O’Reilly was popular with television audiences
during the 1990’s, and his reports about working-
class issues brought a legitimacy to the television
show and solidified his professional status as a news
anchor. In 1995, he left the television show to attend
the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard Uni-
versity, where he earned his master’s degree in pub-
lic administration. In 1996, Roger Ailes, the chief ex-
ecutive officer of the fledgling Fox News Channel,
hired O’Reilly to produce and host his own televi-
sion show,The O’Reilly Report. It premiered on Octo-
ber 7, 1996, and his first guest was General Barry
McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug
Control Policy. Shortly after the show debuted, its
name was changed toThe O’Reilly Factor. Maintaining
complete creative control of the hour-long news pro-
gram, O’Reilly declared his show to be the “no spin
zone,” where news reports contained just the facts
without any political spin. Both liberal and conserva-
tive guests were invited to his program in an attempt
to fairly cover the issues. His confrontational inter-
view style and strong political commentary also
made him popular with viewers and set his show
apart from competing news programs, such as the
Cable News Network’s (CNN)Larr y King Live.In
1998, O’Reilly published his first book,Those Who
Trespass, a fictional story about the world of broad-
cast journalism.
Impact Through diligence and hard work, Bill
O’Reilly became a leading news anchor during
the 1990’s. His strong opinions and aggressive in-
terviewing style, while controversial, made him
popular with the American public. With the launch
ofThe O’Reilly Factorin 1996, he helped change
the way news was delivered to American television
audiences.
Further Reading
Kitman, Marvin.The Man Who Would Not Shut Up: The
Rise of Bill O’Reilly. New York: St. Martin’s Press,
2007.
O’Reilly, Bill.The O’Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad,
and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life. New
York: Broadway Books, 2000.
___.The No Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Pow-
erful and Famous in America. New York: Broadway
Books, 2001.
Bernadette Zbicki Heiney
See also Cable television; Conservatism in U.S.
politics; Journalism; Liberalism in U.S. politics; Lim-
baugh, Rush; Talk radio; Television. Organic food movement
Definition Agricultural and consumer movementThe organic food movement of the 1990’s affected agricul-
ture and grocer y stores and launched a rapidly expanding
industr y.The environmental movement of the 1960’s and
1970’s laid the foundation for the increased support
for the organic food movement in the 1990’s. Follow-
ing grassroots advocacy for organic standards in the
1980’s, the U.S. government passed the Organic
Foods Production Act (OFPA), Title XXI of the Food,
Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990.
The purpose of the OFPA was to establish national
standards for the marketing of certain agricultural
products as organic; to assure consumers of a consis-
tent organic standard; and to facilitate interstate com-
merce in organically produced food. The act estab-
lished standards for organic products and criteria for
certifying a farm or part of a farm as organic.
During the 1990’s, the organic food industry ex-
perienced sustained growth. Major chains such as
Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Markets grew
rapidly and incorporated smaller chains and inde-
pendent organic grocery stores. These large organic
grocery chains helped to bring the prices of organic
food down, although it remained more expensive
than conventional food in part because of increased
production costs in some areas and higher expenses
due to smaller-scale production, and because of the
costs associated with governmental certification.
These large chains marketed organic food to con-
sumers as a moral and enjoyable alternative to con-
ventionally grown food products.Community-Supported Agriculture Organic gar-
dening and community-supported agriculture (CSA)
increased in popularity during the 1990’s. Home
gardeners used organic techniques to grow fruits
and vegetables as well as ornamentals. Home gar-
deners and some small organic farmers also focused
on growing heirloom varieties.
Community-supported agriculture was a way for
small farmers to have a successful closed market. In a652 Organic food movement The Nineties in America