Although not at all surprising, the far-left in America are pointing fingers at Fox News personalities – in particular, Bill O’Reilly – for the murder of abortion Dr. George Tiller.
MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann on Monday night’s “Countdown” even went so far as to place the blame squarely on FNC’s shoulders stating, “Fox News Channel will never restrain itself from incitement to murder and terrorism…the goal here is to get this blindly irresponsible man [O’Reilly] and his ilk off the air.”
The seemingly untenable position being espoused is since O’Reilly and other FNCers spoke critically of Tiller’s abortionist practices, they were complicit in encouraging alleged assailant Scott Roeder to perform this heinous act.
This raises an important question: as Olbermann and his ilk on MSNBC and throughout the liberal blogosphere routinely referred to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney as murderers, would they have been responsible if someone had assassinated either of these former White House members?
More broadly, when, if ever, do criticisms by a commentator rise to the level of advocating the murder of the target of his or her disaffection?
Olbermann believes he has the answer: “For four years, on at least 28 occasions, that is what was said on Fox News channel. Nazism, al-Qaeda, Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, Stalin, baby-killing, pedophilia, ‘Tiller the Baby Killer’ – again and again and again.”
So, in his view, and in the eyes of many on the far-left, because O’Reilly and other FNC personalities used harsh words to describe Tiller, viewers might respond violently by shooting the doctor, and the network as well as the criticizing parties would be responsible.
If this is the case, on how many occasions during Bush’s second term did Olbermann and his MSNBC colleagues make equally provocative references to the President and Vice President? Maybe 28 a week, right?
So, if someone had shot either of them, or if the assassination attempt on Cheney in Iraq two years ago had been successful, would it be fair to point fingers at Olbermann and MSNBC UNLESS murder was clearly advocated during broadcasts?
If the answer is “No,” unless O’Reilly and other FNC personalities had specifically stated that Tiller deserved to be shot as a result of his abortion practices, it is equally preposterous to blame them for Tiller’s death.
Such logic has clearly eluded liberals in the media who despite their incessant vitriolic attacks on their political opponents, delivered of course with a freedom of speech immunity, believe any time someone with conservative views commits a crime it must be because of comments made by right-wing pundits.
This also happened in April when three Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, police officers were murdered by a lone gunman, and the Left blamed it on FNC’s Glenn Beck.
Yet, as is always the case, the “freedom of speech immunity” is a rather subjective thing that only applies to liberals. Here’s how Olbermann tabled it Monday evening:
It is useless to urge restraint on men who believe self-editing of freedom of speech should apply only to others that they are flawless and blameless and righteous. It is useless to make Frank Schaeffer’s argument to them even though they have made parallel ones about how liberal television degrades children, about how liberal television hypnotizes voters, about how liberal entertainment destroys American values. When they reply, “not in this case, bad apple, TV can’t make that happen,” it is useless to say if TV can’t make something happen, then why do people advertise on it with the same commercial again and again and again in hopes of making buzzwords sink in? The Geico gecko, “Viva Viagra,” FreeCreditReport.com, “Tiller the Baby Killer.” Don’t tell them. They will not listen.
To be sure, we heard this argument from the Left in April that conservatives can’t blame the violence on television and in rap music for an increase in crime while claiming the words of political commentators aren’t similarly inciting.
But this is also devoid of logic for sociologists point to sex and violence on television and in music as being mimicked by viewers and listeners. The constant bombardment of such on the population – especially youth – encourages folks to replicate these acts.
With this in mind, one could only equate the contention that sex and violence on the airwaves encourages similar acts to conservative commentary inciting murder if O’Reilly, Beck, and other FNC personalities were specifically telling the public to kill those they’re criticizing.
As previously addressed, this is not the case.
As for advertising buzzwords and how they manipulate public behavior, there is indeed a specific cause and effect the author of such slogans as “Viva Viagra” is looking to create: the purchase of a product.
As a result, Olbermann’s point about television marketing's impact would only be valid if Americans, in response to the Geico commercials, were hunting down and killing geckos across the fruited plain.
Don't tell him. He will not listen.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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Comments Policy
How about a fair comparison?
June 2, 2009 - 16:59 ET by Another Dead KennedyHow about a fair comparison? Tiller hardly compares to the president of the United States. Now if Wayne LaPierre was killed, I'd say yeah, blame lefties.
The answer to your question
June 2, 2009 - 17:00 ET by NewsbusterbrownThe answer to your question is yes. That is, they would be just as culpable as Fox News and O'Reilly are regarding the Tiller murder.
“There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” - Ronald Reagan (1964 Republican Convention)
I thought it was a commonly
June 2, 2009 - 17:24 ET by Chris NormanI thought it was a commonly held liberal view that violence in the media - whether it be television, movies, or music wasn't responsible for actual violence. So, they're now saying - now, that it's politically convenient - that commentary on television news shows - commentary that don't even anywhere near advocate violence - cause violence to be done. This is such bold faced political BS propaganda. I loath O'Reilly, but Olbermann with his taunting lies, will, sooner or later, be responsible for violence by one side or the other. He incites on purpose. Look at his facial expressions in all the pictures on this site - you can tell he's making comments and accusations that are designed to draw blood.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Liberals vs. Responsibility
June 2, 2009 - 18:00 ET by needle"I thought it was a commonly held liberal view that violence in the media - whether it be television, movies, or music – wasn't responsible for actual violence."
Yes, but it goes way beyond that.
Basically Liberals have a problem with responsibility as a rule: Liberal theology holds that people in general, especially good people (read Liberals, Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Frank, Dole, etc.), are not responsible for anything; society is the locus of responsibility. That is why Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Universal Health Insurance, and entitlements are central to their thinking. Of course bad people, like Hitler, Bush, Chaney, etc. are responsibility anything and everything Liberals do not like. (Actually while Liberals generally [incorrectly] credit Hitler as the father of genocide, as a bad thing; liberals are remarkably ambivalent about genocide in many specific instances.)
Note: Saddam Hussein is apparently not such a bad person according the “smart” thinking Liberal thinkers. If he were declared [routinely] as an genuinely evil person, it would get in the way of opposing the war on terrorism, and blaming things on Bush. In fact terrorism is not such a bad thing either; Liberals are practically unable to continence the term "war on terrorism." Are you following all of this?
Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.
Exellent point needle
June 2, 2009 - 19:10 ET by general companySeem the only things that have any influence on the folks are religion and Fox News. The rest of the slime on the TV set, is to be ignored. Since removing all moral barriers, they seemed shocked that there is evil doings going on?
My Gov. thinks I am dangerous, so be careful
"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg
fascism as comedy.
June 2, 2009 - 17:24 ET by c5thenMSNBC floats the idea as entertainment and hyperbole and if it gets any traction in the blogosphere, then other networks might pick it up and maybe the current administration will concider it.
Hey, I got the wrong "CHANGE"!
www.loyaltoliberty.com
So, Olbermann knows that Scott Roeder is a regular
June 2, 2009 - 17:26 ET by JTPviewer of "The Factor"? He has some proof that Glenn Beck has communicated to Roeder that this doctor must be killed? I find this hard to believe. I consider myself far right but I do not take what a tv commentator say's as my marching orders. If Olbermann had a shred of honesty he would not be opportunistic and maybe dig a little deeper to see what type of mental condition this killer may have had. The last thing a true anti abortionist person would be is a killer. Maybe Olbermann has seen something in his own followers that makes him believe that a person will take what he himself has said and carry it to a ridiculous conclusion. I think he will fail in his ultimate goal to have Bill O taken off the air. I sense a lot of bluff and bull from this Olbermann clown.
"Live for yourself...there's no one else more worth living for.
Begging hands and bleeding hearts will only cry out for more"- Rush--Anthem
Olberwomann and his ilk do
June 2, 2009 - 17:49 ET by MrSnugglesOlberwomann and his ilk do not believe this tripe for one second, they merely want to use it to have fox news and conservative radio taken off the air.
Hey, if you can't beat them in the ratings, just use force of government to silence them.
MSNBC is quickly replacing The View
June 2, 2009 - 18:07 ET by jefflebowskias the place to go for liberal moron philosophy! If you want to be perpetually stupid, it would be hard to decide which would help you reach your objective quicker.
Angry White Dude
www.angrywhitedude.c...
why even mention it on this site?
June 2, 2009 - 20:02 ET by puredmashieif ko were allowed to make his comments without notice here, only his mom and his dog would know.
swing hard in case you hit it.
Where is the shame...?
June 2, 2009 - 18:21 ET by superconDoes MSNBC has any sense of responsibility or professionalism...?
It is as if it is a whole media company devoted to taunting and insulting people. Their number one advertisers surely must be Pamprin and Preparation H.
Also I was just on the MSNBC front page and there was not one mention of the two soldiers who got shot yesterday.
http://www.msnbc.msn...
Hey Janet Napolitano...I'm proud to be a Right-winger.
Isn't it true that if the
June 2, 2009 - 18:30 ET by BKeyserIsn't it true that if the staff here at NB and those at OlbieWatch switch to another channel or reprogram the TiVo, Keith's ratings will drop another 50%?
Continued...
June 2, 2009 - 18:31 ET by BKeyserRemember Abu Ghraib?
June 2, 2009 - 18:45 ET by metaphorsbwithuInteresting question. Let's look at history.
Did anyone in the media acccept responsibility for the rash of kidnappings and beheadings after the release of the Abu Ghraib photos?
Unfortunately, my recollections are a little fuzzy. Perhaps someone in the media can refresh my memory. ;-)
metaphorsbwithu
Media bias.
June 2, 2009 - 18:53 ET by sevenWhen young gay boy Matthew Shepherd was killed, it was a terrifying hate crime. Later the charge was found to be totally false. The allegations of gay hating were never recanted.
At the same time 2 gays killed a straight kid. No coverage.
So what is the pattern? News is only noteowrthy when in some twisted way ic serves a purpose to denegrate the eney they call the dangerous right wingers?
I remember how they howled when Liberty University president died.
Jerry Falwell. He was painted as an extreme racist and no one checked to see the hundreds of countries represented on his campus.
Summary:
Leftists act like they have sever loss when a liberal dies whos values clash with conservative values. It in their heads gives them social leverage and a target to blame.
Re: Matthew Shepherd
June 2, 2009 - 22:57 ET by bulletproofFurther, as I noted in Mr Bozell's blog (I couldn't remember the poor kid's name), not only did they look retarded in the end on that, you had to put up with Katie Couric on GMA or Today (or whocares?) blaming Dr James Dobson for the whole sordid lie.
Correlations
June 2, 2009 - 19:11 ET by KC MulvilleDavid Hume was a famous philosopher, who built a career on a simple distinction: correlations are not causes. Hume's distinction applies here. There is a correlation, in a way, between:
However, this apparent correlation is not a cause. O'Reilly didn't cause anything. To proclaim that all correlations about Tiller are causes ... well that just displays juvenile stupidity. That's claiming to see causes when all you really see is correlations.
Or to put it more directly, Olbermann is either a liar or a fool. Probably both.
Olbbie
June 2, 2009 - 19:57 ET by well99I take both for 200
More than correlative, less
June 2, 2009 - 20:48 ET by JerMore than correlative, less than causative.
Number them one through four. O' not only clearly and frequently engaged in 1 but explictitly included 2 while doing so. That someone would conclude 3, was not just reasonably--but eminently--foreseeable. 4 is a possible outcome of 1, 2, and 3, but only one of several, and therefore, not a necessary outcome.
The final act may have been a foreseeable consequence but not sufficiently linked to be deemed to have been caused by 1 or 2. O' never urged or encouraged violence of any kind against Tiller and would therefore bear neither criminal responsibility nor civil liability for his death.
Jer
That may be if
June 2, 2009 - 21:02 ET by IamTinmanThat may be if the guy ever watched BOR. The estimable KO makes an assumption not proven by any facts and proceeds to a further assumption not proven by fact. Typical for him!
True IamT... Legally, a
June 2, 2009 - 21:29 ET by JerTrue IamT...
Legally, a necessary precondition would require that Roeder was at least aware of specific statements by O'Reilly and acted upon them.
Jer
Consider:
June 3, 2009 - 00:03 ET by KC MulvilleO'Reilly publicized the case as an "outrage." O'Reilly's clear intention was to put media pressure on Kansas' governor to stop supporting Tiller. And, believing that Tiller was performing the late-term abortions in violation of both Kansas and federal law, O'Reilly's denunications were intended to encourage Kansas to bring legal action against the guy.
Isn't the legal standard here that O'Reilly's behavior is judged on what a reasonable person would have concluded about it? Not what a whacko concluded about it?
Olbermann's accusation presumes that O'Reilly has a responsibility not to inflame an unreasonable person. Of course, by that standard, no one can say anything, because (by definition) an unreasonable person misinterprets what was said. Olbermann's slur, really, is that O'Reilly's viewers are filled with whackos. I'm sure that Olbermann thinks the only reason someone isn't watching him is because they're crazy.
(By the way, I realize that your post wasn't a rebuttal of mine, so of course realize that this post isn't a reply. It's just that your post prompted me to rephrase and re-present my earlier point.)
KC: Under the new
June 3, 2009 - 07:13 ET by BDKC:
Under the new standard no coverage is allowed on any subject, ever.
For instance, the press cannot cover the classic "perp walk" anymore because an agreived family member might show up and gun down the perp.
The new standard
June 3, 2009 - 10:33 ET by KC MulvilleYou're forgetting that it's a double standard, and that the restrictions only hold against people who they don't like.
And as we all know, double standard = no standard.
Thanks Olby!!
June 2, 2009 - 21:04 ET by NC Cop“Fox News Channel will never restrain itself from incitement to murder and terrorism…the goal here is to get this blindly irresponsible man [O’Reilly] and his ilk off the air.”
At least he's honest enough to admit what his, and the rest of the left's, goals are. I used to think he was just ignorant, spiteful, hateful, and just flat out stupid which, of course, he is. However, I am now convinced that Olbermann has some sort of mental problem to which he needs HEAVY medication.
Close
June 2, 2009 - 22:35 ET by sevenOlberman is single, never married, claims no children, can't drive a car.
Being rejected by both cars and women is rather extreme?
O'Reilly is an easy target...
June 2, 2009 - 20:16 ET by mvfreemanBut the wrong one.
According to reports Roeder had the phone number of Cheryl Sullenger, of Operation Rescue, on an envelope in his vehicle.
Ms. Sullenger was convicted in 1988 of conspiracy to bomb an abortion clinic and served two years in prison.
http://blogs.pitch.c...
She said she hasn't spoken with Roeder recently, but does not deny she had contact with him.
To be clear, I am not blaming her for some one else's actions, but she seemed to have more influence over Roeder than O'Reilly could have.
We have denounced certain liberals for stalking people with whom they disagree. His call for confronting Tiller at church, of all places, was the flip side of the coin and the beginning of him crossing the line from protest to murder.
Great pic of Olbermann, but...
June 2, 2009 - 20:23 ET by m4ster chiefI'm sorry, just can't help it...the photo reminds me of:
Watching PBS the other night (I only watch the nature programs) about a troup of Howler Monkeys. Olbermann looks exactly like one of the Howler Monkeys "OOOO-OOOOO"-ing for a mate. Really...look at it! OOO-OOOO-oooo-OOO...
Yep, a very juvenile post, I know.
Re the Olberman pic
June 3, 2009 - 01:29 ET by PharmerHe got goosed from behind.......
and what the hell, let's put blame where it belongs........ the Unibomber is ALL Al Gore's FAULT! ;-)
Does every pic of Olbergoebbels looklike he's sucking a rooster?
June 2, 2009 - 20:24 ET by Lord ErondI mean, that's about the classiest thing anyone can say about KO
"Let him who would move the world, first move himself." -Socrates
"We sit together, the mountain and I, until only the mountain remains." -Li Po
LOL
June 2, 2009 - 20:32 ET by mvfreemanIt could be his impression of "tea-bagging".
→ Freeman
June 2, 2009 - 20:35 ET by Cool ArrowDoes that mean he's trying to get Anderson Cooper's job?
"The only reason Clarence Thomas is on the court is because he's black". - Joe Biden
Crazier And Crazier
June 2, 2009 - 20:44 ET by rammingspeedIt's the uncontrolled crazy ones who shout out the plans of the rest. Olbermann did his job well. The Left wants to parse the First Amendment so that only Left Wing ideology can be expressed.
We knew that, of course, but it's mesmerizing to watch it unfold on a supposedly credible news source.
Liberal Tunnel Vision
June 2, 2009 - 21:43 ET by pbthinkerIt's amazing that these 2 murders took place one right after the other because it serves as guide to just how biased the press really is. They're perfectly willing to blame O'Reilly for Tiller's murder but completely avoid the obvious conflicts with the murder of one of our soldiers. As much as our politicians and press have disparaged our soldiers, they could all be held responsible for that murder by a Muslim convertee, who has been pummeled by the media with images of our soldiers as out of control maniacs, murdering families, breaking into houses in the middle of the night and terrorizing people. It's an image the press relished giving, during the Bush administration so, if O'Reilly can be held responsible for Tiller, let the media start doing their mia culpa's.
Election 2008-God's way of showing us that elections count.
It all about ratings
June 2, 2009 - 21:46 ET by Cho Yi FanOlbermann chirped..."the goal here is to get this blindly irresponsible man [O’Reilly] and his ilk off the air.”
Getting O'Reilly off the air is the only way that Keith will ever get any improvement in the ratings. I would rather watch bears hibernating than to watch even a second of Keith's delusional rants.Keep talking into the camera Keith because almost nobody is watching.
No way.
June 2, 2009 - 22:37 ET by sevenAll he covers is O'Reilly who has 5 times his ratings. If fox lost bill, olberman would have no topic for his carnival barking.
You took the words out of my mouth
June 2, 2009 - 23:10 ET by bulletproofAppealing to one's desire for food, sex, and status through pictures and stories and convoluted gameplay resulting in the greater proclivity to bullying, sex with inanimate objects or eating McD's until one explodes (ht Monty Python) doesn't measure up to influencing me to cross the chasm that seperates me from John Q. Public and Charlie Manson, and act in reality as a murderer through the opinion of men in suits with big egos (fortunately for Keith anyway, and therefore Dick and W).
Never use your gun to pistol-wip a Liberal. That could mar the finish.
→ Mr. Creosote
June 2, 2009 - 23:13 ET by Cool ArrowJust one wahfer thin mint, then?
"The only reason Clarence Thomas is on the court is because he's black". - Joe Biden
Bah
June 2, 2009 - 23:28 ET by bulletproofFO, I'm full! Couldn't eat another thing, I'm absolutely stuffed. Bugger off! Ugh...alright, just one....
Olbermann's picture
June 3, 2009 - 08:29 ET by robert89Please consider this request. Instead of using a picture of Olbermann, could the webmasters please post pictures of other clowns like Krusty, rodeo or circus clowns. Every time I see O's face, it makes me wretch. Same goes for Al Franken.