O'Reilly to Speak at Rape Foundation Event

Next month, Fox News heavyweight Bill O'Reilly will speak at a fund-raising dinner for the It Happened to Alexa Foundation, a resource center for rape survivors. The alliance has struck many as puzzling, given that O'Reilly drew criticism in 2006 for suggesting that Jennifer Moore, an 18-year-old woman who'd been raped and murdered, was partially at fault for walking around in a miniskirt at night. Bloggers are wondering whether O'Reilly--who was also the defendant in a highly publicized sexual harassment suit in 2004--is really the best person for the job.

• A Lot to Answer For  In a scathing 950-word takedown at watchdog blog News Hounds, Priscilla suggests some questions that attendees might lob at O'Reilly. "Ask Bill if he ever apologized to Ms. Moore’s parents..."

• Personal Experience: O'Reilly Is Bad News  At Think Progress, Amanda Terkel recalls that last year, after she pointed out the strangeness of O'Reilly speaking at another Alexa Foundation event in 2009, the pundit sent a camera crew across state lines to demand an apology:

O’Reilly sent his producer, Jesse Watters, to track me down, follow me for several hours from D.C. to rural Virginia, and ambush me while I was on vacation. Basically, O’Reilly decided that the best way to show he was sympathetic to women who have been victims of crime was to send his male producer and cameraman to track down and intimidate me for writing a critical piece about him.

• Admirable Gesture... Up to a Point  Salon's Mary Elizabeth Williams wonders whether it's a coincidence that O'Reilly's friend Wendy Murphy is on the board of the Alexa Foundation. But she does her best to extend the benefit of the doubt, concluding, "If O'Reilly truly wants to use his fame to show support and raise money for crime victims on March 26, mazel tov. But maybe he should remember that doesn't give him a pass to be a bully the rest of the year."