Activist Claims Bill O'Reilly Threatened Him; Files Complaint with FCC
Jim Kouri, CPP
July 22, 2006
A guest who appeared on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" filed a complaint against the show's host, Bill O'Reilly, claiming he felt threatened by O'Reilly's comments.
Kevin Barrett, an outspoken 9/11 truth activist, said he was taken aback when O'Reilly said Barrett belongs "in the Charles River floating down".
James H. Fetzer, founder and co-chair of Scholars for 9/11 Truth, said that the absence of a response from the FCC, Fox News, and the national media speaks volumes about the state of the nation.
"When public threats can be made to a citizen's life for expressing his opinions on a controversial topic and neither the government nor the media respond," he observed, "that is a sure sign we are living in a fascist state."
Barrett and Fetzer claim that O'Reilly couched his remarks in the context of assailing other academicians who have asserted that the government had a role in bringing about the events of 9/11, a claim with which O'Reilly takes strong exception.
During the show, He criticized the leadership at the University of Wisconsin, which has reviewed the case and will allow Barrett to teach a course this fall.
During his program on 11 July, O'Reilly remarked, "This guy would have been gone at Boston University, my alma mater, in a heartbeat. The Chancellor there, John Silber, would have--would have--this guy'd be in the Charles River floating down, you know, toward the harbor."
O'Reilly said that allowing Barrett to teach at BU "wouldn't happen" but "at the University of Wisconsin there are no standards.
"The O'Reilly Factor," rated the top cable news show in the US, is known for the host's brash and blunt style and allows even the most controversial guests to speak freely. However, critics on the left and right of the political spectrum complain that at times O'Reilly goes too far with his visibly angry reaction to guests' comments.
Kevin Barrett, an outspoken 9/11 truth activist, said he was taken aback when O'Reilly said Barrett belongs "in the Charles River floating down".
James H. Fetzer, founder and co-chair of Scholars for 9/11 Truth, said that the absence of a response from the FCC, Fox News, and the national media speaks volumes about the state of the nation.
"When public threats can be made to a citizen's life for expressing his opinions on a controversial topic and neither the government nor the media respond," he observed, "that is a sure sign we are living in a fascist state."
Barrett and Fetzer claim that O'Reilly couched his remarks in the context of assailing other academicians who have asserted that the government had a role in bringing about the events of 9/11, a claim with which O'Reilly takes strong exception.
During the show, He criticized the leadership at the University of Wisconsin, which has reviewed the case and will allow Barrett to teach a course this fall.
During his program on 11 July, O'Reilly remarked, "This guy would have been gone at Boston University, my alma mater, in a heartbeat. The Chancellor there, John Silber, would have--would have--this guy'd be in the Charles River floating down, you know, toward the harbor."
O'Reilly said that allowing Barrett to teach at BU "wouldn't happen" but "at the University of Wisconsin there are no standards.
"The O'Reilly Factor," rated the top cable news show in the US, is known for the host's brash and blunt style and allows even the most controversial guests to speak freely. However, critics on the left and right of the political spectrum complain that at times O'Reilly goes too far with his visibly angry reaction to guests' comments.
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