The controversy generated when a student publication featured material many Christians considered offensive garnered new national attention Wednesday when Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly featured the story on his show.
O’Reilly said images of Jesus published in The Insurgent’s March issue were shocking, vile and sacrilegious, and he accused University President Dave Frohnmayer of being “too afraid” to appear on “The O’Reilly Factor” or to take action and shut the publication down.
“That man needs to be fired,” he said. “The image of Jesus is disrespected in shocking ways.”
Frohnmayer, who said he watched the episode, said he was first notified Wednesday morning by producers about the segment, but he was unable and unwilling to clear his schedule to drive to Portland to appear on the show.
“There’s no reason to drive 200 miles to appear on a show that’s entertainment,” he said.
The show also featured an interview with University students Tyler Graf, former editor of the conservative journal Oregon Commentator, and Jethro Higgins, a member of the recently formed coalition Students of Faith.
Higgins said although Students of Faith’s grievance had been rejected by ASUO programs administrator David Goward it had received support from local organizations. He also noted that the group is a coalition including the Black Student Union and MEChA. That sends a message, he said, that “hate speech under any circumstances is unacceptable.”
O’Reilly argued that The Insurgent should be shut down because it receives student fee money, just as a publication expressing the views of Nazis or the Klu Klux Klan would be removed. He also suggested that there had been little outcry, despite Graf’s protestation that the existence of the Students of Faith coalition constituted a sizable reaction.
Graf also conceded to O’Reilly that the images may have been intentionally offensive but argued that Frohnmayer had no legal ability to shut down the publication.
Frohnmayer agreed.
“Tyler is totally right,” Frohnmayer said. “Bill O’Reilly doesn’t know the first amendment from the back of his own hand, which is a shame because he takes full abuse of it.”
Commentator Editor in Chief Ian Spencer, who watched the program at Rennie’s Landing bar with staff members and University students, said The Insurgent’s predicament paralleled a similar experience last year when an ASUO committee attempted to revoke his publication’s funding on the basis of content.
“The Southworth decision says that Goward or Frohnmayer could not shut down a student publication due to content concerns,” he said referring to the U.S. Supreme Court case that shields student-funded publications from such action.
University student Ben McKechnie, who watched the show with the Commentator staff, said O’Reilly’s views were hypocritical because the television personality had supported the publication of controversial cartoons portraying the prophet Muhammad, which offend Muslims and sparked riots internationally.
When the cartoons were against Jesus, he said, it’s not surprisingly unacceptable.