lies. It's a knock-out book. And so funny, too!

[Elbowroom]

3. i don't think so

didn't fox (not the cable news..it was nightly news) in florida win a case a few years ago that states that they did in fact have the right to lie on their news show?

[Eric J in MN]

5. I meant "yes, I'm surprised," not

I meant "yes, I'm surprised," not "yes, O'Reilly can lose his broadcast license."

I don't know much about broadcast licenses, but as you mentioned, a judge in Florida ruled on a local Fox station firing 2 reporters for their story on bovine-growth hormone that Fox doesn't have to tell the truth.

[Elbowroom]

4. linkage

http://www.utne.com/webwatch/2003_29/news/10392-1.html

Florida Court: Broadcasters Have Right to Lie
—By Staff, Organic Consumers Association


March 10, 2003 Issue



A Florida appeals court has overturned a jury verdict against FOX Television for attempting to force two reporters to falsify and distort a 1996 report on the effects of bovine growth hormone (BGH). According to a statement from the Organic Consumers Association, the husband-wife investigative team of Jane Akre and Steve Wilson had spent nearly a year battling with station officials at WTVT in Tampa, Florida, over the content of their BGH report. The award-winning reporters were eventually fired “without cause” when they refused to make certain changes that would have clearly distorted the report. They filed suit in 1998 under the Federal Communications Act and the Florida whistle-blower protection law. While Wilson lost his case, a jury awarded Akre $425,000 in 2001 for wrongful termination. The appeals court overturned that verdict on a legal technicality, accepting FOX’s argument (which had previously been rejected six times by three different judges) that the FCC’s news distortion policy was not a “law, rule, or regulation,” and that Akre therefore did not have a proper claim to whistle-blower protection. Akre and Wilson won the 2002 Goldman Environmental Prize for their efforts to bring their story to light. While the court did not dispute the facts of the case, FOX claims it was “totally vindicated” by the verdict.
-Leif Utne



Go there>> http://organicconsumers.org/rbgh/akre022103.cfm



Related Links:

http://www.foxBGHsuit.com

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Saddam and Al Qaeda had links

the same way that Cheney and Leahy have links: one told the other to fuck themselves.

[Eric J in MN]

8. well put (nt)

nt