TODAY FOLLOWING A RENT AT CPAC BY DONALD TRUMP IN WHICH HE
ATTACKED MEDIA OUTLETS AND ONCE AGAIN ATTACKED WHAT HE
INACCURATELY DEFINES AS FAKE NEWS, THE WHITE HOUSE BANNED A
NUMBER OF THE MOST RESPECTED NEWS OUTLETS IN THE COUNTRY FROM
PARTICIPATING IN A BRIEFING WITH PRESS SECRETARY SEAN SPICER --
WE'VE GOT SOME COMMENTS FROM THOSE INVOLVED WITH THESE AND
OTHER NEWS OUTLETS ABOUT WHAT THIS REPRESENTS, THIS MOVE TO
BAN OUTLETS BASED ON THE UNFAVORABLE COVERAGE THEY'VE
GIVEN YOU SO FAR.
THIS IS FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES EXECUTIVE
EDITOR, WHO SAID --
THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS
CORPS PRESIDENT PUT OUT A STATEMENT,
THEY SAID --
ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE MEMBERS OF MEDIA OUTLETS, SO YOU
MIGHT NOT BE SURPRISED THAT THEY THINK BANNING MEDIA OUTLETS IS A
BAD THING, BUT WE HAVE A STATEMENT FROM SOMEONE YOU MIGHT
RECOGNIZE THAT IS ON THE INSIDE OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WHO
ALSO SPOKE OUT AGAINST THIS.
BANNING REPORTERS, BANNING OUTLETS -- POLITICO IS ONE OF
THEM -- BUT YOU SAID I THINK THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CAMPAIGN WHERE IT IS A
PRIVATE VENUE USING PRIVATE FUNDS, AND A GOVERNMENT ENTITY.
AND I THINK WE HAVE A RESPECT FOR THE PRESS WHEN IT COMES TO
THE GOVERNMENT, THAT THAT IS SOMETHING YOU CAN'T BAN AN
ENTITY FROM.
CONSERVATIVE, LIBERAL, OR OTHERWISE, I THINK THAT'S
WHAT MAKES A DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRACY VERSUS A DICTATORSHIP.
I THINK THERE IS A VASTLY DIFFERENT MODEL WHEN IT
COMES TO GOVERNMENT AND WHAT SHOULD BE ACCEPTED.
THAT WAS IN DECEMBER, APPARENTLY THINGS HAVE CHANGED
SINCE THEN.
THAT STATEMENT IS NO LONGER OPERATIVE.
BUT WHY DID ONLY TIME
AND THE AP -- WHY NOT EVERYBODY ELSE?
THEY SHOULD MAKE IT JUST
BE THE PROPAGANDA OUTLETS, THAT IT.
NO CREDIBLE NEWS SOURCE.
WASHINGTON TIMES, ONE AMERICA, BREITBART.
THOSE ARE JOKES.
PRESENTATIVES OF MCCLATCHY SAID --
SOME APPARENTLY DIDN'T KNOW.
I WOULD GIVE THEM TODAY TO MAKE THAT CALL, BUT OTHERS
SHOULD STAND WITH TIME AND AP.
WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE WHITE
HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS ASSOCIATION IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO STAND UP?
AND THAT WAS NOT A STANDARD RESPONSE.
THERE ARE MORE SOLIDARITY IN SNL SKETCHES.
YOU STAND UP AND YOU SAY ABSOLUTE WE NOT, AND NO MEMBER
OF THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS ASSOCIATION WILL
ATTEND A BRIEFING UNTIL THIS IS REMOVED.
YOU DON'T NEED TO GO TO
SEAN SPICER'S BRIEFING, YOU COULD GET IT OFF THE POOL WAIT
UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE REPORTS IT AND THEN YOU REPORTED, IT MAKES
NO DIFFERENCE, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SECONDS.
AND THEY DON'T
EVER MAKE NEWS, THEY ARE SPINNING NEWS, SO KEEP IN MIND
THAT YOU ARE CONSTANTLY BEING SPUN, THAT IS TRUE OF EVERY
ADMINISTRATION, BUT YOU ARE BEING SPUN ON A DIFFERENT CYCLE
IN THIS ADMINISTRATION.
CAN I SEE THAT LAST GRAPHIC?
I WILL LIGHTEN THIS UP A LITTLE
BIT.
I LIKE THAT THE PERSON WHO MADE THIS GRAPHIC APPARENTLY
LIKED THIS TWEET BY MCCLATCHY.
I PULLED THIS GRAPHIC AFTER LIKING THE TWEET, AND AS I
PASTED IT IN THE MEDIA I THOUGHT, SHOULD I HAVE UNLIKED
THAT FIRST?
I SHOULD HAVE.
AND NOBODY, RIGHT, CENK, DID A BETTER JOB COVERING THE IRAQ
WAR THAN MCCLATCHY.
WASN'T THERE A MELTDOWN WITH THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WAS
LIKE, WE ARE NOT GOING TO TREAT FOX LIKE A REGULAR NEWS
ORGANIZATION WHEN THEY FIRST GOT IN?
AND EVERY OTHER GROUP,
INCLUDING THE NEW YORK TIMES -- THAT'S TERRIBLE, WE WILL HAVE
SOLIDARITY WITH THE SEAN HANNITY NETWORK.
SOME TWEETED ABOUT THAT, I REMEMBER WHEN THOSE FROM
THE NEW YORK TIMES STOOD UP FOR US WHEN THAT HAPPENED.
I GOT LIKE THREE TINY BITS OF INFORMATION ABOUT BRETT BAIER IN
THE LAST MONTH THAT MAKE ME GO, HMM, MAYBE THERE IS
SOMETHING OKAY ABOUT HIM THAT I WAS UNAWARE OF.
NO.
I'M SLIGHTLY MORE CONFLICTED ABOUT THIS.
HMM, INTERESTING.
WHY?
BECAUSE THEY DON'T ALLOW THE YOUNG TURKS INTO THE WHITE
HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING, THEY DIDN'T EVEN ALLOW US INTO THE
INAUGURATION.
WE COULD HAVE WALKED OFF THE STREET AND GOTTEN
INTO THE INAUGURATION.
THEY HAVE DENIED US PRESS PASSES IN EVERY
WAY, I DON'T REMEMBER THE NEW YORK TIMES OR FOX NEWS STICKING
UP FOR ME.
THAT CLUB IS ALREADY PRETTY INSULAR, SO THE WHOLE
IDEA OF THE ESTABLISHMENT SAYING, I DO DECLARE, NOTICE
GOTTEN AROUND TO US -- WELL, WHEN THEY CAME FOR US YOU DIDN'T
SAY ANYTHING.
THAT'S WHY I'M A LITTLE CONFLICTED IN TERMS OF
THEM SAYING, IF IT'S THE BIG BOYS -- WAIT A MINUTE, THE YOUNG
TURKS IS BIGGER THAN ALMOST EVERY OUTLET THERE IF YOU ARE
TALKING ABOUT ONLINE VIDEO -- SURE, THE NEW YORK TIMES OF
COURSE GIGANTIC IN ITS SCOPE, ARTICLES AND ETC.
-- BUT IT'S
NOT LIKE IT'S BOB THAT WALKED IN ACROSS THE STREET.
NO, THEY KNOW
WHO WE ARE AND DON'T WANT US IN THE PRESS BRIEFING ROOM, BECAUSE
THEY KNOW WE WOULD ASK TOUGH QUESTIONS.
LOOK, OUR SITUATION
IS NOT AS WELL PUBLICIZED, PROBABLY THE NEW YORK TIMES
DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT TO BE FAIR TO THEM.
AND IS THE NEW
YORK TIMES A MORE IMPORTANT ORGANIZATION, PRESS WISE, THAN
US?
YOU ARE NEVER SUPPOSED TO SAY THIS BECAUSE YOU WERE
SUPPOSED TO BRAG AND DO ALL THIS STUFF, BUT OF COURSE THEY ARE.
THEY BEEN AROUND A LOT LONGER.
THEY ARE NOT AS IMPORTANT AS MY PODCAST.
TO BE FAIR.
OR THINK TANK.
ON PAR.
OF COURSE IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE WHEN YOU BAN THE NEW
YORK TIMES.
SO THEY HAVE DONE THIS?
OF COURSE NOT, NOT
REMOTELY.
BUT LET'S ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT EVERY
ADMINISTRATION DOES THIS ON SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT
STANDARDS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
BUT CENK, I WOULD LOVE IT IF THE YOUNG TURKS HAD A REPORTER
IN THE WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING ROOM, I DON'T SAY THAT WITH ANY
DEGREE OF DISPARAGEMENT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT, BUT OBVIOUSLY
THEY HAVE TO HAVE SOME STANDARDS.
THERE ARE NEWS
ORGANIZATIONS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, EVERY LOCAL STATION
COULD SAY WE WANT SOMEONE IN THERE.
BUT NOW THERE ARE NO STANDARDS, YOU SAY WE ARE
OPINIONATED, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
WE GATHER NEWS, BREITBART
DOESN'T.
BREITBART IS 1000 TIMES MORE OPINIONATED THAN WE ARE.
AND IF YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT SIZE, I WILL TAKE THE YOUNG
TURKS SIZE VERSUS 80% OF THAT ROOM.
INCLUDE EVERYTHING,
ARTICLES, VIDEO, EVERY PLATFORM YOU LIKE.
SOMETIMES GUYS LIKE
THE WEEKLY STANDARD GET IN, THEY HAVE A CIRCULATION OF 80,000
PEOPLE.
IF THIS VIDEO GETS LESS THAN 80,000 HITS I'LL BE
EMBARRASSED, THAT'S ONE VIDEO OUT OF 30,000.
SO IT'S NOT A
SIZE ISSUE -- BELIEVE ME, THERE IS NO PROBLEM DOWN THERE -- AND
IT'S NOT AN OPINIONATED ISSUE, SO I KNOW WHAT THE QUESTION IS.