Politico quotes Socolow in article on Bill O’Reilly, advertiser boycotts
Michael Socolow, a professor of communication and journalism at the University of Maine, was quoted in the Politico article “Not in defense of Bill O’Reilly.” Since sexual harassment claims have been made against the Fox News Channel host, at least 47 advertisers have dumped their buys on his show, “The O’Reilly Factor,” according to the article. “If we demand every advertiser avow allegiance to every social, economic or political position taken by news commentators in whose program their ad appears, we’ll end up with crappy advertising and worse journalism — or we’ll end up with an amalgam of advertising and journalism that would be indistinguishable from propaganda,” Socolow said.