Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Don't Agree With Your Guest? Can You Leave?

FOX NEWS HOST Bill O'Reilly appeared on the morning talk show The View last week and a shouting match ensued.

O'Reilly said that 70 percent of Americans don't want a mosque near Ground Zero because Muslims attacked America on 9/11. Joy Behar, one of show's hosts, walked off the set, followed by co-host Whoopi Goldberg.

"That is such bullshit!" Goldberg said. "Extremists did that!"

After the two walked off, Barbara Walters, another co-host, said, "You have just seen what should not happen. We should be able to have discussions without washing our hands, and screaming, and walking offstage."

Was it wrong for the two hosts to walk off the set? Were they obligated to listen to the views of an invited guest? Or are they allowed to follow their convictions and leave when they feel offended?

What would you have done?

24 comments:

Mark Longacre said...

This isn't news, this is a talk show. I think the hosts listened to O'Reilly's view and they tried talking to him. He gave them serious attitude and repeatedly attacked their views. While I don't have an opinion on the mosque, I think he was forcing his extremist views on the hosts. This show isn't formal news and they shouldn't have gotten to a screaming match on tv. Because of the two, I think it was appropriate for them to walk off.

Layla Jones said...

I believe that it was simple immaturity when the two co-hosts walked off set. What Bill O'Reilly was saying was ignorant and could easily be flagged as such. Therefore, as the respected co-hosts of the show, I believe that Whoopi Glodberg and Barbara Walters should have felt obligated to stay, not to agree. Honestly, they did not even have to have continued to listen.

William Carlson said...

Hello to everyone and Professor Miller. I took Journalism and Society last year. I didn't know of where else to put this but I thought this might deserve a blog entry of its own. The kook Joe Miller of Alaska had his security detail handcuff a journalist who was covering him. I believe there is also video of this online somewhere. http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2010/10/18/130641686/joe-miller-s-security-guards-handcuff-reporter-at-public-event

W C said...

Here is video. http://www.salon.com/news/politics/2010_elections/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2010/10/18/video_joe_miller_guards

Alexis Wright-Whitley said...

I do not think that Joy and Whoopi should have walked off set; they are supposed to be professionals. As a professional, you have to keep in mind that there are going to be people out there who have TOTALLY different opinions than you, and you have to see where they are coming from and accept that they just think differently. I think that O'Reilly was just being really ignorant, and the two hosts should have just heard him out.

Simply stated, he's the guest; he's a moron, but as host, you always have to remember being courteous and polite because viewers will care more about what you do than the guest.

Lauren Haber said...

Upon turning on my TV last night, I noticed someone on CNBC talking about this event too. I do not feel completely passionate about the issue of the hosts walking off set, but I do feel that they should not have done so. It is impossible for anyone to predict exactly what they would have done in this situation, but personally, I would hope that I would have just ignored Bill O'Reilly if he was bothering me, which he most likely would have done at some point. If anyone else on the show asked me why I became silent, I would just politely explain that I do not want to cause any more arguments while the guest is still presently being interviewed. I think that is a simple solution to a problem that obviously got way out of hand...However, I do understand how frustrating Bill O'Reilly seems to be, and feel that these hosts would not have walked off set if any other guest was on their show.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Barbra Walters. NEVER should anyone walk off the stage in the middle of an interview. Even though I too agree that the man is feeding us nothing but BS it was not the responsible nor professional for the two host to remove themselves in the middle of the interview.
If that was me, I would scream until I turned blue and purple instead of leaving the stage.

Taisje Claiborne

Kelly Offner said...

While I don't think that The View is really a news program, it's a talk show, I think that Behar and Goldberg should have held themselves to the same standards as any professional on t.v. and stayed for the duration of the interview. It made them seem childish, even if what they were upset about was completely justified. Also, if they had done their homework on who Bill O'Reilly is and how "extreme" some of his ideas can be, they would not have been so taken back by what he had said.

Amber Curtis said...

If you're inviting O'Reilly on the show, you have to give him the respect that you would give any guest on the show. These ladies clearly knew his extreme beliefs and argumentative ways were going to be brought up, so at this point, they should have been prepared. Walking away and throwing a tantrum is just immature especially for women who have built up reputations for themselves. If you can't take the heat, then don't dish out the drama...

T.K. Tunstal said...

Wow. O'Reilly trolled them pretty bad.

I think they are allowed to do whatever they want on their own show. Certainly there was nothing morally wrong about it and they had no obligation to stay. But they sure looked stupid. And O'Reilly looked stupid too, but he always does. He was being himself, and they stooped to his level.

The proper response would have been to gently question his 70 percent and, when he was finally finished yelling, ask him if he could please keep the volume down. He would have been the only one to look bad.

Kate Trowbridge said...

I think, since O'Reilly was an invited guest, they definitely should have not walked off. Even if you don't agree with what your guest is saying, you should still sit and listen then proceed to give your opinion on the matter; not get up and leave. It also made them look a bit immature in my opinion.

Cassandra D'Amelio said...

Bill O'Reallly? He escalated the drama by raising his voice,coming into the other hosts personal space while yelling, saying degrading comments(telling the one lady to be quiet because she "might actually learn something") and did not allow anyone else any chance to voice their opinion.
Even though old Barb tried to be the voice of reason, she starts raising her voice about a minute after her speech when she too is interrupted by billy.
If a guest is being blatantly rude and disrespectful to the host, they should ask the guest to leave. In this case of multiple hosts, I feel that the two women were entitled to walk away from the fight. It may be more mature to walk away before the situation continues to escalates.

Anonymous said...

i think that the two guests should definitely of stayed. Even though i don't consider them journalist i believe that they share some of the responsibilities of journalists, such as providing a forum for debate, as talk show hosts. By walking away they ended the discussion.

Anonymous said...

i personally feel that considering "the view" to be journalism is putting a black mark on the profession. this is not the first time hosts have been melodramatic and unprofessional. i think you have to take the show with a grain of salt; it's more for entertainment than information. guests, and hosts, tend to let their guard down as far as reactions and melodrama because it makes for a good show. i get a kick out of the women on "the view", but i don't by any means consider them to be journalists, at least not in the forum of the show.

Camille said...

Personally, I believe it to be poor etiquette to leave your invited guest of your talk show. While they may not agree with Bill O'Reilly's statements, I think that their actions aren't classy or polite at all. If you don't agree with what he has to say that's fine. Just grin and bear it and get through the interview. They're not obligated to listen or agree with their guest, but you don't leave them there. If you feel the need to defend your beliefs, do so without dismissing your guest like they are a piece of trash. The fact that two hosts left makes it even worse.

John McGill said...

Personally, I think William's termination from NPR is completely justified. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for freedom and speech and will defend the Constitution until the day I die. But from a professional standpoint, there's certain things you just can't say on national TV because your job will be jeapordized. Let Juan William's have his opinion on muslims. Let him speak his mind freely. But as an NPR analyst, he should have versed himself on NPR's rules and regulations and presented his case accordingly. Obviously racism is frowned upon, and he paid the price. I am surprised some people still see every muslim as an extremist and a terrorist though. That stereotype was born on 9/11 and cast a dark shadow on muslim-americans. The religion is not our enemy. Our enemy is the terrorists themselves, no matter what denomination.

Dana Dever said...

I think that they had the right to walk off of the set of the View because of their outrage with the comment. Yes, it's a tv show and it's probably not seen as "proper" to do but it's better than having an interviewer curse out who they have invited on the show just because they don't like what he/she has said.

Eleana Wehr said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Eleana Wehr said...

I was watching this when it was televised and I was sort of shocked with what happened. Viewers had to have known that there would be more arguing than normal on the show because most of the hosts are democrats and O'Reilly is a republican. However, even if they were offended by what he was saying, they are the hosts and he was invited on the show. They are adults and should have merely disagreed and then given their own opinions on the topic. I don't think it was professional or respectful of them to walk off, even if they were offended or upset with what O'Reilly was saying.

Jennifer Babu said...

I agree with a lot of what people have already said ^^ Even if what O'Reilly said was offensive (which I believe it was, generalizing a group of people in such a way based on religion), Behar & Goldberg should not have been so disrespectful to have walked off stage. To me, that wasn't a message of them trying to be a bigger person; it was to insult their guest on the show. Barbara Walters did the right thing. Her views were also different from O'Reilly's but she handled it much more professionally.

The View is a talk show where opinions are meant to be heard. To shut a person down because their views are not yours is ignorant, and to invite a guest on your show but treat them so disrespectful is unprofessional.

Nicole Riley said...

I don't believe it was wrong for the hosts to walk off the set. Personally, I would have stayed. Whenever someone is being outright offensive,I think it is better to walk away than to make a scene and lose your own dignity.

It is their job to listen to the guest's views, but O'Reilly went too far. You should not have to outwardly and purposely offend other people to give your opinion. Even his tone was rude. He could have said his statement in a better, more professional way.

I honestly think this guy is an ass who wants attention. I would not have invited him on the show to begin with. All the view accomplished was boosting his ratings.

Lauren Hertzler said...

I understand that walking off stage is not the professional way to handle a situation like this. But personally, I would have more than likely walked off set too because of O'Reilly's offensive, ignorant comments. I would rather go backstage to cool down a little before being able to finish the conversation in a timid manner.

Giulia Valtieri said...

Walking offstage sort of eliminates your power in the debate. it is as if your for-fitting because the other person has angered you s much that you cannot fire back and this makes your argument flawed. I agree with Joy and Whoopi so I wished that they wouldn't have left the stage because it makes them seem cowardly. Bill's remarks were nonsensical and bigoted, but the journalist or host cannot walk away from an interview because of opinions.

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