thinkprogress.org — [VIDEO] Last night on The O’Reilly Factor, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly blamed CBS’s ratings on the fact that Couric is a woman. “I think it’s a woman thing,” O’Reilly said. “It’s an authority position. Most middle Americans who watch news feel comfortable with men in that position. That’s what’s going on.”
May 15, 2007 View in Crawl 4
kaiser44May 16, 2007
How about just accept the fact that Couric sucks at that format.You can be good at something like a national morning show but that does not translate to the nightly news.She has no credibility with the viewers who are basically over sixty years old, they do not like her so hit the f**king road, what is the big deal.
r34c7May 16, 2007
I actually agree with 0xbaadf00d, O'Reilly just needs to work on saying things without sounding like a douche.Edit: note to self, refresh screen before posting...
lestesmelMay 16, 2007
As sad as that is he may actually be right. Personally I think the right type of women could pull it off quite nicely. I think Katie Couric was so perfect for that morning news show niche that people have a hard time accepting her in another role. I don't think its a woman thing so much as a Katie Couric thing.
girlwhoMay 16, 2007
For once, O'Reilly may actually (*gasp*) have a point. It's a catch-22: the general American public wants to see someone strong and authoritative to deliver their hard-hitting news...but if a woman is like that, she's a bitch. I think people really just don't want someone as cute as Katie replacing the rugged men-folk they're used to in that time slot.
rockchopsMay 16, 2007
I guess all of the conservatives on digg come out to play on Wednesdays or something.All you conservative dickslaps who are defending O'Rielly and digging down people's criticisms of him and his statements go choke on a c**k, please.Yes, it is morally objectionable to fluff off the issue like "Pff, oh it's just because she's a woman. They'll never be accepted on positions of AUTHORITY." O'Rielly is one of the most despicable characters with airtime and I find it disgusting that there isn't a larger movement to boo him off the air. Allowing the morally abject to spout off anti-egalitarian s**t like this is a sign to me that there are too many selfish, ignorant, and intolerant Americans.Am I saying that we should get in the way of his right to free speech? NO! I'm saying that it's appalling that people will give this f**k the time of day, let alone give him his own show, let alone WATCH it!!! The folks that consider this hack to have any credibility whatsoever need to be force-fed a course on ethics.
shmattMay 16, 2007
I'm no Katie Couric fan, but just pointing out, she is an experienced newscaster, she used to be a co-anchor on channel 4 here in DC during the 80's, then went on to NYC and eventually today show. But I think this misconception is part of why she's not that popular. She's not being taken seriously... I agree Bob Schiffer was good, they should've kept him
johnhummelMay 16, 2007
I don't think it's a woman thing - it's a boring thing. Ms. Couric, after all of her time on Today with the "Oooo - look, it's a cute puppy!" and cooking segments doesn't have the clout like someone I consider more a news journalist like Barbara Walters (before she was on the View, anyway), or some of the CNN anchorpeople like Christian Amanpoor (or however you spell her name). Before the change up, I don't recall Couric as being a war reporters, or someone who reported on Washington insiders, or heavy hitting investigations. She was known for fluff pieces and fighting cancer - not something that I expect for serious journalism. It would be the same as if Al Roker shifted over - I associate him more with humor and fun, not with "And tonight, in the war on Iraq" kind of news.So I disagree - it's not a woman thing, just that she's boring thing.
drekorMay 16, 2007
It took me a while to figure out what was wrong with Bill's statements, but I finally got it.A lot of people seem to be defending what he said because it's true that many people believe that women make for poor authority figures. However, Bill is saying that she is failing because she is a woman. Not only that, but he's saying that all of his examples (Connie Chung, Barbara Walters, and Katie Couric) failed because they were women. He is placing the failure on them as individuals for being women. Suggesting that if they were men, as if it were a choice they made, they would be successful. Clearly, it's wrong to blame someone for their gender. It's even worse to blame someone's failure on their gender, and that's exactly what Bill is doing. Instead, the blame for their poor ratings and perceived lack of authority should rest squarely on the shoulders of Bill's "middle-America". The viewers are responsible for their own opinions, or at least they were until O'Reilly started giving them their opinions.In short, it's not Katie Couric's fault that America's heartland is too ignorant and bigoted to listen to a woman.
Closed AccountMay 16, 2007
"she used to be a co-anchor on channel 4 here in DC during the 80's"I didn't know that. I've only been up here for about 2.5 years.
kaiser44May 16, 2007
Americas heartland , how about the fact that she is terrible at the job.She was put in a position that most news people would consider the top job.She is not a news person, They tried to dumb down the evening news even farther than it has been.They thought she could carry the audience that watched the today show, but that is a different demographic than the evening news.She used her sexuality to try and bring in ratings by showing her legs and being perky.She has looked awkward and she has come across as a lightweight.It has very little to do with Americas heartland and more to do with she is not ready for prime time pure and simple.I think by you slamming the people who refuse to watch her are being disingenuous to the fact people are just not buying her act, and that is what it is.