Bill O'Reilly: MTV Stupid for Lack of Transparency and Efficiency in Their Celebrity Hope for Haiti Now Telethon

Bill O'Reilly has called out MTV for how stupid their people are in their lack of transparency regarding their celebrity-laden Hope For Haiti Now telethon. Cable news TV's most powerful pundit-based on the being the most-watched cable news show in the US-made the comments in a segment that was part of his newly started investigation of MTV (folks behind the telethon) for lack of transparency and potential problems with the money raised actually going to Haiti for its intended purpose of helping the Haitians. To be clear, O'Reilly is not discouraging Americans from giving aid to Haiti, but, rather, is merely ensuring that the millions of dollars being poured out by Americans in these hard, economic times is actually going to its intended destination...something that MTV, thus far, has failed to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt.

In a Factor segment airing this past Thursday, O'Reilly started his investigation of asking necessary, hard-hitting questions about MTV's absolute lack of transparency regarding the whopping $60 million Americans generously poured out to their telethon. The need for said hard-hitting questions was borne out from the very worrying fact that the Factor staff attempted this past Thursday to hold MTV's feet to the proverbial fire by contacting them, to find out what the process of the distribution of that $60 million dollars was...and MTV either failed or refused to even get back to the Factor. Now this menacingly implies that MTV either is too sloppy or just doesn't care that Americans' hard-earned money goes precisely and efficiently to where their telethon advertised: help for the Haitians.

Appearing on the same segment in his capacity as a consultant for non-profits, Greg Simoncini said, "The record of celebrity telethons is somewhat spotty, and it's primarily because celebrities don't really understand the very complicated world of not-for-profits." Bingo! Checkmate! End of story! That analysis nailed in large part what is oh-so-very-wrong with all these superficial, shiny celebrity telethons done for the only ostensible reason of "helping out" the less fortunate. Personally, I think many celebrities aren't as altruistic as they appear and do it for free publicity and to generate goodwill in a cynically calculated fashion. Of course, such scandals with celebrity-driven telethons aren't new: Remember the debacle with United Way and their September 11 Fund related to the 911 telethon, where similar accountability problems with the raised money plagued the supposed altruism of said telethon?

Being the ever-determined trooper he is, O'Reilly wasn't satisfied with the MTV stonewalling, so he sent Geraldo Rivera (yes, folks, Mr. Jerry Rivers himself) to speak with MTV and the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the umbrella group that's tasked with supervising the distribution of MTV's $60 million to different charities. Geraldo, miserably, reported this past Friday a picture of an effort that's beset with bureaucracy problems, which in turn, naturally leads to disorder and inefficiency in getting the money to the people in Haiti. Apparently, the bureaucracy at this "genius," MTV operation is so impeding that the $60 million is never going directly to Haitians. First, it's reviewed by a panel of eight people. Then, in a Phase 1 operation, some of the money apparently will be going from their holding bank to Haiti by next week. In a Phase 2 operation, infrastructure money will be sent later.

Now, basic common sense analysis will alert astute readers to the reality that such a simple-minded "solution" is not possible. For one, Haiti has no functioning banking system, as it was devastated even before the quake. That begs the question, How will MTV magically get the money from their holding bank to Haiti where they need it? MTV fails to explain that because it's inexplicable. Two, even if the money magically, through MTV's operation, gets to the people on the ground in Haiti, there are still massive logistics problems. Currently, goods can't get to Haitians because of the dangers present from widespread lawlessness. Again, MTV who now has $60 million under the pretense of getting the money to Haitians can't explain how they'll solve that.

So, in their infinite wisdom, O'Reilly and Geraldo presented alternative charities that could do a much better job of succeeding where MTV so far has failed beyond the shadow of a doubt, namely in getting the money to Haitians. Some alternatives are: the Red Cross, the World Harvest Mission, and the Haitian Health Foundation. See, people? O'Reilly is by no means a callous man as the libs would have you believe!

To send Marc questions, praise or criticism, you can email him at marc_schenker@telus.net

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Sources:

The O'Reilly Factor, Wikipedia

Mike Reynolds, Hope for Haiti's Total Now at $61 million -- and counting, Multichannel News

Bill O'Reilly, The United Way, StrangeCosmos.com

O'Reilly and Geraldo Investigate Where The Hope For Haiti Money Went, Mediaite.com

Dionne Searcey and Kevin Noblet, Haiti Authorities Battle Looters, WSJ