Stossel: Ostracized After Defecting from Liberalism, Sees NYTimes Double Standard

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On Tuesday's The O'Reilly Factor on FNC, former ABC News anchor John Stossel -- now with Fox Business -- came aboard to discuss the New York Times's recent attack on him for speaking in front of the conservative/libertarian group Americans for Prosperity. After charging that the Times never showed interest in his speeches to conservative groups before he joined Fox Business, the former 20/20 host also relayed that during his early days as a consumer reporter, he received a number of Emmy Awards because "they loved me" for his left-leaning work. But after, in Stossel's words, "I got smarter," turning more pro-business and anti-regulation, the Emmy Awards were no longer forthcoming.

Stossel even recounted an incident in which a person he met on the street expressed a desire that he "die soon" for his conservative views.

After starting the interview by asking Stossel about Web sites that engage in gambling based on election predictions, O'Reilly brought up the Times's newfound interest in the former ABC anchor. Stossel pointed out the double standard: "I make speeches. I make about 25 a year. I've done that for years. And suddenly, now that I'm at Fox, critics are leaping to attack me, according to the New York Times."

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He added: "Isn't that interesting? When I worked for ABC two months ago, I also made three speeches for this group, but nobody worried about that. ... I'm sure somebody cared, but the Times didn't care."

Stossel soon recounted the radical shift in attitudes toward him that he experienced after turning from liberal to conservative on economic issues:

They loved me then. I won 19 Emmy Awards. Then I got smarter. I saw how the regulation I called for made things worse, didn't help consumers. And simple competition was better. And I started praising business and occasionally criticizing regulation. Suddenly, I stopped winning Emmy Awards.

He even repeated one case of a person on the street who recognized him and expressed a death wish for him. Stossel: "Someone did come up to me on the street and said, "are you John Stossel? I hope you die soon."

Below is a complete transcript of the interview with Stossel from the Tuesday, November 3, The O'Reilly Factor on FNC:

BILL O'REILLY: In the "Stossel Matters" segment tonight, our pal John recently gave a speech in front of the Americans for Prosperity group. That's a conservative free market outfit. Well, the New York Times didn't like it. No, they did not, saying it was another example of the conservative bias at Fox News Channel. Here now the very, very controversial John Stossel. Before we let you hammer the Times, which you can do as much as you want, you have been following the gambling on the New Jersey gubernatorial race. InTrade.com? What is InTrade.com?

JOHN STOSSEL: It's a Web site. It's run out of Ireland because it's illegal in America to bet on these things. But Karl Rove may be a genius, but I think the best predictor of elections is where people put their money where their mouths are. And that's InTrade.com. Corzine was as high as 65 percent early this afternoon. Now he's down to 45 percent.

O'REILLY: So 65 percent were voting, were betting on him this afternoon, and now he's under 50 percent?

STOSSEL: Right.

O'REILLY: Okay, now, that's just amusement. We're not making anything of that, but Stossel is a strange guy, and this is what he does. Okay, now, the New York Times says that this group, Americans for Prosperity, they're some kind of heinous conservative group that were paying you money -- I know you give it to charity -- to do what? What were you doing? Why are they after you?

STOSSEL: I make speeches. I make about 25 a year. I've done that for years. And suddenly, now that I'm at Fox, critics are leaping to attack me, according to the New York Times. And Americans for Prosperity, I like them. I'm an American, I'm for prosperity. I've discovered, from 40 years of reporting, that what creates prosperity is limited government. And-

O'REILLY: And that's what these people espouse, right?

STOSSEL: And I would like to share that with as many people who want me to speak.

O'REILLY: So they hire you. You fly down, I guess, to Arkansas. Right?

STOSSEL: Right.

O’REILLY: You do you a couple of forums for them. Do they make you sign a paper saying that you hate liberals or something? Do they make do you that?

STOSSEL: No, and-

O'REILLY: Do you have to personally attack people? I don't understand why they're mad at you? So what? You make a speech in front of a group that you respect.

STOSSEL: Well, I'm aligned with this conservative group.

O'REILLY: Didn't you talk-

STOSSEL: Are they conservative? I'd call them libertarian.

O'REILLY: Didn't you talk to this group before you got to Fox?

STOSSEL: Isn't that interesting? When I worked for ABC two months ago, I also made three speeches for this group, but the Times didn’t write a word about that.

O'REILLY: Nobody cared. Nobody cared then. But now-

STOSSEL: I'm sure somebody cared, but the Times didn't care.

O'REILLY: Now, Mark Feldstein, an associate professor of journalism at George Washington University, said your speaking to a partisan group was, quote, "pretty shameful," unquote. Why is it shameful?

STOSSEL: I guess they believe that all reporters have no opinions. No point of view.

O'REILLY: But you're a commentator now.

STOSSEL: And even before. I was a consumer reporter. I kind of invented it on TV, and we made it up as we went along.

O'REILLY: You had an opinion. This product is bad. This is good. Here’s hosing you.

STOSSEL: Or go to businesses, "Why are you a crook?"

O'REILLY: Right.

STOSSEL: They loved me then. I won 19 Emmy Awards. Then I got smarter. I saw how the regulation I called for made things worse, didn't help consumers. And simple competition was better. And I started praising business and occasionally criticizing regulation. Suddenly, I stopped winning Emmy awards. A journalism show had me on, and I found they had titled it "Objectivity and Journalism: Does John Stossel Practice Either?" If I'd been quicker, I would have said, "Look at the title of the show. It shows you have a point of view. We all do. I just admit mine."

O'REILLY: Okay. I'm siding with the New York Times. I think you're shameful.

STOSSEL: Well, can't argue with you.

O'REILLY: Now, look, you know what the game is. Now that you're here -- and Glenn Beck found this out very quickly when he came over from CNN -- when you're here, you're a target. You become a target just by association because now you work for Fox News. So they're going to find anything that you do, and this is the New York Times, which they hate us, and they're going to put you in the pejorative light. They're going to put you in the negative light just because you work for us. You committed the cardinal sin of all time. You left a liberal network, and you went to a traditional right-leaning network. So you're never, ever going to be liked again by anyone. Does that make you sad?

STOSSEL: Well, I live with these people. They all live in my neighborhood. So that makes me sad.

O'REILLY: Why don’t you move out to Long Island where I live, because I live with the folks.

STOSSEL: I like taking the subway to work.

O'REILLY: You're a pansy. Come out to Long Island. All right? The best pizza in the world: Villa Milano in Manhasset. Okay? Come out there. They're regular folks. You won't have to deal with those pinheads on the Upper West Side.

STOSSEL: It's good exercise. Living with the liberals, you get to hear their arguments, fight with them all the time. Keeps me alert.

O'REILLY: Okay, but, if you do that, you're a fascist. Do you really want to be a fascist, Stossel? Do you really want to be that?

STOSSEL: Someone did come up to me on the street and said, "are you John Stossel?" "Yes." "I hope you die soon."

O'REILLY: Oh, is that right? You know, that was our boss.

STOSSEL: I don't think so.

O'REILLY: Just a joke. All right, John Stossel, everybody.

—Brad Wilmouth is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.


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O'REILLY: Oh, is that

O'REILLY: Oh, is that right? You know, that was our boss.

STOSSEL: I don't think so.

O'REILLY: Just a joke. 

A great example of how O'Reilly denigrates a profound point made by an interesting guest. Of course, Stoessel stepped out of line - after making an interrupted opening statement, he is supposed to sit there and just listen to O'Reilly's points.

The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.

Bigotry

Do you remember how Zell Miller suddenly became a "bigot" and "racist" when he endorsed George Bush in 2004? Of course, Robert Byrd is above criticism.

Vary from the liberal diaeletic and face the ire of the soon to be "fringe" media.

??????

I agree with your point, but am slightly unsure how it relates to my diatribe against Bill O'Reilly. :) 

The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.

Re BOR

The Bill O'Reilly show is all about Bill O'Reilly; the guests are just props brought in to help him make his points. He's even worse with women. He even interrrupts Dennis Miller when he's on a roll and tries to be as funny as Dennis.

Just retitle O'Reilly's show and get it over with.

By and large, Bill's nightly bantamweight banter is just his old "Inside Edition" tripe, but with a bigger budget and a different topic. Good interviewers know to shut their mouths and listen, especially when they have guests of the caliber of John Stossel. Ask him the question and get out of his way.

As it is, your current show is the same as your old show: "Coming up on The Bill O'Reilly Inside Edition Factor--What TV host is a heavy breather on the phone, a buttinski with his guests, and a lapdog for liberal provocateurs?  The answer, up next..."

 --Mike 

www.thebrattonreport...

"Liberal" viciousness

There are many examples of "liberal" hypocrisy, but one high on the list is their viciousness toward anyone disagrees with them, espcially if you're "supposed" to be a liberal. Those in fields such as jounalism and education who dare to make sense and argue locically about the basic dishonesty of modern liberalism and relativism are relentlessly attacked by the lefties. And those attacks cut deeply-- to the point of personal destuction. Stossel is on a long enemies list simply for expressing his views. But even if you are not a celebrity, you will feel their wrath if you think for yourself. I'm sure that many of us here on NB have felt it. I have. It's a sickness, a disease. Maybe the Demos will offer an amendment in the Health Care bill to study it. After all, most of Congress is infected with it. 

BTW, Chris Norman is right about O'Reilly's rudeness. It drives me crazy when a guest can't even finish a sentence without "We get it, We get it". Shut up, Bill.

NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"

Stossel still has an epic

Stossel still has an epic mustache. Welcome to Fox!

Ditto--Stossel rocks the 'stache!

Facial hair is a manly thing, full of manful manliness and masculinity...

--Mike 

www.thebrattonreport...

Hmm..let's see here...

1. Liberals are indoctrinated in poorly run schools that have been taken over by other liberals teaching radical liberalism.

2. Once a liberal always liberal or an apostate.

3. Liberals spew hate and threats of violence against anyone who doesn't agree with them. 

4.  Liberals pretend to be peace-loving.

5. If a liberal becomes an apostate then he/she is threatened with death.

6.  Liberals will not accept any worldview except liberalism.

7. Liberals profess to be progressive but  are in fact regressive and believe in old worn out ideals of Stalism, Statism and Fascism.

8.  Liberals hate America, Americans and all which she/they stand for.

9.  Liberals hate all wars against liberalism but are for the ones fought against the USA.

 SOUNDS LIKE ISLAM DOESN'T IT?

 "Race doesn't matter..liberals are only one color - YELLOW"

also

The only areas liberals want you to have a choice in is abortion and same sex marriages, every thing else? "You are just too stupid to know what you really want!"

O'Reilly is a waste of

O'Reilly is a waste of airtime. Useless, self centered, not deeply informed about much of anything. There seems to be a talented group of production and control room folks, and they are the ones who make the BOR show even remotely interesting.

As for Stossel, of course the lefty rags and MSM are going to demonize him for leaving them. That's what they do.

In Stossel's case the MSM will ramp up their attacks because they know that he knows all their dirty little secrets, and he might feel moved some day to share those little secrets with the American public. Can we say offshore accounts, nasty little blackmail photos and special vacations to Thailand? Oh yeah. It will all come out one day.

No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.

May I respectfully disagree

May I respectfully disagree with your O'Reilly post - he's not a waste of time - he still drives Liberals batshi+ .

But he can be a pain, I know - as he tries to take the stupid 'middle of the road position' all the time. 

Still, he's on our side and he does more good than bad. Let's keep him. Fair enough ?

OK. let's keep him. LOL. Can

OK. let's keep him. LOL. Can we tape his mouth shut, though? Or use an O'Reilly string puppet with maybe Stossel's voice coming out of the puppet's mouth?
He does drive the left nuts, and he drives conservative nuts too, as you say.

No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.

Re BOR

Let's keep him until something better comes up. For starters, I would like to see Fox News put a Beck rerun at 11pm ET, instead of BOR. Beck's rerun is at 2am ET now, so he's both too early and too late for many viewers. A Beck rerun at 11pm could steal viewers from the insipid Conan and Letterboy and change late-night TV forever.

Slick...I agree with your

Slick...I agree with your evening lineup. Beck would blow the competition in that time slot. Given his ratings at 5 pm, of all times, he would blow the roof off at a later time.

No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.

Ideal Fox Lineup (All time eastern)

6:00 Greta
7:00 O'Reilly
8:00 Beck
9:00 Hannity
10:00 Stossel
11:00 Beck (repeat)
12:00 Hannity (repeat)
1:00 Stossel (repeat)

Greta and O'Reilly can repeat on weekends. That's two Libertarians and a staunch conservative, all literate, passionate, and non-bombastic, in the 3 hour prime time slot eastern, central, and pacific.

It would be like adding more superstars to the Yankee lineup.

Brent or Noel: Pass this on to Roger Ailes. I know Tivo is probably the way to go so timeslots may not matter, but then again, it's about the ratings, baby.

______________________
Moderate... Democrat... Liberal... Progressive... Socialist... Communist—The progression is clear as day.

Excellent lineup idea,

Excellent lineup idea, gopcongress. 

I'd like to make one addition to your signature. After communist is fascist, that would make it complete. 

Liberalism is a lie unto itself.

And rightfully put John

And rightfully put John Gibson back in his 5:00pm time slot.

 

 MSNBC - The Place For Lunatics

GOP.. Perfect. I wouldn't

GOP.. Perfect. I wouldn't change a thing. Your lineup would blow the competitors into oblivion. Whoops, I forgot, that's where they are already.

No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.

cel... Hey...I'm just

cel...

Hey...I'm just waiting for the secrets Stossel knows to come out...you've got me more than curious you know!

'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart

Bt... it could get mighty

Bt... it could get mighty interesting if they keep on insulting Stossel for his move to Fox. He's not one to let his integrity get smacked around.

No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.

Welcome to Conservatism,

Welcome to Conservatism, Mr. Stossel - glad to have you aboard! We're the new gay!
I'm sorry to say this is only the beginning of the harsh treatment you're going to receive from Liberal Nazis who disagree with freedom of speech.
In happier news - you're on a news network with spectacular ratings - so people are actually going to SEE and HEAR you now.

Once again, welcome aboard, we look forward to working with you! 

got smarter

Thank you Mr. Stossel, for "getting smarter"-- I'm feeling very smart right about now, because I feel like I've believed in the things you talk about now, all my life-- I just always felt it was more about common sense than smartness-- but whatever you want to call it, be my guest-- welcome to the Big Tent of Smartness!

Tell it

"I'm an American, I'm for prosperity."

 And apologies for neither!

I like that about you, John Stossel. 

what about race?

And if you happen to be a race that is suppossed to be liberal you are denigrated and called all kinds of racist things and it's alright.