O'Reilly Justifies Fantasies by Making Bellicose Macho Threats
"When you build a propaganda TV network that specializes in wrapping fiction and false information around diced-up news, you have to react to charges of lying in a manner that appeals to the ignorance, prejudices and fear of your audience. In short, you can't admit that you strategically falsify information to appeal and influence a biased emotional world view, one that regularly propagates the image of heroic, virtuous and morally superior white males. Therefore, neither O'Reilly nor Fox could concede that "Bill-O" concocted stories of his own heroism and valor (even though they primarily occurred before he was with Fox).
In fact, given that many Fox viewers are locked into the myth of being victimized and misinformed by a "liberal media," the proven charges against O'Reilly were just red meat for him - a chance for him to react brashly, as if he is above reproach. More significant than words or excuses is what O'Reilly conveys emotionally to his aging white viewers: He is a white male who doesn't back down and his virtue is unchallengeable."
