Over the years, there have been several controversial issues highlighted in O'Reilly's print and broadcast work. He has drawn criticism from others who include Al Franken, Michael Savage, George Clooney, Joe Scarborough, Jon Stewart, Keith Olbermann, Media Matters for America, David Letterman, Michael Kinsley, and Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, usually in response to criticism by him or disputes of his factual accuracy.
He has had disagreements with Rosie O'Donnell for expressing what he sees as far-left viewpoints, and has called upon Disney / ABC to "do the right thing" regarding Rosie's employment, noting that ABC fired Bill Maher when he called the acts of the 9/11 hijackers "Stupid maybe, but not cowardly". [20]
O'Reilly prompted Fox News to sue Al Franken over his book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, claiming that the book's satirical mockery of the network and of O'Reilly himself was a copyright violation. The title was critical of O'Reilly, among many others, and an unflattering image of O'Reilly from the show was included on the cover, along with Ann Coulter, Dick Cheney, and George W. Bush. The counter-argument in the suit was the book was a parody and could not be mistaken for a Fox News publication. On August 22, 2003, U.S. District Judge Denny Chin denied Fox's request for an injunction to block the publication of Franken's book, characterizing the network's claim as "wholly without merit, both factually and legally." Three days later, Fox filed to drop its lawsuit.
O'Reilly is frequently challenged by his critics, who question his accuracy on issues such as the Malmedy massacre (O'Reilly incorrectly blamed American soldiers for a henious war crime of which they were in fact victims), and his claim that Inside Edition won two Peabody Awards. In the March 1, 2001 Washington Post Reliable Source column, Al Franken corrected O'Reilly's claim - it was actually a single Polk award (won for reporting that was done after O'Reilly left the show);[21] - In the same column, O'Reilly admitted to confusing the two awards, and stated, "Al Franken is on a jihad against me." A few days later, O'Reilly changed the story, and stated that he had never made the Peabody claim (O'Reilly Factor, 3/13/01): "Guy says about me, couple of weeks ago, 'O'Reilly said he won a Peabody Award.' Never said it. You can't find a transcript where I said it."
However, on the May 19, 2000 broadcast of the O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly repeatedly told a guest who brought up his "tabloid" past: "We won Peabody Awards. . . . We won Peabody awards. . . . A program that wins a Peabody Award, the highest award in journalism, and you're going to denigrate it?" O'Reilly had made the same claim on the May 8, 2000 broadcast of the O'Reilly Factor, as well as the claim of a single Peabody on the August 30, 1999 broadcast of the O'Reilly Factor.[22]
He has also discussed controversial topics such as his annual reports on the Secularization of Christmas, which he calls the "War on Christmas".[23]
While some have claimed that O'Reilly is really only "entertainment", and not "news", and therefore should not be held to a high standard for factual content, O'Reilly has been quoted as saying that Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer and should not be cited for hard facts, whereas O'Reilly is a commentator that opines to a journalistic standard.[24]
The liberal media watch group, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, has published a book entitled The "Oh Really?" Factor, by author Peter Hart (ISBN 158322601X). The book catalogues what are argued to be distortions and inaccuracies on the part of O'Reilly.
In January 2007, O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor stated that Missouri pre-teen Shawn Hornbeck, who was abducted at gunpoint[citation needed] by Michael J. Devlin and held captive by him for four years, had "liked ... his circumstances" and "had a lot more fun" with Devlin than with "his old parents". While some commentators wondered why the young boy had not tried to escape from his captor, O'Reilly went further, flatly stating that "Shawn had the freedom to get away if he wanted to."[25] Following his remarks, Lowe's canceled its advertising on the O'Reilly Factor, and the Naples, Florida Chapter of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children announced that O'Reilly's appearance at a $500-per-person fundraiser where he was to give the keynote address was cancelled. He was replaced by John Walsh.[26] The following month, Devlin was charged with multiple counts of forcible sodomy and producing child pornography.[27]
The Comedy Central program The Colbert Report, hosted by Stephen Colbert, parodies, among others, The O'Reilly Factor. Colbert has called his character a "well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot."[28] Colbert has continued his in-character satirization of O'Reilly in venues other than "The Colbert Report", most notably at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
On the January 24, 2007 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly said that he was personally responsible for effecting the dismissal of the Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Boston. "I claim credit for getting Cardinal Law booted out of this country," O'Reilly said, and then stated that his relentless reporting on Cardinal Law's immoral and criminal behavior is why Law was dismissed........
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