GMA Portrays Rosie vs. O’Reilly As Celebrity Feud; Ignores 9/11 Conspiracy Theories

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On Tuesday’s "Good Morning America," the ABC program featured a segment on the growing feud between "View" host Rosie O’Donnell and FNC anchor Bill O’Reilly. Although reporter Taina Hernandez did highlight some of Ms. O’Donnell’s more extreme statements, the segment mostly portayed the back-and-forth as simply a celebrity squabble.

And one topic that GMA left out? Any reference to Rosie’s recent on-air touting of  9/11 conspiracy theories. Co-host Robin Roberts previewed the segment with a tease that offered moral equivalence between the FNC host and the woman who recently suggested that the kidnapping of British Marines was a modern day Gulf of Tonkin incident. Roberts wondered, "Has Rosie gone too far this time?" But she quickly covered herself by asking, "Maybe O’Reilly’s crossed the line? We’ll let you be the judge and weigh in on that."

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In the segment, which aired at 7:36am, Hernandez oddly avoided using the labels liberal and conservative, perhaps in an attempt to refrain from further damaging Ms. O’Donnell. (Both "Good Morning America" and "The View" air on ABC.):

Robin Roberts: "Move over, Donald Trump because Rosie is in the ring with someone new. We're talking about Rosie O’Donnell and Bill O’Reilly. Now, neither one is exactly shy, let’s just put it like that. But the Fox News host is using his show to take on Rosie, saying she went too far last week on ‘The View’ when she talked about the British hostages in Iran. Keeping a close eye on this is ABC News Taina Hernandez has more [sic]. They Tai."

Hernandez: "Hey. Good morning, Robin. Well, ‘The View’ promises what? Just that. Strong viewpoints. But its newest co-host is becoming best known for sparking strong views from personalities outside the show."

Taina Hernandez: "First it was a celebrity face-off. Rosie versus The Donald."

Rosie O’Donnell: "He's the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America? Donald, sit and spin, my friend."

Donald Trump: "This woman is a disgrace."

Hernandez: "But now Rosie O’Donnell is wading into more serious territory with these comments last week."

O’Donnell: "There were 15 British sailors and Marines who apparently went into Iranian waters and they were seized by the Iranians. And I have one thing to say: Gulf of Tonkin. Google it."

Hernandez: "Enter an outraged Bill O’Reilly and the feud becomes O’Reilly versus O’Donnell."

Bill O’Reilly: "So, according to Rosie O’Donnell, the British set up their own people to be kidnapped to incite another war. Ms. O'Donnell is now actively supporting Iran against her own country and Britain."

Hernandez: "So this time, did Rosie go too far?"

Another odd aspect of the GMA segment is that Hernandez never bothered to explain just what exactly the Gulf of Tonkin incident was. Wouldn’t a brief summery be helpful in discussing the context of O’Donnell’s comments?

Hernandez closed the segment with two clips from a crisis management consultant who attempted to help Rosie out of her predicament. He mentioned the need for Rosie to make clear that she’s not criticizing the troops and Hernandez didn’t wonder if that was her intention.

Fraser Seitel (Crisis Management Consultant): "In this case, she's got an extra push from O’Reilly and she has got to be very, very careful moving forward."

Hernandez: "Rosie, never one to shy away from controversy, has said this on the topic of terrorists."

O’Donnell: "You can walk through life believing in the goodness of the world or walk through life afraid of anyone who thinks different than you and try to convert them to your way of thinking. And I think that this country–"

Elisabeth Hasselbeck: "Well, I'm a person of faith. But I also believe that–"

O’Donnell: "Well, then get away from the fear. Don't fear the terrorists They're mothers and fathers."

O’Reilly: "Don’t fear the terrorists. The question is, what should ABC do?"

Hernandez: "Others are asking what should Rosie should do?"

Seitel: "What she should do is clarify her position. Clarify the fact that she's not defending the terrorists and especially clarify the fact that she's not attacking the American troops."

Hernandez: "This isn't the first time O’Donnell has drawn criticism from Fox News personalities and others. But the show has never shied away from political controversy. No doubt this all will be a big topic of discussion today."

Roberts: "Oh, yeah. Hot topic, I’m sure. We went a couple of months between the two feuds."

Hernandez: "Couple of months and no one is calling for her ouster just yet. But she hasn’t made a lot of friends in certain areas."

First off, this isn’t simply a battle between O’Donnell and FNC hosts. Many have criticized her, including MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough.

Secondly, Hernandez and GMA should be given some credit for at least playing some of O’Donnell’s more extreme statements. However, what the ABC reporter left out of her segment was any mention of O’Donnell’s attraction to 9/11 conspiracy theories, including this March 29 discussion:

HASSELBECK: "Do you believe that the government had anything to do with the attack of 9/11? Do you believe in a conspiracy in terms of the attack of 9/11?"

O’DONNELL: "No. But I do believe the first time in history that fire has ever melted steel. I do believe that it defies physics for the World Trade Center Tower Seven, building seven, which collapsed in on itself, it is impossible for a building to fall the way it fell without explosives being involved, World Trade Center Seven. World Trade Center one and Two got hit by planes. Seven, miraculously, for the first time in history, steel was melted by fire. It is physically impossible."

HASSELBECK: "And who do you think is responsible for that?"

O’DONNELL: "I have no idea. But to say that we don't know it was imploded, that there was implosion in the demolition, is beyond ignorant. Look at the film. Get a physics expert here from Yale, from Harvard. Pick the school. It defies reason."

—Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center.


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When GMA draws the line, who

When GMA draws the line, who can help but cross it?

Rosie is welcome to appear on

Rosie is welcome to appear on O'Reilly any time and clear all of this up for us.

Unlike Trump O'Reilly will give her a platform and an international audience to say anything she wants about the subject.

Lets go big girl, step up to the plate!

ah, uhm, that might be backwa

ah, uhm, that might be backwards - me thinks she's gone to the plate too many times already - time to push the plate away, or hit the salad bar.

There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V

Isn't it a conflict of inte

Isn't it a conflict of interest for GMA to do a report about Rosie..if not it's at least dishonest to do the story without any mention of the 9/11 part..come on ABC have some guts you hired this nut job to raise the ratings of the VIew so now you have to deal with everything she says..so if your going to do a story about the "feud" with O'Reilly then give us the whole story about what he is protesting what she said about 9/11.

This idiocy will continue a

This idiocy will continue as long as ABC receives ratings and money. You want to end this? Notify each and every advertiser on ABC and advise them that you will not be purchasing any of their products until Rosie is no longer employed by ABC. Hurt ABC where they will feel it, their wallet.

"Not for fame or reward, not for place or rank, not lured by ambition or goaded by necessity. But in simple obedience to duty." - From the barracks at Ft. Benning

Rosie O"Donnell

At ABC's GMA site, there is a poll about Rosie and Bill O'Reilly. Guess who's winning?     Bill!    2755 to 1350

Whose Side Are you on?

If they stuck to the facts of

If they stuck to the facts of the issues that raised the tiff, it wouldn't be a bad thing if they each appeared on the other's show. However I'm not giving any odds as to whether or not Rosie is game for the challenge.

"Fighters are fun but bombers make policy"

Rosie the O is the personif

Rosie the O is the personification of the saying "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

How little do you define litt

How little do you define little? Gotta remember, there ain't a whole lot of room in there.

There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V

Bill went on The View and suf

Bill went on The View and suffered having to be interviewed by Rosie (with Barbara Walters taking Ro's side over Bill's).  The least Ro should do is go on O'Reilly's program.

Rosie has just as much right

Rosie has just as much right as Bill to spew bs (and he spews PLENTY) - and it's the ones who would like to stifle other people's bs that worry me

Rosie has just as much right

Rosie has just as much right as Bill to spew bs (and he spews PLENTY) - and it's the ones who would like to stifle other people's bs that worry me

Spewing BS

I gues it comes down to who's BS is more likely to cause nausea. Apparently Rosie can cause mass cases.

I don't think one can just di

I don't think one can just dismiss the huge difference between what O'Reilly says and what O'Donnell says by labeling both "bs". No one would take away the right of O'Donnell to ooze poisonous bile - that doesn't mean she can't be taken to task for doing it - and that's another huge difference. If The View had an (unlikely) host who sat up there and told hateful racist jokes, would it be their right to "spew bs"?

The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.

- Arabian Proverb

Defies Reason?

Most of what comes out of Rosie's mouth defies reason!

ABC poll uses "underreported in the media" for Rosie...

Finally! One of the major media found out how to use that term - but only for Libs.

So structural engineer O'Donn

So structural engineer O'Donnell doesn't think that steel can burn, huh? This would come as a big surprise to everyone in the architectural, engineer, and construction industries. Why in the heck does she think that the steel columns and girders are sprayed with fire retardant foam during construction?  Oh, that's right. O'Donnell doesn't think. She only thinks she thinks. 

The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.

- Arabian Proverb

"She only thinks she t

"She only thinks she thinks."

Chris,

What gets me is how the audience goes along with every kooky things she says! There must be door prizes or something when they leave. The most ROZ applause wins!

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

MM,I know. I would love to ca

MM,

I know. I would love to catch up with a few of these celebrity-worshipping air headed sheep just to shake them until their teeth rattle - all the while screaming, "How can you be this stupid and still have figured out how to breathe???!!!!".

The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.

- Arabian Proverb

I cannot believe it.

Seriously. Really.

When I first heard this arrogant statement, I paused my TiVo.

What I said to myself in utter confusion.

Fire cannot melt steel?

How is steel molded to begin with.

Is Steel melted with Dry Ice?

I mean, seriously..The First time in History. Fire has Melted Steel.

Tell that to people who create cars in factories.
People that mold steel pipes.

I mean really.

www.transplantministries.com.com

My problem with this entire f

My problem with this entire fiasco comes back to the fact that good or bad, the spew's ratings went up when Rosie started he fued with Trump. Naturally, Fox is my network of choice, but I hate for them to turn this oinker into the next Anna Nichole......I hate for her to get the undeserved publicity.

I always wanted to get into politics, but I was never light enough to make the team.

A "celebrity feud" is more ta

A "celebrity feud" is more tantalizing than "Rosie mouths off." That's why they go with that angle.

Does anyone else think that

Does anyone else think that picture of Rosie looks like a plump and evil version of Michelle Malkin?

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

Not just NO

NO!!!!

"Eventually, Socialists run out of other peoples' money...." MARGARET THATCHER

MM...Are you kidding?It isn't

MM...

Are you kidding?

It isn't Thursday yet is it?

ROFLMAO!