Originally Posted by SecretMethod70

I doubt this is a shock to anyone, but content analysis by Indiana University has shown Bill O'Reilly to be a significant source of "spin."
[sarcasm]Of course, universities are just another bastion of the liberal elite, so we probably shouldn't trust anything they say.[/sarcasm]

I find it particularly interesting that illegal aliens are more commonly referenced as evil than terrorists. It's incredibly disturbing to me that Bill O'Reilly has such broad influence on Americans while being so utterly transparent in his rhetoric. This is a man who gets upset when he is quoted accurately and, rather than even make any attempt at defending his past statements, attacks the person/organization doing the quoting (see: Media Matters for America).

It seems to me, though, that O'Reilly may be feeling the pressure lately. He's always been a character, but he seems to be losing his temper more and more often (search youtube for his argument with Geraldo for the most extreme example). I have to wonder if he's getting pressure from up above as Fox News Channel's ratings continue to decline (while, admittedly, still remaining at the top of 24-hour cable news channels) and as criticism of him by organizations like Media Matters and the above study continue to get increased attention. Even during an interview in Ireland, he was faced with a reporter asking him about something Media Matters quoted him on.

Clearly, the majority of Americans will not read these findings. Even among the ones who do, there will undoubtedly be those who defend Bill O'Reilly by thinking "well it's true!" Nonetheless, do you think that Bill O'Reilly's influence is slowly declining? Or do you think all the effort to show him for what he is is having little to no effect and that he will be a popular and influential voice in American politics for years/decades to come?