Documented Critique - Essay Example

There are many factors which are responsible for political opinions of any individual. In this the role of print and electronic media cannot be overlooked. The role played by electronic media for forming political opinions is indeed very clear for everyone to see. Political opinions are categorized as “Right Wing”, “Left Wing”, “Moderate”, “Liberal”, and “Conservative” etc. These terms are used for people, parties and media groups. Every political party wants to increase its vote bank and in order to achieve this use of media, particularly electronic media, comes into play.

Forming political opinion is not an easy job in modern times. There are countless channels available on satellite, cable and internet. These elements are playing a major role in shaping the political opinion of public. Since every political party is aware of this fact therefore different media groups are supported by different political parties. This support is normally covert as open support can prove damaging. In USA there are many media groups and they have a very strong say in political affairs.

Different channels represent different political ideologies. They have a profound effect on the overall formation of political opinion of the population. One of the major US news network is Fox News. It is one of the most popular news channel and has variety of shows and programs to attract viewers. “The O'Reilly Factor” is a popular talk show of Fox News. It started as “The O'Reilly Report” in 1996. It is aired at 8 and 11 pm ET on weekdays. The O'Reilly Factor is a talk show which focuses on different political issues.

The political views of the host are conservative. He presents his views as if he is a neutral commentator but has a special bias against the liberals. Whenever I watch the show my perception, that it is a biased show, about the show becomes strong. There are numerous instances in which the host fails to keep a balanced view and as a result put himself in trouble. It can be a media stunt also in order to attract viewers or increase ratings. Whatever the reason may be the fact remains that The O'Reilly Factor is a show, which presents an unbalanced view.

The shows during Second Gulf War were full of one sided view. It was more a propaganda than informative show. The approach adopted during the war time was to justify every action of the Bush administration and ridicule those who were against the war. Saddam Hussain was presented as an evil figure. No doubt former Iraqi president was not a person to be appreciated but honesty demands that viewers should have been informed about all the facts. O’Reilly did not inform his viewers that it was USA support which helped Saddam Hussain in ruling for such a long period of time.

Different US presidents helped former Iraqi president and this fact was never mentioned by Mr. O’Reilly. It was in the favor of US administration to support a dictator and therefore the attitude of different US administrations toward Saddam was very lenient. All human rights violations and tortures of Saddam regime were never mentioned as the policy of US government required the continuation of Saddam’s regime. Had O’Reilly presented this aspect to his viewers then without doubt his show would have been a balanced one but these facts were never uttered and the result was an unbalanced show.

O’Reilly was quick to mention that weapons of mass destructions were in Iraq. He mentioned that they