I used that strategy quite effectively in office politics when I worked for the DoD. It may not always work, to be sure, but if the circumstances are right, it works wonders. For example - O'Reilly's rants may provide a useful platform for bringing rightwingers making similar comments to the lime light (cf Fred Phelps http://www.adl.org/special_reports/wbc/wbc_on_america.asp).
Granted it requires access to truly mass media and journalist with guts and integrity - a rarity in the mainstream media.
Wojtek