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November 2008
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The Spin
Zone
By Dean Rotbart Bill O' Reilly, the pugnacious host
of Fox News Channel's The O'Reilly Factor, has built a successful journalism
franchise battling so-called "Spin."
"Caution," viewers are warned at the beginning of each
evening's allocution, "You are about to enter a 'no spin' zone." O'Reilly's popularity taps into a
broad public aversion to spin and, by association, public relations.
In most people's minds, there is truth and there is spin.
O'Reilly's promise is to zone in on the truth. The O'Reilly Factor resides on the
very same news network that promises to be fair and balanced. (What an
innovative concept for a news organization!)
"We report, you decide." The high ratings for both O'Reilly
and his FNC comrades demonstrate that their message is resonating with the
public. Indeed, O'Reilly and Fox
have spawned a cadre of imitators at MSNBC and other cable news networks who
also pledge to cut through the blather. I enjoy watching the O'Reilly Factor.
It is provocative, entertaining, mind candy.
I think Bill O'Reilly is brilliant and whether or not you agree with his
stance on the issues, you have to give him ample credit for his public relations
skills. You see, the 'No Spin Zone' is a fine
example of near perfect-pitch spin. Although he would adamantly deny it
(Rule #1), the No Spin Zone is not free from spin.
Like noise canceling headphones, O'Reilly uses counter spin to foster the
image of neutrality. O'Reilly does nothing, if not stay on
message (Rule #2). Although my
six-year-old daughter is wise enough to see that O'Reilly is anything but
impartial, he never ceases to proclaim himself King of No Spin.
Indeed, O'Reilly openly invites guests and letter writers to challenge
his open-mindedness. Heck, more
often than not, he even gives them "the last word."
But it is all disingenuous. On
The O'Reilly Factor, there is only one oracle.
If you don't agree with him, you are obviously wrong (Rule #3). Like great comedy actors, O'Reilly
works because he always takes his role seriously.
There is never a sly wink or nod to the cameras to acknowledge that he
knows he's pulling a fast one on us (Rule #4).
He follows his carefully crafted script to the letter. When I watch The O'Reilly Factor,
which I do believe is produced in good fun, I shutter at the power of the public
relations tool that O'Reilly has mastered:
Make a populist declaration. Repeat
it endlessly. Invite criticism;
then dismiss it. Never stray and
never let on that you know you are performing a role.
Do it long enough and you will develop a large fan club for your
character. Do it longer still, and
you may come to believe your own hype. Do
it long enough, and you may find yourself holding elective office. March 26, 2003
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