Bill O’Reilly is destroying America.
At least, that is the idea Joseph Minton Amann and Tom Breuer put forth in their new book, “Sweet Jesus, I Hate Bill O’Reilly.” The book chronicles O’Reilly’s news coverage on the show “The O’Reilly Factor,” which Amann calls “outrage journalism.”
Amann said the idea for the book actually began as a Web site.
“About two years ago, I was looking and came across O’Reilly’s show on Fox,” Amann said. “I knew on that particular case that he was really making things up. I did some research to see if anyone was really debunking this guy.”
Though there were some anti-O’Reilly Web sites, Amann and Breuer decided to begin their own. Amann said after he was on the Al Franken show a few times, the Web site took off, and the idea for a book was born.
Amann said their book is different from most propaganda because it is more focused.
“I think it’s really a book that differentiates itself from other books,” Amann said. “Our book takes on O’Reilly as an individual who represents the most highly-rated name on the most highly-rated network. We wanted to take on a point- by-point on this rage-based media, filled with religious undertones of a lot of hate and fear.”
Amann said while some get outraged and throw things at the television when O’Reilly is on, they decided to write a book about it.
Amann had never before been politically active. He said although he is a liberal, he also holds some conservative views, which is the way he thinks most of America is.
“We don’t attack O’Reilly because he is a conservative, but [because] he is not a very good conservative,” Amann said. “We really wanted to show that he is really pretty crazy. In the book, we say that crazy is nonpartisan, and we really believe that.”
Amann said while O’Reilly never openly addressed the book, he would change little things after those things were commented on by the Web site.
“We would love to be sued by O’Reilly,” Amann said. “It would be great publicity.”
But Amann said instead of attacking the book itself, O’Reilly tends to attack any media outlet that acknowledges the book.
“He will attack the media outlet that gives us media or ink,” Amann said. “He will attack [The Daily Reveille]. He’ll say this is the death of journalism.”
Amann said he does not like to say the worst thing O’Reilly has done, because that is not the point of the book.
“There’s a lot of things [he has] done that is disgusting,” Amann said. “I think the worst thing he does is…that he spreads this ignorance about the world and about our place in it.”
Amann said instead of doing a story about the economic advantages and disadvantages of illegal aliens in the United States, O’Reilly will find as many stories as he can of illegal aliens committing crimes.
“He wants to spread fear,” Amann said.
Amann said fear-based journalism has been around for a long time, but outrage-based journalism is just beginning to take over the media.
“Outrage-based journalism is newer, and I think O’Reilly is leading the crusade,” Amann said. “I don’t think anyone does it more than him. I think that O’Reilly really believes it and lets himself get so wrapped up in that he is losing his mind on the air. And I don’t mean that in a joking manner.”
Amann said he is afraid that outrage-based journalism could become a trend. He said organizations such as FOX, which hosts O’Reilly’s show, do not help the problem.
“FOX as a news organization, more so than any other news organization, puts ratings first, so I think that they bear no responsibility because they don’t claim responsibility,” Amann said.
Amann said he sees more books in his and Breuer’s future – one may be out by next fall. But he has to keep the possible content of these books under wraps for now.
“Sweet Jesus, I Hate Bill O’Reilly” hit bookstores April 11.
 
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