Discussing his recent dinner with Rev. Al Sharpton at the Harlem restaurant Sylvia's on his September 19 radio program, Bill O'Reilly reported that he "had a great time, and all the people up there are tremendously respectful," adding, "I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks, primarily black patronship." O'Reilly added: "There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, 'M-Fer, I want more iced tea.'"
This statement was obviously deemed extremely insensitive, uninformed and racially charged. O'Reilly responded that the remarks were taken out of context and the real issue was that "the corrupt media culture where outlets like CNN and MSNBC do stories about his remarks because they're getting killed in the ratings."
As the host of a show called the No Spin Zone, O'Reilly is using spin to his defense by claiming the issue is a left-wing conspiracy of which he is the victim. If O'Reilly was at the dinner to build a relationship with Rev. Al Sharpton and the black community, this controversy is destructive to not only his image, but the relationships he was there to foster. O'Reilly is famous for being outspoken and abrasive but in the wake of the Don Imus scandal, it wouldn’t hurt for him to consider the social repercussions of his statements.
Source:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=3649416
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/63651/?page=2
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