On the Mel Gibson thing, one of the first questions asked by O'Reilly- one of "The Passion"'s archest defenders back in 2004- is... "is the internet too dangerous for celebrities"? Nevermind that in the case of Gibson's arrest, the internet (by TMZ.com) got the story exactly right, and broke something that every newspaper missed.
This is of a piece with O'Reilly's call for a federal "cyberpolice" a few years ago. And of course, it's strange that Mr. "I'm looking out for the little guy" has made it one of his big causes to protect the privacy of "famous people." And, of course, O'Reilly has once again neglected to disclose that he has a business relationship with Gibson, who optioned Bill's novel.
UPDATE: To clarify, I didn't say O'Reilly has never disclosed that Gibson optioned his book. I wrote that he didn't last night, and that he hasn't always. Journalistic ethics dictate that you have to disclose conflicts of interest every time.
Posted by Stephen Silver at August 1, 2006 11:53 PMI have on numerous occasions heard Bill O'Reilly disclose that he has a business relationship with Mel Gibson.
Posted by: Floyd Wright at August 2, 2006 10:29 AMAs have I, dude.
Posted by: Jordan at August 2, 2006 12:07 PMBill is a overly pompous moron who needs mental help, as does anyone who can't see past his idiotic messages
Posted by: Greg at August 8, 2006 12:47 PM