The Role of the Media Should be to Bring Accountability to Our Elected Officials

Fox New's Bill O'Reilly Interviews President Barack Obama



Yesterday prior to the Super Bowl, Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly interviewed President Barack Obama.  This is the second interview that O'Reilly has granted to President Obama.  The first interview that O'Reilly conducted with Obama was when he was a Senator running for president in 2008.  On the day following the conclusion of the Republican National Convention in September 2008, President Obama sat down with an interview with O'Reilly.  O'Reilly was speaking with Obama yesterday about such issues as the situation in Egypt, the nation's deficit, the hardest thing about being president, and the issue about people hating the president.  Personally I felt it was a weak interview which didn't really have any hard-hitting questions.  However, his interview with President Obama was no more disappointing than the interviews that Radio talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have granted to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and to Donald Rumsfeld later this week.  So I'm no more critical of O'Reilly than all these other media commentators.  However, at the end of his interview he made a statement that I thought was interesting.  He told Obama that he hoped that Obama thought that he (O'Reilly) was being fair to him.  O'Reilly mentioned to Obama that he disagreed with him sometimes. 

Throughout the years that I've listened to O'Reilly both on radio and television, he would often state that he tries to be fair when it comes to interviewing or analyzing politicians.  He brought up an important point that deserves a much-needed response.  My reply to O'Reilly when it comes to being fair to elected officials is simply to apply the rules of accountability regardless of political party or political ideology.  I've noticed over the years it's much easier for commentators to criticize those on the other side whom they vehemently disagree with.  I've seen commentators on the Left such as Keith Olbermann, formerly on MSNBC, criticize Republicans and conservatives.  I've also seen radio personalities such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity criticize liberals and Democrats.  However, when it comes to commentators criticizing politicians of their own political party who make the claim their political philosophy is the same as theirs, it's a different story.  However, it's the role of the media when it comes to interviewing elected officials or providing analysis of elected officials to be impartial and show no favoritism.  Sadly, that doesn't happen.  Throughout the history of the media in America, there's always been partiality shown to politicians that are of the same political persuasion as the media is.  When I was very young I can recall the media bashing conservatives and Republicans but wouldn't hold their own party accountable when they were committing the same acts or worse than Republicans were.  Sad to say, I've seen conservative media figures not hold former President George W. Bush or members of his administration accountable when Bush was president.

I've listened to many in the media the past couple of years levy criticism to conservative media figures such as Rush Limbaugh, for example, who are always constantly criticizing Obama.  I've heard liberal pundits claim that conservatives are always bashing Obama and don't have anything nice to say about him.  The problem with many conservative media figures is they failed to hold the Bush administration accountable for his actions when he was president.  I recall both Bush and Cheney being interviewed by Limbaugh and Hannity.  Limbaugh and Hannity never posed questions of accountability to both political figures when they were in the White House.  That's not right.  You can't criticize Obama if you won't be impartial and hold Bush and the Republican Congress accountable for many of their misdeeds several years ago.  Favoritism hurts the media's cause.  A good reporter or a good commentator will try to avoid partiality.  If you claim you adhere to conservative, constitutional principles, it's imperative that the Republicans' feet be put to the fire.  America's path to socialism began long before Obama became president.  The Bush administration placed America on the path to socialism.  However, you didn't hear many critical comments from many "conservative" media figures concerning Bush not abiding by the Constitution.  He led this nation into two botched wars which are presently being continued in the Obama administration.  Bush failed to close our borders, ran up the deficit, grew government, bailed out the mortgage industry, etc.  There were numerous issues for Hannity and Limbaugh to criticize Bush over.  It doesn't help their cause when they criticize Obama and weren't impartial with Bush.  If you are a true constitutional conservative, you must stand up to elected officials regardless of political party or ideology.  The truth is at stake.  America is in flames.  We can't afford a partial media.  Those evil deeds which are being done in secret must be exposed.  Conservatives in the media must lead the way and hold Republicans accountable.  If Limbaugh and Hannity held Bush accountable for what took place during his administration, then maybe some of the things that took place during the Bush administration wouldn't have occurred if questions of accountability were posed to them.  Of course, the argument there would be that Hannity and Limbaugh or conservative media figures would no longer have access to Republicans.  That's probably true for the most part.  However, what good is it for conservative media figures to have access to politicans if they won't ask questions of accountability?  It's worthless.  I would rather not hear conservative media figures interviewing politicians at all if they won't hold politicians accountable for their actions.