The now infamous disagreement was on the topic of the proposed building of a New York mosque near Ground Zero. O'Reilly was heard commenting, "Muslims killed us on 9/11" and as a reaction, Goldberg and Behar went off the set leaving O'Reilly with the other co-hosts of The View. At that particular moment, the discussion was far from over. Barbara Walters did some damage control and 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. I love my colleagues, but that should not have happened.”
I watched the video at least a few more times and frankly, it was very untoward of Goldberg and Behar to leave the set like that to show their disagreement with O'Reilly. I was expecting a far more civil and professional reaction from these ladies, but they just realized my worst nightmare. Whether you are an interviewer for a day-time or night-time show doesn't really make a difference. I think that there is still an unwritten code to be followed in leading a proper interview when on-air. It's alright to express different views about a certain topic and I can understand that in most times, the discussions can get out of hand but the control should be with the interviewers themselves and should show a level of professionalism at all times. You cannot simply walk-off the set and leave your interviewee (and the rest of the world)... that is simply setting a bad example. Ironically on the other side of things, The View is a top-rated day-time show (although I am not one of its avid viewers) and the co-hosts themselves have a penchant to talk on top of each other (like chickens clucking endlessly in a barnyard; 'sorry' but this is the closest illustration I can give you) and somehow, that has been the show's identifiable mark. Overall, what happened is just like mere 'entertainment,'- 'for your 'pleasure' so to speak; but I wouldn't settle with that. I would rather see a more professional handling of this matter, which Walters did with such grace and ease.
So, what's your view?...
The easiest way to lose an argument is by letting yourself get emotionally involved in it. Interesting blog post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100% that walking out was not the best thing to do, but at the same time this kind of behaviour seems to be the kind of thing that this show encourages. I don't expect anything less than dramatic and over-the-top reactions from these celebrities and their guests. Unfortunately, I don't think they are concerned about correctness, right-mindedness or professionalism but are only in the business of selling drama and pedestrian opinions. :(
ReplyDeleteBarbara Walters is the consummate professional. She handled that situation calmly and with such wisdom that she was STILL able to get in her "pinhead" remark aimed at Bill O'Reilly just before the show broke for commercial.
ReplyDeleteAwesome.
I appreciate what Goldberg and Behar were trying to achieve in walking off the set, but O'Reilly was sitting in "their house" (metaphorically). If I'm insulted by something a person says to me on my own "territory," the onus is on me to encourage this person to apologize or restate their comment appropriately. ABC execs were probably loving it as they watched the ratings for The View climb the next day and the number of YouTube hits this segment received.
I'm with you too, Desiree. If the idea is to discuss, let's discuss. And while I'm not surprised to see Joy Behar walk out - I am surprised to see Whoopi Goldberg do so. She's always seemed more level-headed than that to me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Glenda. A lot of these - usually American - shows are really just looking for celebrities' reactions (the more controversial, the better) on current affairs to fuel the tabloids under the guise of "discussion".
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't watch The View and never really heard of it until now, it seems to me that the point of this episode (this show?) was to gather a bunch of famous people together with O'Reilly aggressively trying to get others to accept his opinion. That's dictating, not commentating. If I was any of those celebrities I would've chosen a more rational-thinking medium to get my message across. Otherwise, you're just asking for trouble.
Great post, Desiree!