Monday, October 18, 2010

Context/Content/Facts

So I've avoided the debate about the mosque near ground zero because i felt like it was more of a political issue than a media issue. But recently, there have been some incidents which have spotlighted media figures' beliefs about Islam, terrorism, and the mosque.


First, i want you watch this video.

Then i'd like you to watch this one.

Now this one.

And finally, this one.


So what's your take on this. Were Bill O'Reilly's comments taken out of context? Were they factually correct? Was Kilmeade's comments out of context? Factually Correct? Or were all of these comments biased and uninformed? What's your take on this discussion and these comments?

32 comments:

Megan said...

First off, I agree with Billy o'Reilly in that there should not be a mosque built near ground zero. Regardless of if "Muslims" killed us or if it was "extreme Muslims" that killed us, it isn't right. I do believe that O'Reilly's words were taken out of context because in a statement right before the controversial statement, he said "extreme Muslims".

Even though O'Reilly's words were taken out of context, they were indeed factual. The terrorists that killed the people on 9/11 were Muslims. They weren't atheist, Buddhists, Catholics. They were Muslims.

Kilmeade's comments were just ludacrous. Not all terrorists are Muslims. That's the fact.

Cperkins said...

Bill O'Reilly, whether the left wants to admit it, was right in that Muslims killed us (Americans) on 9-11. This is a fact. If we want to debate whether a Mosque should be built, that is a different debate. Arguing over who was responsible over 9-11 is like arguing over the color of the sky. IT IS BLUE!!

Bryan Kimeade was wrong in saying that all Terrorists are Muslim. their are other faiths that have committed terrorist acts.

I will say that I went to school with a girl whose family was Muslim and moved back to the US when we were in 8th grade from Bahrain.

Her family never respected our Christian beliefs. If we bowed our heads to pray, her mother made every noise she could acted offended.

With that being said, I firmly believe that the Mosque location was done on purpose and is very disrespectful towards the people who lost their lives and their families. If the leaders of the Mosque are Americans, they would have some emotion over what happened on 9-11 and would do whatever is in their power not to bring more hurt to the people directly effected by 9-11.

cperkins

bkp36 said...
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bkp36 said...

Bill O'Reilly has a way of stirring the pot in order to get the reactions he is so well known for. I do believe Muslims were the terrorist of 9/11, "fact." However, he really never got into his statements before Whoopee and Joy became so angry. Of course, freedom of speech is freedom of speech. They were allowed to respond as they did. Building the mosque is a different issue but it is very provident "Muslims" are not always reflected fairly in the media. It should also be mentioned nor are those who lost their lives on 9/11.

Kilmeade's statement was extreme or radical. Jerks such as he, promote hate against not only Muslims but others who are different. Bill O'Reilly has a way of stirring the pot in order to get the reactions he is so well known for. I do believe Muslims were the terrorist of 9/11, "fact." However, he really never got into his statements before Whoopi and Joy became so angry. Of course, freedom of speech is freedom of speech. They were allowed to respond as they did. Building the mosque is a different issue but "Muslims" are not always reflected fairly in the media. It should also be mentioned nor are those who lost their lives on 9/11.

Kilmeade's statement was extreme or radical. Jerks such as he, promote hate against not only Muslims but others who are different.

Many times people and statements are taken out of context; however, consider the source and many times you will know the correct answer.

bpaganelli

Taylor Lang said...

The fact is that 70% of Americans don’t want the mosque near Ground Zero. I find it ridiculous that two of the women on the View got so upset that they had to walk off of the set. The reporter on Fox news clip was right when he said, “the women of the View could not handle the give and take of a debate. “

I’m glad that Bill Maher backed up Bill O’Rielly and his comments. Bill O’Rilley is no stranger to stirring up the pot, making opinionated comments, and offending people. That is the appeal to both his program and his celebrity personality. He is very opinionated just like Brian Kilemade. They both made over the top comments, and although there may be some validity to what Bill O’Rilley had said, Brian Kilemade’s controversial comment was out of line and not true.

emdaco said...
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emdaco said...

wow in the state of Ca I tend to lean more towards the conservative side, however after reading others posts I find myself a lot more liberal. People you need to understand in regards to 9/11 the terrorists happened to be muslim, muslim do not equal terrorist. People tend to use muslim as a blanket for all negativity. That being said I personally, even being a Republican find O'Reilly to be an idiot and wrong in his delivery. I am not 100% positive that a mile or so from ground zero is the BEST location for the Mosque. However is it still an available property and legally is allowed for use of the Mosque. If I were to get in a fight with one race, should I forever hate that race and all members in its group. Or what about the priest who have raped boys, does that mean catholics are rapist? Of course not, using a few acts to judge a whole is generalized way of thinking. If your child was molested by a member of another church would you fight the building of a church near his or her school? I doubt it, so we need to be supporitive of all religions and their rights as long as they do not harm. We are all creatures of different features.

Unknown said...

First, I am not the biggest O'Reilly fan, but Keith Olbermann is complete idiot. I typically can watch media personalities from both political views, but my tolerance stops with Olbermann.
O'Reilly is accurate in the statement that "Muslims killed us on 9/11". This does not mean that these terrorists represent all Muslims, but it does mean that all of the 9/11 terrorists relate to the Muslim religion. I am not familiar with the Muslim religion, nor do I ever plan to be, but there certainly seems to be a connection between the religion and terrorist from the Middle East.
Kilmeades comments were not completely accurate, but his point is valid. All terrorists that associate with Al Qaeda and pose the greatest current threat to the world are Muslims. However, there are plenty of other types of terrorists; the word "terrorists" can mean many different things to different people. I believe that Kilmeade was referring to terrorists who are followers of Al Qaeda or some other group that wishes harm to the western world. In this sense, his statement appears to be accurate; from what I can tell, these people are all Muslims.
Unfortunately, I believe the Muslims have a right to build their mosque wherever they desire to build it. Personally, I would not want this anywhere close to ground zero, but my personal feelings seem to violate constitutional rights. I am hopeful that the US Gov't is planting spies in mosques all over the US in an attempt to avert future terrorist’s attacks. I have a huge problem with so called “moderate Muslims”; they do not speak out against the actions of what we consider extremists. This leads me to believe that the terrorists may not be so “extreme”.

jessimpson said...

In this instance, no one is "right" or "correct" with regard to the opinions being expressed. Words have definitely been taken out of context. The only truly honest opinion that was stated was by John Legend when he said, "The us has to be redefined," to Bill Maher. We, as Anglo-Christian-Americans, have the unfortunate disposition of believing that our ways and beliefs are culturally superior to that of other peoples, which is called "ethnocentrism". It is true that a few Radical Islamic men killed many people on 9/11. It is also true that they were apart of a much larger Radical Islamic group from the Middle East. We may never know how deep these terrorist groups go. We know that they walk among us and have a higher power from which they take orders (meaning a leader not a god). However, to say "All terrorists are Muslim" is highly incorrect. We might as well say that "The Jews killed Jesus" or "Guns don't kill people, people kill people". The truth is that it was not just Anglo-Christian-Americans that died on 9/11. It included all kinds of people, Muslim, too. Muslims are scared of terrorists just like the rest of us. Until we redefine the "us", we cannot make a rational decision about whether or not a mosque should be built.

Any type of extremism is bad. Extremism gets people killed and destroys America from the inside out. This does not, however, only include terrorists. Extremism comes in all shapes and forms. It is necessary to tolerate other people's beliefs in order to protect our rights as Americans and our society. We may be Southern Conservative Christians, but this will never mean that we are "correct" in our opinions. Opinions are not meant to be correct. You are entitled to your opinion and have a right to express it. To use that right to obstruct someone else's belief is an infringement on their rights. If we tolerate other people (as long as they are not committing crimes), then we are protecting our rights as Americans. It is better to listen to other people than to fight with them.
Jessica Simpson

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Although O'Reilly is very opinionated and sometimes offensive, his comment that the 9/11 attack was Muslims is absolutely correct.

Kimeade, also being opinionated, was definitely wrong when he stated that all terrorists are Muslims. This is obviously false information; other religions have been responsible in other terrorists attacks.

As far as the mosque goes, I know it is far out of my control, but I agree with O'Reilly in that it should not be built near ground zero; I do not think that would be a good idea. Majority of Americans do not want the mosque built near ground zero.

Sara Walters-Skw98

Paula said...

Whatever happened to freedom of speech. I was some what surprised that Whoopi and Joy walked off the set during what was supposed to have been a debate. It's my opinion that they just let O'Reilly ruffle their feathers.

I think that it's very disrespectful that this group would want to set up a mosque so close to where people lost their lives. I don't agree with the comments of Kilmeade that all Muslims are terrorists. There are corrupt people in all nationalites.

Again, I ask what happened to Freedom of Speech? Why did members of the View allow themselves to become so angry that forced them to walk off the set when this is what the show is all about(people giving their opinion).

Paula G

Melissa Laster said...

I agree with O'Reilly when he says that there should not be a mosque built near ground zero. I believe that the terrorists who attacked Americans on 9/11 were Muslims. I do not think they should be represented with a mosque. As for the 70 that were killed in the towers they can be recognized on the wall just like the other thousands of people that lost their lives. O'Reilly did state that the people were 'extreme Muslims' and then his next comment was taken out of context. I don't think they were really listening to him. His comments were facutal because the terrosists that attacked on 9/11 were indeed Muslims.

I think that Kilmeade's comments were just wrong. I do not think that all terrosist are Muslim. That is pinpointing a religion and I do not think that is right. You can't say that America doesn't have their own terrorists or Islam's don't have terrorists. Therefore his comments were not factual.

Daniel said...
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Daniel said...

Bill O'reilly was dead on in his statement that "Muslims killed us on 9-11." He did not go on to say that every Muslim was an extremeist, so I really do not understand why the women on the View stormed off the set. I feel that they must have already had it out for Mr. O'Reilly.

The media storm surrounding this has been suprising to me. Many people act as if they saw a different clip than I did. I do not see any reason for anyone to really be offended, he stated a fact.

As far as the mosque at ground zero goes, I as well as the large majority of other Americans feel that the location is extremely distasteful to say the least. They chose this location on purpose, and even though they have a right to put it there, they should be more respectful, and illustrate better judgment.

Daniel Ray

lhw55 said...

This entire situation is blown out of proportion and is disheartening to me and proves the fact that Americans can not look through their unbiased eyes for one second to see each side of any story. Absolutely Bill o'Reilly's comment was out of line, but it has also been taken out of context. He did apologize, even on the show, if his comment offended anyone, but the liberal host of the view jumped on the chance to weaken the argument of someone opposing their "view". Regardless of the opinions of people on the issue of the Mosque, I believe that this issue goes deeper than the actual building. Do we not see a HUGE underlying problem here to where someone can not speak their point of view and not be denounced as a bigot.
I think that these comments have been blown out of context, even when there was fault on the end of Bill. I believe there was equal fault on the other ladies of the view and I think that their actions highlight the real problem we have in this country. Our pride of our own opinions and views have forced this country into a place of division and suppression of our freedom of speech.

David said...
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David said...

I do believe there are two parts of a conversation: what we thought we said and what the other person actually hears or thinks they heard. There is more to this than just the facts, it is the fact that people have trouble communicating effectively. I must agree with both sides of the argument. I believe a muslim mosque by ground zero is a poor idea and could be opened a little further away from the site but still on Manhattan Island. I also believe that there should be religous freedom for Muslims or any religion pursuant to the US Constitution. Bill O'Reilly thought he made a clear statement and the ladies of the View heard something else. Both parties made assumptions before entering the show and were probably already finding a way to "get" the other person. I believe Bill O'Reilly made factual statements however they should of been conveyed a little more clearly.

Kilmeade overstepped the bounds. Who realy beleives all terrorists are muslims? How do define terrorism? My company gets blasted by cyber-terrorists everyday but I wouldn't make stupid blanket statements. I will also say that the comments made about Kilmeade were no better and must assume these talking heads honestly beleive they are right or they believe in two wrongs making a right.

Dlt174

Anonymous said...

The statement “Muslims killed us on 9-11” made by Bill O’Reilly when he first said it came off like he was saying all people of the Muslim religion tried to kill us. I think thats what offended Goldberg and Baher so much. After making that comment and all the uproar he then changed it to extremist Muslims. I do not think what O’Reilly said was wrong, but I personally think he should have stated it differently.
Yes it is true the group of men who caused the destruction on 9-11 were indeed Muslims, radical Muslims though. I think its terrible the prejudice that American Muslims have suffered after 9-11. I, like everyone else in this country, was devastated on September 11. But I realize that you cannot blame an entire group of people for the mistakes of a few radicals. After all, Muslims were victims of terrorism that day as well.
Kilmeade’s statements were biased. To me he seemed like he was sending out a message to the Fox news views of hate and fear.
However, the First Amendment gives O’Reilly and Kilmeade the right to say what they said, but also gives the right to freedom of religion and assembly.

LHipp said...

Sure, O’Reilly was factually correct. The 9-11 terrorists were Muslim. Was it responsible to say that? Not so sure. They were radical Muslims. It does seem that our country is growing more intolerant of religions that aren’t Christian or Jewish. So generalizing Muslims is irresponsible. We wouldn’t say abortion clinic bombers are Christians. It’s reported as a crime committed by radical Christian or radical right winger. If we clarify in that case, why can’t we clarify in the other. And we have to remember this is O’Reilly. He phrases statements specifically to get a rise out of folks - that's where he and Olbermann are similar. It worked. He was all over the news even though that really wasn't news.

Kilmeade needs a history lesson because not all terrorists are Muslim. Sometimes they are protestant or Catholic. Again, I would not expect intelligent debate out of Fox and Friends in the morning. It’s really just asking too much of that show to contribute useful insight to the public discourse.

Brandon said...

To begin with, I will preface by saying that I am not a Bill O'Reilly fan, but I do think that some of his words were taken out of context. Despite this, I am of the opinion that the mosque location was what it is. I do not feel that the mosque was a blatant attempt at disrespect, but moreover just a religious group building their sanctuary. Yes the mosque has the unfortunate fact of being a symbol of a religion that is vilified by the some extreme believers that perform terrorist actions.

This brings me to my next point which is that I fully disagree with Bryan Kilmeade and his assertion that all terrorists are Muslims. That is just a ludicrous statement in my opinion and it doe snot even deserve to be receiving attention. Terrorism is a wide-reaching problem that has many origins.

I feel that the whole mosque debate was completely blown out of proportion and I feel that in terms of racial and religious relations there is much advancement to e had. With that said I am very aware that I am speaking in regards to my and only my opinion. Every one has the right to an opinion and as such I give mine and will do my best to listen to and respect other's opinions as well.

Unknown said...

First of off, I think Billy O'Reilly was right it shouldn't be a mosque built near ground zero. I do believe muslims were a terrorist of 9/11.


Bryan Kimeade was only speaking of freedom of speech because everyone believe they was muslims. They was wrong for killing all of them peoples.

I'm so glad that Bill Maher backed up Bill O'Riellyon on his comment because is he never a strange.

john ray said...

"The View" sounded like a bunch of cats in a bag fighting. That is not how to conduct an interview or debate. I can't believe they walked off the stage. Bill O'Reilly was making a statement and they blew it out of proportion.

Kilmeade is ridiculous and is what I think of when I think of Fox news. The mosque placement is simply poor taste. Right/Wrong, whatever, doesn't really matter it is simply poor taste and there are plenty of other places to build a mosque.

john ray

Henry and Susanne said...

In my humble, and honest opinion, I think everyone...media included...has lost their freaking minds. First off, of course Muslims killed us on 9/11. To suggest that this fact is offensive is insane. Yes, they were extremists, but they were Muslim none the less. Now, why would Oreilly bring this up on The View? For his own personal gain! He got what he wanted...exposure.


Regardless of whether this is all factual or not is irrelevant to me. What is relevant is that fact that at some point it became acceptable to lose your shit during a news show if someone mentions that muslims might not be the nicest people in the world. You can pick a group of people, and there are going to be maniacs. It's important that people can sit and discuss topics of any thread without acting like maniacs themselves.

Just for the record, and in case anyone from the view is reading this. Oreilly is like my 2 year old daughter...just don't react when he's trying to get a reaction!!!

Rebecca G. said...

I think that while Bill O'Reilly's comments were factually correct, they weren't said the best way. I can see (somewhat) why they got up and walked off stage but I think Barbara Walters summed up the situation best in saying that it was an example of what should not happen. I think if O'Reilly had said extremist or radical Muslims had killed us, the situation would not have escalated as it did.

Kilmeade's comments were completely false. All terrorists are NOT Muslims. I personally don't have any problems with the mosque location but can see where others might.

Rebecca Grimes

Unknown said...

Bill O’Reilly appearing on “The View” is like trying to mix water and oil. The majority of the ladies on this program just do not see eye to eye with Bill O’Reilly. They were just waiting for him to say something that they could jump on. There was nothing wrong with the statement he made. Muslims did attack the United States on 9/11, just as the Japanese attacked the United State at Pearl Harbor. Both statements are simply stating facts or describing the events, but it does not mean all Muslims and Japanese or enemies of the United States. Bill O’Reilly pushed Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar’s buttons and they reacted as most liberals would, when confronted with Bill O’Reilly.
Brain Kilmeades’ comments may be offensive to a few people, but in my opinion, he is right. The greatest threat to the world is terrorists that are linked to Al Qaeda, who are Muslims. People automatically associate the word terrorists with Muslims. I think this is what Kimleades was trying to communicate. Keith Olbermann’s comments about Kilmeades were ridiculous. Even though he does not agree with Kilmeades, he was out of line with his verbal attack. I think he was trying to improve his ratings with a certain group of people.
You would think people of faith would always want to be sensitive to the feelings of others when it comes to decision that will affect other people. The moderate Muslims wanting to build the Mosque near ground zero are not considering anyone but themselves. You may have a right to do something, but that does not mean it would be a good decision. I think the building of a Mosque is a good example of this. I can understand why the families of the 9/11 victims are upset. If the moderate Muslims want to do something to help promote their religion, as smart move would be to denounce the extremist Muslims.
Elizabeth Wade

Unknown said...

Bill O’Reily’s comments were factual. He said that the people who attacked America on 9/11 were Muslims. That is true. It is not relevant whether those individuals who carried out the attack were “radical” Muslims or “extremist” Muslims. They were Muslims. The two hostesses who walked off of the set of The View during O’Reily’s interview acted unprofessionally. They did not agree with O’Reily; therefore, they did not want to discuss it and walked off. The title of The View implies that the show is about the exploration of different views. If they do not want to discuss views that differ from their own, they should not be serving as hostesses of the show.

Kilmeade’s comments were incorrect and inappropriate. I don’t think that his remarks were taken out of context. However, what he said may not have been exactly what he meant to say. The media should have given him a chance to clarify his position before turning it into yet another media hype.

Hunter Boerner said...

I do not think that Bill O'Reilly's comments were taken out of context. If I were one of the families of a 911 victim, I would be highly offended that a mosque would be build where the event took place. I know that these terrorists were extreme in their faith, but regardless this just seems like it would be throwing it in everyone's face. I do think America is a free country and the people have the right to worship and build as they please, but not where one of the largest terrorist attacks took place in our country.

I do think Kilmeade's comments about every Muslin being a terrorist was incorrect. Every religion has its more liberal followers and more extreme followers. I do think if they want to build a mosque somewhere else that is completely acceptable though.

scacapit said...

I am so tired of the whole issue. Yes it was "muslims" who committed the terrorist attacks, but one could actually say they were not of the Islamic faith because it (Islam) does not promote violence of any kind. The terrorists were a bunch of dumb asses brainwashed by some wealthy dumb asses.

People have a tendancy to be afraid of what they do not understand, and scared people are powerful because there is no telling what they will do or say.

The comments made were igorant and reflective of the blindness and closed minded people in this world. Read a damn book, learn the truth about what you are afraid of. . . you might like it!

clp said...

The way Whoopi and Joy behaved was one of the most childish things I have seen in a long time. Adults don’t pitch a fit and storm off just because they don’t like what someone has to say. It is ridiculous that they were offended by the fact that Bill O’Reilly said the terrorist that attacked on 9/11 were Muslim. That is a fact. Was it the most political correct thing to point out in the midst of a debate? I don’t know. The bottom line is that Whoopi and Joy looked like idiots. Did all of Bill O’Reilly facts check out from the debate? Yes and no. The following CNN source: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/11/overwhelming-majority-oppose-mosque-near-ground-zero/ backs up most of what he said. Nearly 70% of Americans do oppose a mosque being built on ground zero, but the actual structure is more like a community center that will be built 3 blocks from ground zero.

Brian Kilmeade sounds even more ridiculous than Whoopi and Joy with his “All terrorist are Muslim” remark. I understand that comments can be taken out of context, but it does not seem as if his comment was. Perhaps he misspoke, but his comment was absurd. There is no logic behind what he said. He sounds extremely biased and uninformed because all terrorist are not Muslim. As Keith Olbermann pointed out there have been several terrorist who were not Muslim, such as Timothy McVeigh. I personally believe in allowing everyone to voice his or her opinion, but most of these entertainers are behaving badly.

Codi Phillips

Jeremy D. said...

I don’t feel as though Bill O’Reilly’s comments were taken out of context. I think he said what he said knowing what type of reaction it would evoke. However, he did have the right to say what he felt. The statements were somewhat factual because a group of Muslims did kill us on 9/11; however it was only a small portion, not the collective group.

Kilmeade’s comments were not taken out of context. His comments sounded biased and uninformed.
The guy in the last video presented a great point when he listed all of the other terrorists who were not of Muslim decent. I think Kilmeade would have been more politically correct in saying that “All terrorists ‘as of late’ are Muslims.”

drm198 said...

Bill O'Reilly is correct. There should not be a mosque built near ground zero. I also believe that O'Reilly is correct when he states that "Muslims" were responsible for 9/11. It does not matter to me that they were extremists or not. Bottom line they murdered innocent Americans in the name of Islam. If Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar can not have a civilized difference of opinion with someone, as that is their job, perhaps they should be doing something else.

That being said I feel that Kilmeade's comments were just horrible. Of course not all Muslims are terrorists and he really should have thought much harder before he made those comments.