O'Reilly "runner-up" in "Worst Person" for claim that he defeated
 
Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:53:03 -0500

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<p><b>O'Reilly "runner-up" in "Worst Person" for claim that he defeated "forces
of darkness" in the "war" on Christmas </b></p>
<p><a href="http://mediamatters.org/items/200712060004?src=item200712060004">http://mediamatters.org/items/200712060004</a></p>

<p>During the December 5 edition of MSNBC&#39;s <i>Countdown</i>, host Keith Olbermann named Fox
News&#39; <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200712060004&to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediamatters.org%2Fissues_topics%2Fpeople%2Fbilloreilly">Bill O&#39;Reilly</a> the
"runner-up" in his nightly "Worst Person in the World"
segment for, as <i>Media Matters for America</i>
<a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200712060004&to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediamatters.org%2Fitems%2F200712050006">documented</a>, claiming to have won the
"war" on Christmas. Olbermann stated: "Our runner up, Bill-O,
back to this war on Christmas that only he can see or hear. Telling a guest,
quote, &#39;There&#39;s a very effective movement under way to wipe out in
the public square all vestiges of Christmas. Stores were ordering employees not
to say "Merry Christmas." If I had not done the campaign, then the
forces of darkness would have won.&#39; " Olbermann added: "Geez,
Bill, you are the forces of darkness. This messiah stuff is bad enough, but the
context is even worse. He was saying that to an obviously very sincere and very
religious woman who is leading a push to de-emphasize commercialism at
Christmas, and focus instead on the message attributed to Jesus, to care for our
neighbors as ourselves." Olbermann then observed: "He told her she
was trying to diminish what he&#39;d done, and that she was naive and she was
spending her time &#39;in the land of Oz!&#39; "</p>

<p>As <i>Media
Matters</i> has documented, O&#39;Reilly is <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200712060004&to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediamatters.org%2Fitems%2F200710220001">frequently</a> <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200712060004&to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediamatters.org%2Fitems%2F200708070003" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200708070003">named</a> <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200712060004&to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediamatters.org%2Fitems%2F200708030004" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200708030004">during</a> <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200712060004&to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediamatters.org%2Fitems%2F200707270002" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200707270002">Olbermann&#39;s</a> <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200712060004&to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediamatters.org%2Fitems%2F200707190011" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200707190011">"Worst</a> <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200712060004&to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediamatters.org%2Fitems%2F200707110010" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200707110010">Person"</a> <a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200712060004&to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediamatters.org%2Fitems%2F200706110002" title="http://mediamatters.org/items/200706110002">segment</a>.</p>

<p>From the December 5 edition of MSNBC&#39;s <i>Countdown with Keith Olbermann</i>:
</p><blockquote>

<p>OLBERMANN:
Our runner up, Bill-O, back to this war on Christmas that only he can see or
hear. Telling a guest, quote, "There&#39;s a very effective movement
under way to wipe out in the public square all vestiges of Christmas. Stores
were ordering employees not to say &#39;Merry Christmas.&#39; If I had not
done the campaign, then the forces of darkness would have won."</p>

<p>Geez, Bill,
you are the forces of darkness. This messiah stuff is bad enough, but the
context is even worse. He was saying that to an obviously very sincere and very
religious woman who is leading a push to de-emphasize commercialism at
Christmas, and focus instead on the message attributed to Jesus, to care for
our neighbors as ourselves. He told her she was trying to diminish what
he&#39;d done, and that she was naive and she was spending her time "in
the land of Oz!"</p>

<p>



Bill,
they already made this movie you think is real life, <i><a href="http://mediamatters.org/rd?src=item200712060004&to=http%3A%2F%2Fmovies.nytimes.com%2Fmovie%2F9547%2FThe-Christmas-That-Almost-Wasn-t%2Foverview">The Christmas That Almost Wasn&#39;t</a></i>,
Rossano Brazzi, 1966, Italian. </p></blockquote><table width="100%" style="background: #e8e8e8; 
border: 1px solid  #ffffff; font-size: 80%" cellpadding="1">
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid  #ffffff;" 
width="40%">
</b> Contact: <br />
<b>Bill O'Reilly</b></td>
<td valign="top"><a href="mailto:oreilly@foxnews.com">oreilly@foxnews.com</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table width="100%" style="background: #e8e8e8; 
border: 1px solid  #ffffff; font-size: 80%" cellpadding="1">
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid  #ffffff;" 
width="40%">
</b> Contact: <br />
<b>Keith Olbermann</b></td>
<td valign="top"></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table width="100%" style="background: #e8e8e8; 
border: 1px solid  #ffffff; font-size: 80%" cellpadding="1">
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid  #ffffff;" 
width="40%">
</b> Contact: <br />
<b>Countdown with Keith Olbermann</b></td>
<td valign="top"></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table width="100%" style="background: #e8e8e8; 
border: 1px solid  #ffffff; font-size: 80%" cellpadding="1">
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid  #ffffff;" 
width="40%">
</b> Contact: <br />
<b>Fox News Channel</b></td>
<td valign="top"><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,77538,00.html">FOX News Channel</a><br />1-888-369-4762<br /><a href="mailto:Comments@foxnews.com">Comments@foxnews.com</a><br />1211 Avenue of the Americas<br />New York, NY 10036</td>
</tr>
</table>
<table width="100%" style="background: #e8e8e8; 
border: 1px solid  #ffffff; font-size: 80%" cellpadding="1">
<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid  #ffffff;" 
width="40%">
</b> Contact: <br />
<b>MSNBC</b></td>
<td valign="top"><a href="mailto:viewerservices@msnbc.com">viewerservices@msnbc.com</a>
<br />MSNBC TV
<br />One MSNBC Plaza
<br />Secaucus, N.J. 07094
<br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3303518/">MSNBC contacts</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table width="100%" style="background: #e8e8e8; 
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<tr>
<td style="border-right: 1px solid  #ffffff;" 
width="40%">
</b> Contact: <br />
<b>The O'Reilly Factor</b></td>
<td valign="top"><a href="mailto:oreilly@foxnews.com">The O'Reilly Factor</a></td>
</tr>
</table>



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