Bill O'Reilly

Bill O’Reilly Skewers Think Progress Blogger Amanda Terkel For Attacking Rape Victim Alexa Branchini

Bill O’Reilly attacked Far Left bloggers for attacking rape victim Alexa Branchini at a fundraiser this past week in Florida. O’Reilly producer Jesse Waters confronted a clueless and dishonest Amanda Terkel from Think Progress during the segment.

And, Terkel is just SHOCKED that the RIGHT might actually use the same tactics as the MSM and the Far Left Media.

Is there a lesson to be learned here?

Update:

At the request of some commenters I am supplying some background links to further explore the flap between O’Reilly and Terkel:

Amanda Terkel’s original March 1 post mocking O’Reilly’s speaking engagement for the Alexa foundation fundraiser

Amanda Terkel’s response to O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters

The News Hounds attacks on Bill O’Reilly:

It Happened to Alexa, Support Group For Rape Victims, Stands Over O’Reilly Invite

Bill O’Reilly To Speak At Fund Raising Event For Rape Victims? Oh, No He Shouldn’t!


Technorati Tags: ,

37 Comments

  • Mark @ News Corpse

    I’m just curious…

    You assert that Terkel was targeted by O’Reilly/Watters “for attacking rape victim Alexa Branchini.” Could you publish the transcript of that attack?

    I’ll bet you can’t – because it never happened. Terkel did attack O’Reilly, and she asked that the foundation set up for Alexa rescind their invitation for him to speak, but there was no attack on Alexa.

    O’Reilly is just using Watters to fight his personal battles. And your assertion that the right is just using “the same tactics as the MSM and the Far Left Media,” is also without foundation. Can you name a single person on the left who does what Watters does?

  • Mark @ News Corpse

    Huh? There is not one single example in that link of anything from my original question.

    First of all, you completely ignore the primary question I asked about proof that Terkel attacked Alexa Branchini. That’s the most important and irresponsible allegation.

    Second, if your link was supposed to provide evidence of mainstream or left-wing media engaging in Watters-like antics, you completely failed. The only thing it cited was Prop 8 opponents – no one from the media.

    This started out kinda fun, but now it’s getting dull. You really should be better prepared to affirm your ludicrous assertions.

  • Flap

    Typical left wing banter and why I do not waste my time any longer.

    1.Starts with prove this – insert your assertion here –

    2. Provide me evidence and/or links

    3. Your evidence is crap

    4. Supply more evidence and links

    5. Your evidence is still crap

    6. You should be better prepared or you are a loser.

    7. Repeat cycle with next left-wing commenter.

  • Mark @ News Corpse

    Typical right-wing propaganda:

    1. Make unsupported allegations.
    2. Provide no evidence or links.
    3. Evade any attempt to require evidence.
    4. Whine about such requests and then mock them.

    Note that I am NOT complaining about the quality of your evidence. How could I. You still haven’t offered ANY.

  • Dash

    1. How, exactly, did O’Reilly “skewer” Terkel? Terkel didn’t look confused or uninformed, she looked like someone who was just ambushed, and she held her end up quite admirably. And the attempt to discredit her because she didn’t remember the Mel Gibson comments (despite the fact that they had nothing to do with her point) were flimsy and transparent.

    2. When did Terkel “attack” Alexa Branchini? Where is this article? Or does it not exist, and is the idea that she attacked her a fabrication from O’Reilly?

    Please, please, PLEASE show us HOW Terkel “attacked” Alexa Branchini.

    So far in these comments, you’ve done nothing but give vague examples to try to defend your opinion, which is why none of us are convinced. And your “There are plenty of examples in the post.” comment show no evidence to support your claim that Terkel attacked or said anything that remotely resembled a character attack on Alexa Branchini.

    So again, my challenge to you: Come up with some concrete evidence of how Terkel attacked Branchini.

  • Alex

    Don’t worry Mark, it’s very clear to any fair-minded person reading this that Flap knows well enough that he hasn’t provided (and can’t provide) any evidence for the ridiculous assertion that Terkel “attacked” Alexa. It is, however, funny to watch him flop around in the face of being called out for it, though.

  • Flap

    @11

    As I should have said before. O’Reilly makes his case on his show of which the video is just a snippet.

    Take it up with Bill.

  • Dash

    Flap, Bill does NOT make his case in the video. He simply accuses Terkel of attacking Alexa Branchini, yet he gives no evidence his claim. And methinks you are seeing the hole in your own logic, as you follow O’Reilly’s lead and provide links with vague answers.

  • Jobu

    Yes, but you see, Mr. Flap, O’Reilly and Watters are flat-out lying when they say Ms Terkel attacked Alexa. And, as their show is The No Spin Zone, no one is allowed on to disprove their absurd lies.

    But you, sir, no doubt have read Ms Terkel’s complete post by now, and, being the crusader for Truth that you are, why don’t you clear up the confusion and obfuscation and quote Ms Terkel’s attack on Alexa verbatim?

    It’s OK that you can’t. No one expects honesty out of Bill O’Reilly supporters any more than they expect him to exhibit even a modicum of decency, intelligence, dignity, or class.

  • Kend

    Listen, what that girl did was wrong. She called out the Alexa Foundation, and in part, called out the rape victim. O’Reilly is just giving her a taste of her own medicine.

  • Dash

    Flap, you’ve given nary a bit of evidence to prove O’Reilly’s point that Terkel attacked Alexa Branchini. You’ve succeeded only in providing links to other blogs that give vague information that don’t relate to the Terkel blog – at all.

    Why are you so afraid to answer for YOUR own point of view, and not just simply refer to Bill’s comments? There isn’t one piece of evidence in the O’Reilly video that Terkel attacked Alexa. Not one. Bill hints at it, but never actually provides and solid proof of what she said.

    And again, you’ve only managed to provide vague answers such as “Answered in #8 above,” which only prove that you cannot provide any evidence yourself. If you are so sure of Terkel’s guilt in this regard, you’d have provided evidence to back up your point.

    But you haven’t.

  • Alex

    @Kend

    Where? Where did she do this? Quote her. She never criticized the organization, and she sure as heck didn’t criticize the rape victim (seriously, where do you get this nonsense?). She didn’t, for instance, call a rape and murder victim “moronic,” but guess who did? That’s right – O’Reilly.

  • Dash

    Flap, those two links you provided us with did little to more than tell us what we already know. The issue here, and what you seem not to understand, is that there is NO evidence to support the claim that Amanda Terkel attacked Alexa Branchini. NONE. That’s the issue at hand.

    The issue isn’t that other left-wingers made untoward comments about the foundation, it’s about whether or not Terkel made the comments. In short, Terkel didn’t say a single word about Alexa Branchini. She called out O’Reilly on his comments, because she perceived them to be placing the blame on the rape victim.

    You seem reticent to provide any concrete evidence to support your (and O’Reilly’s) position that Terkel herself attacked Alexa Branchini.

    @Alex: My I made those comments as “Kend” to see if my earlier comments were being blocked because I disagreed with the author. Please disregard them.

  • Flap

    Dash @18,

    I found one of your posts in the spam filter. Why it was there is unknown but I suspect that something in your name or by changing them, frequency of posts or ip address initiated the filter. If I find the others which you stated in your e-mails to me then I will put them up manually.

    Also, you might wish to read my terms of use above about the comment policy here.

    Now, on to the substance of your comment:

    1. I usually do not engage in detailed discussion with left-wing contrarians here. This is explained in comment #8 above. Any effort on my part is usually a waste of my time.

    2. This is a blog not Wikipedia, a term paper or a legal treatise. There is a certain amount of assumption that readers know certain facts and background upon which my comments and observations are made.

    3. Your comments were NOT blocked by me manually but caught in the spam filter.

  • Flap

    I will update the post above with a few links:

    1. Amanda Terkel’s original March 1 post mocking O’Reilly’s speaking engagement for the Alexa foundation fundraiser: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/01/oreilly-rape-speak/

    2. Amanda Terkel’s response to O’Reilly producrer Jesse Watters: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/01/oreilly-rape-speak/

    3. The News Hounds attacks on Bill O’Reilly:

    http://www.newshounds.us/2009/02/28/bill_oreilly_to_speak_at_fund_raising_event_for_rape_victims_oh_no_he_shouldnt.php

    http://www.newshounds.us/2009/03/04/it_happened_to_alexa_support_group_for_rape_victims_stands_over_oreilly_invite.php

    Now, Dash, after reading these links and reviewing the material do you understand why O’Reilly skewers Terkel and the Left for attempting to hurt the Alexa Foundation by disrupting their fundraiser?

  • Alex

    “Now, Dash, after reading these links and reviewing the material do you understand why O’Reilly skewers Terkel and the Left for attempting to hurt the Alexa Foundation by disrupting their fundraiser?”

    Again, you’ve provided zero evidence that Amanda Terkel disrupted their fundraiser. Writing about O’Reilly’s comments about a rape victim does not = disrupting a fundraiser.

  • Alex

    Heh. That’s an… interesting tactic, Flap. Offer no evidence. When someone points out that you’ve given no evidence, say that someone calling you out for providing no evidence is just using “typical left wing banter.” By the way, what makes you think I’m “left wing”?

  • Mark @ News Corpse

    The only reason you’re wasting your time is because you are too proud to admit that you posted something that is false and it was a mistake to publish it. You could easily have written this post to praise O’Reilly or defend ambush journalism. But you composed an unsupportable accusation and now can’t just say “Oops. Terkel never attacked Alexa. I was wrong and so was O’Reilly. I hereby retract that accusation.”

    C’mon Flap. You don’t help yourself by posting links to articles that don’t support your argument. Suck in your gut and show some integrity. You can still go back to being a sycophantic rightist afterword.

    Despite my snarky tone, I really mean this as a constructive criticism. You and I are worlds apart ideologically, but we should both strive to be accurate and responsible. We will always fall short of perfection, so just admit your faults and learn from them. That’s how you develop trust – even from those with whom you disagree.

  • Flap

    #6 of comment 8 above. Calling me names now and the ad hominem attacks.

    How typical, pathetic and boring.

    Please read the terms of use above.

  • Duck

    So Amanda Terkel’s original post:

    ——————————————————————————————————–

    News Hounds points out that on March 19, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly is slated to speak at a fundraiser for the Alexa Foundation, a group committed to supporting rape survivors:

    [[Some excerpt from the Alexa Foundation about Bill O’Reilly]]

    In the past, however, O’Reilly has made controversial comments about an 18-year-old woman, Jennifer Moore, who was raped and murdered, implying that it was partially her fault. O’Reilly called her “moronic,” adding:

    Now Moore, Jennifer Moore, 18, on her way to college. She was 5-foot-2, 105 pounds, wearing a miniskirt and a halter top with a bare midriff. Now, again, there you go. So every predator in the world is gonna pick that up at two in the morning. She’s walking by herself on the West Side Highway, and she gets picked up by a thug. All right. Now she’s out of her mind, drunk.

    ———————————————————————————————————

    That is pasted directly from the website. Now, reading it, I have yet to read anything that criticizes the Alexa Foundation. In fact, the only sentence about the Alexa Foundation is “…Bill O’Reilly is slated to speak at a fundraiser for the Alexa Foundation.”

    Is there a paragraph I’m missing? I can see Amanda Terkel attacking Bill O’Reilly, but I don’t see anything about the Alexa Foundation. Unless you mean attacking Bill O’Reilly is the same as attacking the Alexa Foundation.

  • Michael

    Well, with out knowing the Mel Gibson part, she did take the comment out of text. The part of the program this was in was referring to people getting all out drunk and making stupid decisions, and how people are getting into trouble. This girl seperates from her friend in New York, completely drunk, and dressed provocatively. If she wasn’t wasted this might not of happened.

    He was also talking about personal responsibility. Most people in a big city are smart enough to not get blitzed without having someone with them. Especially in a large city like New York. She was 18, and he also put a little blame on the parents, and called the acts regarding what happened to her horrible.

    The segment starts approximately 36 min. into the show.

    http://www.billoreilly.com/radiofactorlisten?epid=NDA0Nw==

  • Alex

    Michael,

    I’ve already seen the whole segment. If anything, leaving the Mel Gibson discussion out of it makes the whole Jennifer Moore comments look better, not worse. So example 1 is Mel Gibson getting drunk and making antisemitic remarks. Responsibility for making those remarks? Gibson. Example 2, Jennifer Moore gets drunk and is raped and murdered. Responsibility for getting raped and murdered? Moore?

    One is the “actor” the other is “acted upon”. The two aren’t at all comparable, and the fact that someone would choose to list both (an antisemitic tirade vs. a rape/murder) in the same discussion as if they were displays an amazing lack of discernment.