Bill O'Reilly (commentator)
188564
224700602
2008-07-10T00:57:21Z
Jimintheatl
3638233
[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 224494376 by [[Special:Contributions/Kingsoham159|Kingsoham159]] ([[User talk:Kingsoham159|talk]])
{{for|the Australian cricketer and journalist|Bill O'Reilly (cricketer)}}
{{Infobox Celebrity
| name = Bill O'Reilly
| image = Rsz billoreilly.jpg
| image_size = 225px
| caption = Bill O'Reilly
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|09|10}}
| birth_place = [[New York City]], [[New York|NY]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = [[columnist]], [[Author]], [[television personality|television]] and [[talk radio]] personality.
| salary = $9,000,000 (2006)<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2008-05-12|url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/53/X3QK.html|title=Bill O'Reilly|publisher=[[Forbes]]}}</ref>
| networth =
| spouse = Maureen E. McPhilmy (2 children)
| residence = Manhasset, New York
| website = [http://www.billoreilly.com billoreilly.com]
| footnotes =
}}
'''Bill O'Reilly''' (born [[September 10]], [[1949]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[presenter|television]]/[[radio personality|radio host]], [[author]], [[syndicated columnist]], and self-proclaimed [[Traditionalist world view (American)|"traditionalist"]] [[political commentator]].<ref> [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215827,00.html]</ref> He is the host of the [[cable television|cable news]] program ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]''. Prior to hosting ''The O'Reilly Factor'', he served as anchor of the entertainment program, ''[[Inside Edition]]''.
O'Reilly also hosts ''[[The Radio Factor]]'', a radio program syndicated by [[Westwood One]], and is the author of seven [[Bill O'Reilly (commentator)#Books and other media|books]].
==Biography==
===Early life/Education===
O'Reilly was born in 1949 [[New York City]] to parents William and Angela O'Reilly, from [[Brooklyn]], [[New York]] and [[Bergen County, New Jersey|Bergen County]], [[New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Pragoff, Cat|title=Fox News' Bill O'Reilly was in classroom before newsroom|publisher=[[New Hampshire Union Leader]]|date=[[2005-02-09]]|page=D10}}</ref> His father was an accountant for the oil company Caltex. <!-- NOTE: please discuss changes to this information on the article's talk page first, and you must provide any alteration with references.-->In 1951, his family moved to [[Levittown, New York|Levittown]] on [[Long Island]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frankenlies.com/lies/levittown.htm|title=O’Reilly and the Levittown Issue: Answered|publisher=Franken Lies|accessdate=2008-05-12}}</ref> After graduating from [[Chaminade High School]], a private Catholic boys high school in [[Mineola, New York|Mineola]] in 1967, O'Reilly attended [[Marist College]]. While at Marist, O'Reilly played punter in the National Club [[American football|Football]] Association,<ref>{{cite web |author= Duffy, Don| title="Campus Stuff" (''The Circle'')|url=http://library.marist.edu/archives/Circle/1970/1970-11-19.pdf |publisher=[[Marist College]]|date=1970-11-19| accessdate=2008-05-12 }}</ref> and was also a writer for the school's newspaper, ''The Circle''. An honors student, he majored in history. He spent his junior year of college abroad, attending [[Queen Mary, University of London|Queen Mary College]] at the [[University of London]].<ref>{{cite web | author=Marist | title=2001 Commencement Program| publisher=[[Marist College]]|date=2001-05-19| url=http://www.marist.edu/alumni/oreillyb.html | accessdate=2008-05-12 }}</ref> O'Reilly received his [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in [[History]] in 1971. He played semi-professional [[baseball]] during this time, as a pitcher for the [[Brooklyn Monarchs]]. He unsuccessfully tried out for the [[New York Mets]].{{Fact|date=November 2007}} After graduating from Marist College, O'Reilly moved to [[Miami, Florida]] at age 21, where he taught [[English studies|English]] and history at [[Monsignor Edward Pace High School|Monsignor Pace High School]] for two years. O'Reilly later returned to school and earned a [[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|M.A.]] in Broadcast Journalism from [[Boston University]] (where he attended school with [[Howard Stern]]) in 1976. While attending Boston University, he was a reporter and columnist for various local newspapers and alternative news weeklies, including ''[[The Phoenix (newspaper)|The Boston Phoenix]]''. O'Reilly did his broadcast journalism [[internship]] in Miami during this time, and was also an entertainment writer and movie critic for ''[[The Miami Herald]]''. O'Reilly also earned another [[Master of Public Administration]] from [[Harvard]]'s [[John F. Kennedy School of Government]].
=== Broadcasting career ===
[[Image:0301061billo1.jpg|thumb|right|Bill O'Reilly in 1975 as the "Action Consumer trouble shooter" for [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[WNEP]] in [[Scranton, Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0301061billo1.html |title="Bill O'Reilly, Big Pimpin': At 26, the future Fox News star just wanted out of Scranton" via heirs of an O'Reilly correspondent |accessdate=2007-09-26}}</ref>]] O'Reilly's early television news career included reporting and anchoring positions at [[WNEP-TV]] in [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]], [[Pennsylvania]], where he also reported the weather. At [[WFAA-TV]] in [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], [[Texas]], O'Reilly was awarded the Dallas Press Club Award for excellence in [[investigative journalism|investigative reporting]]. He then moved to [[KMGH-TV]] in [[Denver, Colorado]] where he won a Local [[Emmy Award]] for his coverage of a [[skyjacking]].<ref name=FoxBio1>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155,00.html Bill O'Reilly's Bio] ''Accessed August 2006''</ref><ref name=biofile>{{cite web | author=Malinowski, Scoop |title=Get 2 Know Bill O'Reilly! | year=November 8, 2004 | publisher=TheBioFILE.com| url=http://www.thebiofile.com/articles/stories/101950230.php | accessdate= September 9 | accessyear= 2005 }}</ref> O'Reilly also worked for [[KATU|KATU-TV]] in [[Portland, Oregon]], as well as TV stations in [[Hartford, Connecticut]] ([[WFSB-TV]]), and in [[Boston, Massachusetts]].<ref name=biofile />
In 1980, he anchored his own program on [[WCBS-TV]] in New York where he won his second Local Emmy for an investigation of corrupt city marshals. In 1982, he was promoted to the network as a [[CBS News]] correspondent and covered the wars in [[El Salvador]] and the [[Falkland Islands]] from his base in [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]]. He later left CBS over a dispute concerning the uncredited use in a report by [[Bob Schieffer]] of riot footage shot by O'Reilly's crew in Buenos Aires during the Falklands conflict. (A 1998 novel by O'Reilly, ''[[Those Who Trespass|Those Who Trespass: A Novel of Television and Murder]]'', depicts a television reporter who has a similar dispute over a Falklands War report. The character proceeds to exact his revenge on network staff in a series of graphically-described murders.)<ref>[http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060327fa_fact "Fear Factor - Bill O’Reilly’s baroque period"], Nicholas Lemann, ''The New Yorker'', March 20, 2006</ref>
In 1986, O'Reilly joined [[ABC News]] as a correspondent for ''[[ABC World News Tonight]]''.
In 1989, O'Reilly joined the nationally syndicated [[King World]] (now [[CBS]]) program ''[[Inside Edition]]'', a tabloid/gossip television program in competition with ''[[A Current Affair (US TV series)|A Current Affair]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1256,00.html |title=Bill O'Reilly Bio|publisher=[[FOX]] |accessdate=2007-09-26}}</ref> He started as senior correspondent and backup anchor for British TV host [[David Frost (broadcaster)|David Frost]], and subsequently became the program's anchor after Frost's termination. In addition to being one of the first American broadcasters to cover the dismantling of the [[Berlin Wall]], O'Reilly also obtained the first exclusive interview with murderer [[Joel Steinberg]] and was the first television host from a national current affairs program on the scene of the [[1992 Los Angeles riots]].
In 1995, O'Reilly was replaced by former [[NBC News]] and [[CBS News]] anchor [[Deborah Norville]] on ''Inside Edition.'' He then enrolled at the [[Kennedy School of Government]] at [[Harvard University]], where he received a [[master's degree]] in Public Administration. After Harvard, he was hired by [[Roger Ailes]], chairman and [[CEO]] of the then startup [[FOX News Channel]], to anchor ''The O'Reilly Report.'' The show soon moved to a new time slot, and was renamed ''The O'Reilly Factor''.
O'Reilly's radio program reaches 3.25 million-plus listeners and is carried by more than 400 radio stations.<ref>[http://www.stateofthenewsmedia.org/2007/narrative_radio_talk_radio.asp?cat=8&media=9 The State of the News Media 2007].Annual Report on American Journalism,2007.</ref> According to the talk radio industry publication ''[[Talkers Magazine]]'', O'Reilly is #11 on the "Heavy Hundred", a list of the 100 most important talk show hosts in America.<ref>[http://talkers.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=44 Heavy Hundred 2008] Talkers Magazine, June 2008.</ref> Conservative Internet news site ''[[NewsMax]]'''s "Top 25 Talk Radio Host" list selected O'Reilly to the #2 spot as most influential host in the nation.<ref>[www.newsmax.com/radio_hosts.cfm Top 25 Radio Hosts].NewsMax.com, July 1, 2008.</ref>
===Personal life===
O'Reilly married Maureen E. McPhilmy, a public relations executive, in 1995. They have a daughter and a son.
=== ''The O'Reilly Factor'' ===
{{main|The O'Reilly Factor}}
O'Reilly's television show, ''The O'Reilly Factor'', is routinely the highest-rated show of the three major U.S. 24-hour [[cable television|cable]] news channels and began the trend toward more opinion-oriented prime-time cable news programming.<ref name=USA_ratings>{{cite web | author=Johnson, Peter |title=Cable rantings boost ratings | year=October 3, 2006 | publisher=USATODAY.com| url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2006-09-24-media-mix_x.htm | accessdate= June 21 | accessyear= 2007 }}</ref> The show is taped late in the afternoon at a studio in New York City and airs every weekday on the FOX News Channel at 8:00 p.m. [[North American Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern Time]].
==Political beliefs and points of view==
{{main|Politics of Bill O'Reilly}}
''The O'Reilly Factor'' and O'Reilly's talk-radio program, ''The Radio Factor'', focus on news and commentary related to politics most of the time.
He has coined the term "[[traditionalism|traditionalist]]" when describing his points of view on various topics, saying the term is not limited to the normal party lines.
O'Reilly had said that he was not affiliated with any political party; in 2000, however, ''[[The New York Daily News]]'' determined that he was registered with the [[United States Republican Party|Republican Party]] in the state of New York. He claimed this was a clerical misunderstanding and has since been registered as an independent. In the lead up to the [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008 presidential election]], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' ranked O'Reilly 82nd on its list of the "100 most influential [[conservative]]s in America"<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/exclusions/uselection/nosplit/uscons.xml The most influential US conservatives: 81-100 - Telegraph<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
In a 2003 interview on [[NPR]], O'Reilly said:
{{cquote2|I'm not a political guy in the sense that I embrace an ideology. To this day I'm an independent thinker, an independent voter, I'm a registered [[political independent|independent]] ... there are certain fundamental things that this country was founded upon that I respect and don't want changed. That separates me from the [[secularism|secularists]] who want a complete overhaul of how the country is run.''|Bill O'Reilly <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1459090|title=NPR Interview]}}</ref>}}
==Controversy and criticism==
{{Main|Criticism of Bill O'Reilly}}
Over the years, O'Reilly has been criticized by or had disputes with many public figures including [[Al Franken]], [[Bill Moyers]],<ref name="tradeshots">{{cite news
| title =Media types trade shots
| publisher =Associated Press
| date =2002-12-09
| url =http://www.sptimes.com/2002/12/09/Artsandentertainment/Media_types_trade_sho.shtml
| accessdate = 2007-06-19 }}</ref> [[George Clooney]], [[Rosie O'Donnell]], [[Ariana Huffington]], [[Mark Cuban]], [[Joe Scarborough]], and [[Keith Olbermann]], sometimes in response to commentary by O'Reilly. [[Progressivism in the United States|Progressive]] media watchdog organizations like [[Media Matters for America]] and [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]] have criticized O'Reilly's reporting on a variety of issues, in particular his alleged distortion of of facts and use of misleading or erroneous statistics.<ref>[http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1108 Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting, "The "Oh Really?" Factor: Bill O'Reilly spins facts and statistics," Peter Hart, May/June 2002.]</ref>
=== Andrea Mackris lawsuit ===
On [[October 13]], [[2004]], O'Reilly filed a lawsuit against ''O'Reilly Factor'' producer [[Andrea Mackris]], her lawyer [[Benedict P. Morelli]], and Morelli's law firm for [[extortion]], contending Mackris had privately threatened to charge O'Reilly with [[sexual harassment]] unless he paid her more than $60 million (USD).<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013042oreilly1.html
|title = O'Reilly: Female Aide in $60M Extort Bid
|publisher = [[Courtroom Television Network]] LLC
|work = [[The Smoking Gun]]
|date = 2004-10-13
|accessdate=2005-07-11
}}</ref> Later that same day, Mackris filed a complaint of sexual harassment against O'Reilly.<ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34312-2004Oct15.html
|title = O'Reilly, Accuser Air Their Cases
|accessdate = 2007-05-28
|author= Howard Kurtz
|authorlink = Howard Kurtz
|date = 2004-10-15
|work = [[The Washington Post]]
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url = http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackris1.html
|title= O'Reilly Hit With Sex Harass Suit
|accessdate= 2007-05-28
|date= 2004-10-13
|work= [[The Smoking Gun]]
|publisher = [[Courtroom Television Network]] LLC
|pages=
}}</ref> Her lawsuit claimed that O’Reilly subjected her to repeated instances of sexual harassment and spoke often, and explicitly, to her about [[phone sex]], [[vibrator]]s, [[menage a trois|threesomes]], [[masturbation]], the loss of his [[virginity]], and [[sexual fantasy|sexual fantasies]], including one where he referred to a [[loofah sponge]] as a "[[falafel]]". The specific quotations led to speculation that Mackris had recorded the conversations, though this has never been confirmed. O'Reilly never explicitly denied the conversations, even prior to their settlement, but he did deny engaging in any physical or sexual assaults or "offensive touching." He also alleged that Mackris' motives were only monetary and political in nature. According to newspaper reports, O'Reilly paid Mackris millions of dollars as part of a settlement, whereby both lawsuits were dismissed, but the terms of the agreement are confidential.<ref name="settleoct28">{{cite web
|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7578-2004Oct28.html
|title = Bill O'Reilly, Producer Settle Harassment Suit
|accessdate = 2007-05-28
|author = Howard Kurtz
|authorlink = Howard Kurtz
|date = 2004-10-29
|work = [[The Washington Post]]
}}</ref> Mackris' complaint also quoted O'Reilly as he described alleged retaliation by Fox towards anyone who sued Fox for sexual harassment or anyone else who posed a threat to Fox.<ref name="settleoct28"/><ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,136997,00.html FOXNews.com - O'Reilly Says He's Reached Settlement - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Books and other media==<!-- This section is linked from [[Bill O'Reilly (commentator)]] -->
O'Reilly writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column that appears in numerous newspapers, including the ''[[New York Post]]'' and the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''.<ref>BillOReilly.com, [http://www.billoreilly.com/pg/jsp/general/newspapercolumn.jsp ''Newspaper Column List''], Accessed January 8, 2007.</ref>
===Bibliography===
*''[[Those Who Trespass]]''. Novel.<br />Bancroft Press, April 1998; reprint, Broadway Books, February 2004. 288 pages. ISBN 0-9631246-8-4.
*''[[The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life]]''. Non-fiction.<br />Broadway Books, September 2000; reprint, Broadway Books, March 2002. 224 pages. ISBN 0-7679-0528-8.<br />Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.<ref name="hawes">[http://www.hawes.com/no1_nf_d.htm New York Times Best Seller; Number Ones Listing; Non Fiction By Date], Hawes.com</ref>
*''[[The No Spin Zone]]''. Non-fiction.<br />Broadway Books, October 2001; reprint, Broadway Books, March 2003. 208 pages. ISBN 0-7679-0848-1.<br />Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.<ref name="hawes" />
*''[[Who's Looking Out For You?]]''. Non-fiction.<br />Broadway Books, September 2003; reprint, Broadway Books, September 2004. 224 pages. ISBN 0-7679-1379-5.<br />Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.<ref name="hawes" />
*''[[The O'Reilly Factor For Kids: A Survival Guide for America's Families]]''. Non-fiction.<br />HarperEntertainment, September 2004; reprint, Harper Paperbacks, September 2005. 208 pages. ISBN 0-06-054424-4.<br />Co-authored with [[Charles Flowers]]. Best-selling non-fiction children's book of 2005.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.billoreilly.com/pg/jsp/general/billbio.jsp|title=Bill's Bio|publisher=BillOReilly.com}}</ref>
*''[[Culture Warrior]]''. Non-fiction.<br />Broadway Books, September 2006. 240 pages. ISBN 0-7679-2092-9.<br />Reached #1 on the New York Times' Non-Fiction Best Seller list.<ref name="hawes" /><br />Achieved more than one million copies in print in its first three months.
*''[[Kids Are Americans Too]]''. Non-fiction.<br />William Morrow (October 16, 2007). 160 pages. ISBN 0060846763.
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{Commonscat|Bill O'Reilly (polemist)}}
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://www.billoreilly.com Bill O'Reilly's Official Website]
*[http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/ ''The O'Reilly Factor'' website]
*[http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/5535.html Content analysis of O'Reilly's rhetoric finds spin to be a 'factor']
*[http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=bor O'Reilly's syndicated newspaper column]
*[http://streamingradioguide.com/radio-show.php?show=564 List of radio stations streaming the O'Reilly Factor]
{{Bill O'Reilly}}
{{blpwatch|from=05/2008|reason=Controversial media figure.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oreilly, Bill (commentator)}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Alumni of Queen Mary, University of London]]
[[Category:American broadcast news analysts]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:American journalists]]
[[Category:American political pundits]]
[[Category:American political writers]]
[[Category:American radio personalities]]
[[Category:American Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:American schoolteachers]]
[[Category:American television personalities]]
[[Category:Boston television anchors]]
[[Category:Boston University alumni]]
[[Category:Chaminade High School alumni]]
[[Category:Commentators]]
[[Category:Fox News Channel]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:Irish-Americans]]
[[Category:Irish-American writers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Marist College alumni]]
[[Category:New York City television anchors]]
[[Category:People from Nassau County, New York]]
[[Category:People from New York City]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic writers]]
[[Category:Sex scandals]]
[[de:Bill O’Reilly]]
[[fr:Bill O'Reilly]]
[[nl:Bill O'Reilly]]
[[ja:ビル・オライリー]]
[[no:Bill O'Reilly]]
[[pl:Bill O'Reilly]]
[[pt:Bill O'Reilly]]
[[fi:Bill O'Reilly]]
[[sv:Bill O'Reilly]]
[[yi:ביל אוריילי]]