IU study: ‘O’Reilly Factor’ a ‘spin zone’

Over the course of two years, IU researchers found that Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly uses propaganda techniques to spin information and call certain groups “evil,” and label groups as villains and others as victims to the present world – the way O’Reilly sees it.\n“I don’t consider him a journalist, but more like an editorialist with his opinions,” said assistant professor in the school of journalism Mike Conway , who lead the study. “The purpose of the study didn’t really involve a definition of journalism, just that people use different sources to get their information, and do not necessarily differentiate between news and opinion programs.”\nConway was joined by Maria Elizabeth Grabe, associate professor of Telecommunications, and Kevin Grieves, a doctoral student in journalism, in the project.\nO’Reilly’s show, “The O’Reilly Factor,” is quite popular, enjoying its status as the No. 1 cable news show, Conway said. The powerful and important voice O’Reilly wields on cable was the driving factor in choosing him as the investigative subject. \nConway said critics ask why O’Reilly is targeted in the research. The journalism professor says it was because at the time of the study, O’Reilly’s voice was, and still is, prominent.\nAfter watching 115 episodes – six months’ worth – of O’Reilly’s “Talking Points Memo,” editorials, Conway said the analysis of the material was based on the 1930s Institute for Propaganda Analysis.\nThe same devices were used in the 1930s to study then-popular voice Father Charles Coughlin. \nCoughlin was known during the 1930s for his sermons revolving around anti-Semitism and fascism. He was also known as a defender of Hitler and Mussolini. \n“What we found is that Bill (O’Reilly) is a heavier user,” Conway said. \nThe research reports that O’Reilly called a person or a group a derogatory name once every 6.8 seconds, or nine times every minute during the editorials that opened his program each night. \nO’Reilly didn’t take the research found by Conway, Grabes and Grieves without comment.\nOn his Thursday, May 3 show, O’Reilly spoke of the IU research study on him.\n“Did you know that I, your humble correspondent, call somebody a name every 6.8 seconds during my Talking Points presentation each evening?” he asked during the show, as available through his personal Web site. \n“Finally, let’s add up the ‘name calling’ tonight. There was ‘humble correspondent,’ ‘smear site,’ and four others. That’s only six examples in three minutes, far below my average. I must be slipping,” O’Reilly concluded at the end of his Thursday’s “Talking Points” segment.\nConway had a chance to watch the segment, commenting on his research.\n“I found it humorous,” he said with a smile. “He called us names, considering us to be part of the left wing conspiracy... not factual, it’s just the way he operates.”\nAmong other facts found in the study, the three IU researchers discovered O’Reilly uses fear in more than half, 52.4 percent, of his commentaries, and never offers solutions to the threat he identifies. \nIn addition, left-leaning media, at 21.6 percent, makes up the largest portion of people and groups O’Reilly criticizes. But when it came to “evil” people and groups, illegal aliens, 26.8 percent, and terrorists, 21.4 percent, served as the largest groups.\nThe article was published in the spring issue of the academic journal “Journalism Studies.”\nConway said he believes journalists should always be striving to present as many angles and viewpoints “as possible to give the people the power to determine how they feel about the issue.”\n“Journalists should not be selectively using or omitting information to push a particular point of view,” he said.