Liberal Professor Marc Lamont Hill Appears On O’Reilly’s Show After Murdoch Said He Had Been Fired

THINK PROGRESS

Last night on the O’Reilly Factor, host Bill O’Reilly brought on Marc Lamont Hill and Mary Katharine Hamm to talk about Iran’s nuclear weapons program. He introduced Hamm as a “Fox News analyst” and called Hill — who was filling in for NPR reporter Juan Williams — a professor from Columbia University.

What was interesting about Hill’s appearance was that it was his first one in nearly a month — since he was supposedly fired by Rupert Murdoch. From a report by the Live Feed on Oct. 16:

Rupert Murdoch continued Fox News Channel’s duel with the White House on Friday while also announcing the termination of the network’s left-leaning analyst Marc Lamont Hill. [...]

Murdoch also said that Hill has been fired. He revealed the move after a shareholder had raised the question of how Hill was hired, citing his “reputation of defending cop killers and racists.”

Murdoch never said why the network let Hill go. However, the Columbia University professor’s views — such as his defense of White House adviser Van Jones — are often out of step with those of the network’s hosts. Additionally, Hill has been the target of Cliff Kincaid, who works for the right-wing “Accuracy in Media” organization and has been leading a campaign to get Hill fired.

But if his controversial views were the reason he’s no longer a Fox News analyst, then why would O’Reilly still have him on his show? Or was there another reason he was fired................