Nicholas Lemann offers a fascinating study of Bill O’Reilly in the new issue of the New Yorker. Lemann’s tone is the most intriguing part; we can’t quite figure out if his detached condescension is aimed at O’Reilly, his fans, or American society at large. Maybe it’s the New Yorker’s idea of Fair and Balanced.

In any case, it’s a great read. Here are a couple of our favorite excerpts:

He’s the beat cop for the American neighborhood, who may have been a little excessive at times, may occasionally have run afoul of Internal Affairs, but law-abiding folks trust him because they know he’s on their side. His liberal guests are like suspects he’s pulled over: in the end, he’s probably just going to frisk them and let them go with a genial warning, but if they try anything, well, he carries a nightstick for a reason.

And:

This baroque period of O’Reilly’s is partly circumstantial: it’s hard to be straight-ahead if you’re essentially oppositional and the people you like are in power, if the guests you most want will not appear on your show, and if it’s nearly impossible to demonstrate the existence of the trends you have made it your mission to oppose. O’Reilly is an amazingly nimble talent, and part of his skill is how persuasively he communicates that he is completely uncensored and incapable of guile or calculation.

Guess you see what we mean about the tone. And only the New Yorker would use “baroque period” and “O’Reilly” in the same sentence.

(Via Romenesko)

Technorati tags: Bill O’Reilly, Media, Spin, Marketing