Fox

O'Reilly Riled Up Over Celeb Charity

Friday, November 09, 2001

NEW YORK — In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, there were few more visible charity boosters than celebrity-driven telethons and benefits.

But some two months after people heard the celebs' pleas and began pouring millions into funds they thought would help needy families of the tragedies, Americans are starting to wonder where the money is going.

The lead inquirer is Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly, who has called on Hollywood's heavyweights to personally look into why only some $35 million of the more than $250 million collected has been given out.

"Many of the grieving families, most of the ones that we've spoken with, have heard nothing from the Sept. 11 Fund," O'Reilly said on The O'Reilly Factor Nov. 7. "And confusion is everywhere. ... The Red Cross is only giving the families 20 percent of the money it has received after Sept. 11. The other 80 percent's going for other things."

Celebrities, who say they contributed their time in good faith, haven't been happy with the criticism, claiming it's ill aimed and shortsighted.

Actor George Clooney penned a dismissive letter to O'Reilly saying the anchor had been less than fair in the way he's treated the issue and that, even worse, he was scaring potential contributors away.

"The fund is not only the single most successful single fundraiser ever [over $260 million]; it is also doing exactly what it is designed to do. Responsibly," Clooney's letter said. "The United Way sorts through the complicated process of who is in the most need ... To have given out all the money only six weeks after it was raised, would truly be irresponsible."

So far, the actor wrote, the fund has handed out $36 million to victims' families in $15,000 checks.

Clooney's criticism was echoed by singer Faith Hill, who told Access Hollywood, "I find this distrust in this attack upon those who took part in the show tasteless and offensive."

Less angry complaints came from other stars, such as Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn and Clint Eastwood, all of whom spoke to O'Reilly on the air.

"The only thing that's a disturbing factor is when they start talking about giving the money to something other than [the families]," Eastwood told O'Reilly. "The actors and celebrities and music people that donated their time were under the impression that it was all going to the victims and the families."

But Eastwood said he would allow the charities some leeway.

"In [the] Red Cross' defense and some of the other charities' defense, this hit them with a tremendous amount of dough, and a lot of people who aren't used to managing that kind of money and maybe lost a little bit of sight as to where this was going."

Russell and Hawn, who appeared together on The O'Reilly Factor Nov. 6, were equally concerned about where the money they helped raise would be going.

"We know that these things take a long time to sort of organize," Hawn said. "I mean, obviously they didn't have the infrastructure for all this. But there's a way to ... inform us, inform the people [of what's happening]."

Russell said that if, in time, the fund continues not to shell out cash to the families generously enough, he would have a problem — and would rethink how he would contribute going forward.

"I'm going to tell you something, in the future, I won't be doing these until I know that the money is going to go to the people," he said.

But both agreed that people are right to ask where the money is going.

"We gave from our hearts, and I think those people owe us an explanation," Hawn said. "I can only say that sometimes when you ask a question, you sometimes don't get the answer you want, but you can never stop asking the question."

-- Anonymous, November 09, 2001