TED KOPPEL PUT TOGETHER A CLIP ON CBS'S SUNDAY MORNING
WHERE HE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE MEDIA AND HOW IT HAS CHANGED,
AND IN IT HE TALKED ABOUT THE ROLE OF OPINION MEDIA AND HE HAD
SEAN HANNITY ON.
AND IT LED TO SIGNIFICANT BLOWBACK AND DRAMA,
SEAN HANNITY WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT HOW THIS WAS EDITED, ACCORDING
TO HIS CLAIMS, FIRST I WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT AIRED ON CBS
AND THEN I WILL TELL YOU WHO I THINK IS RIGHT AND WRONG HERE.
>>HE HAS, FROM THE FIRST, PROMOTED DONALD TRUMP AND A
HIGHLY PARTISAN AGENDA.
>>HONESTLY I THINK LIBERALISM HAS TO BE DEFEATED, SOCIALISM
MUST BE DEFEATED, IN A POLITICAL SENSE.
WE DON'T WANT A REVOLUTION IN THIS COUNTRY.
>>WHAT DO YOU WANT, YOU'VE GOT THE WHITE HOUSE, THE HOUSE, THE
SENATE --
>>FOR NOW.
AND WE HAVE ANGRY SNOWFLAKES ANTIDEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT.
I SAY THE PRESS IN THIS COUNTRY IS OUT TO DESTROY THIS
PRESIDENT.
>>FREE OF THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE, RUSH LIMBAUGH AND CONSERVATIVE
TALK RADIO EXPLODED INTO A POLITICAL FORCE OF NATURE.
>>YOU TAKE CONSERVATIVE TALK RADIO, MOVE THAT FORWARD TO
TRIBAL CABLE TELEVISION, AND THEN LAYER ONTO THAT EMAIL AND
SOCIAL MEDIA, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE
PEOPLE CAN GET INFORMATION AND BELIEVE IT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE
AND NOT HAVE TO GET ANY KIND OF OPPOSING POINT OF VIEW, AND
ONCE THEY BELIEVE IT THEY WILL ALWAYS BELIEVE IT EVEN IF
IT IS ORDERLY FALSE.
>>WE HAVE TO GIVE SOME CREDIT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT THEY
ARE SOMEWHAT INTELLIGENT, AND THEY KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
AN OPINION SHOW A NEWS SHOW.
YOU ARE CYNICAL.
>>DO YOU THINK WE ARE BAD FOR AMERICA?
>>YEAH.
>>YOU DO?
>>I THINK IN THE LONG HAUL YOU AND ALWAYS OPINION SHOWS --
>>THAT IS SAD.
>>BECAUSE YOU ARE GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO, AND YOU HAVE ATTRACTED A
SIGNIFICANTLY MORE INFLUENTIAL -- LET ME FINISH THE SENTENCE
BEFORE YOU DO THAT --
>>WITH ALL DUE RESPECT.
>>YOU HAVE ATTRACTED PEOPLE WHO ARE DETERMINED THAT IDEOLOGY IS
MORE IMPORTANT THAN FACTS.
>>THAT WAS A BIT CATHARTIC, LISTENING TO TED KOPPEL SAY THAT
TO SEAN HANNITY'S FACE, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ENJOYED THAT.
BUT
I MIGHT HAVE A SURPRISING TAKE ON THAT.
FIRST LET ME GO TO SEAN
HANNITY'S REACTION.
HE WAS ENRAGED.
THERE WAS NONSTOP
TWEETING.
HE HAS DEVELOPED A LOT OF DONALD TRUMP'S HABITS,
INCLUDING SAYING SAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERVIEW.
ANYWAY,
HE TWEETED OUT --
>>THEN HE WENT ON TO TWEET AGAIN ON A SIMILAR NOTE --
>>OKAY.
LET'S PAUSE THERE FOR A
SECOND.
I WILL SCORE ONE FOR TED
KOPPEL THERE BECAUSE THAT IS NOT HOW THESE THINGS WORK, THEY PUT
TOGETHER A PACKAGE, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT INTERVIEWS AND THEY
PUT IT IN AN ORDER AND TELL A STORY.
THEIR JOB ON CBS SUNDAY
MORNING IS NOT TO GO, OKAY, HERE IS OUR STORY, AND HERE IS 45
MINUTES OF UNEDITED FOOTAGE.
THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS.
ON THE
OTHER HAND, I THINK IF SEAN HANNITY IS CHALLENGING THEM TO
PUT THE 45 MINUTE UNEDITED VERSION OUT IN THE PUBLIC BY
PUTTING IT ONLINE, I DON'T SEE THE HARM IN THAT.
I BET YOU THAT
THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW IS EVEN MORE EMBARRASSING FOR SEAN
HANNITY, BECAUSE I DON'T AGREE WITH THEM OVERALL, I DON'T AGREE
WITH HIS POLITICS, AND SO I DON'T THINK THERE IS HARM IN IT.
UNLESS SEAN HANNITY IS RIGHT AND YOU ARE PLAYING WITH THE TAPE IN
SOME WAY TO MISREPRESENT HIM, WHICH I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF
THEY WERE.
BUT, NOW LET'S GO TO THE HEART OF THE ISSUE.
WHICH
IS, IS TED KOPPEL RIGHT TO CRITICIZE SEAN HANNITY FOR DOING
AN OPINION SHOW?
WELL, HANNITY HAD ONE TWEET ABOUT THAT TOO --
>>THAT POINT SEEMS PRETTY FAIR.
IT IS TED KOPPEL'S OPINION THAT
THE SHOWS ARE BAD.
NOW, LET ME NOTE FOR THE RECORD MY OBVIOUS
BIAS HERE, WHICH IS NOT THAT I'M A PROGRESSIVE AND HENCE DON'T
LIKE SEAN HANNITY.
THAT'S ALSO CLEAR.
BUT NO, MY OBVIOUS BIAS
HERE IS THAT I ALSO DO AN OPINION SHOW, WE PRESENT TO YOU
FACTS, THEN WE PRESENT OUR PERSPECTIVE ON IT.
SO I GUESS
TED KOPPEL WANTS US TO PRESENT THE FACTS, AND THEN GO, I DON'T
REALLY CARE WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT.
AND I DON'T AGREE WITH TED
KOPPEL.
SO I WILL SCORE THE DEBATE FOR SEAN HANNITY.
IF TED
KOPPEL WAS SAYING FOX NEWS ISN'T FAIR AND BALANCED, YOU GUYS ARE
LYING ABOUT THAT, THAT IS A FAIR POINT AND I WOULD AGREE.
IF THEY
DROPPED FAIR AND BALANCED AND SAID, HERE IS OUR CONSERVATIVE
TAKE, I WOULD SAY GOD BLESS, IT IS A FREE COUNTRY, THEY CAN BE
CONSERVATIVE, WE CAN BE PROGRESSIVE, EVERYONE ELSE HAS
TAKES IN THE MIDDLE, NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.
THE TED KOPPELS
OF THE WORLD WOULD SAY, WELL, YOU ARE TELLING PEOPLE WHAT YOU
THINK, AND NEWSPEOPLE SHOULDN'T DO THAT, THEY SHOULD SIMPLY
ROBOTICALLY REPORT THE NEWS.
BUT WHEN YOU DO THAT, A LOT OF
TIMES, AND THIS IS WHAT HAS DEVELOPED IN THE MAINSTREAM
MEDIA, YOU BECOME STENOGRAPHERS AND YOU TURN INTO HE SAID/SHE
SAID.
YOU FORGET YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE OBJECTIVE AND YOU
WIND UP BEING NEUTRAL.
NEUTRALITY IS, THE DEMOCRATS SAY
THAT TRUMP WAS TRYING TO KILL OBAMACARE, AND THAT IS WHERE
THEY FOUGHT HIM, TRUMP SAID HE DIDN'T LOSE THAT BATTLE, IN FACT
IT WAS THE DEMOCRATS' FAULT FOR NOT KILLING OBAMACARE.
OKAY, YOU
COULD REPORT IT CREDULOUSLY LIKE THAT, BUT THAT IS PREPOSTEROUS.
OF COURSE DEMOCRATS HAD NO ROLE IN HELPING TO DEFEAT THEIR OWN
HEALTHCARE POLICY, THAT IS RIDICULOUS.
IT IS NOT UNFAIR TO
PRESENT THAT PERSPECTIVE AND ANALYSIS ON IT.
IS A RECENT
EXAMPLE, BUT I CAN GIVE YOU A MORE IMPORTANT EXAMPLE ON HOW
TED KOPPEL AND HIS ILK BLEW IT.
THEY WERE AROUND DURING THE IRAQ
WAR, AND WHAT DID THEY SAY?
WELL, GEORGE BUSH SAYS THERE IS
A CONNECTION BETWEEN SADDAM HUSSEIN AND WEAPONS OF MASS
DESTRUCTION, AND THE DEMOCRATS LARGELY SAY NOTHING, I WILL TELL
YOU WHY, TED, YOU WILL FLIP OUT, IT'S BECAUSE THEY ARE COWARDS.
I
KNOW YOU WOULD NEVER SAY THAT, BUT WHAT HAPPENED?
THEY WENT ON
TO SAY THAT LIE OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND YOU FACILITATED THAT,
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THEY INSINUATED THAT SADDAM HUSSEIN
HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH 9/11.
AGAIN THE DEMOCRATS BARELY
FOUGHT BACK.
AND WHAT WAS THE FINAL RESULT OF THAT?
THE MEDIA
COULD HAVE COME IN AND GONE, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IS
AN OPEN QUESTION, BUT ON THE CONNECTION TO 9/11, SADDAM
HUSSEIN HAD TO DO WITH IT.
BUT TED KOPPEL AND THE REST OF THE
MAINSTREAM MEDIA DIDN'T SAY THAT.
THEY SAID REPUBLICANS SAY
THIS, DEMOCRATS SAY THAT, I'M NEUTRAL.
I DON'T DO OPINION, I
JUST TELL YOU WHAT THE TWO SIDES SAID.
THAT ISN'T DOING HER JOB.
AND WHEN WE WENT TO WAR IN IRAQ, 70% OF AMERICANS BELIEVED THAT
SADDAM HUSSEIN WAS PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR 9/11.
WHY?
THE
REPUBLICANS TO BETTER PROPAGANDA, THE DEMOCRATS ARE
MISERABLE AT GETTING THE TRUTH OUT, AND THEN WHEN THE
MAINSTREAM MEDIA CALLS THAT EVEN THEY GO I PRESENTED TO YOU THE
TWO SIDES -- THAT'S NOT YOUR JOB, YOUR JOB IS TO TELL US WHAT
IS TRUE AND NOT TRUE, AND YOU DIDN'T DO THAT JOB.
SO NOW WHEN
PEOPLE SAY I THINK THIS IS MY PERSPECTIVE AND THE OTHER GUY
SAYS THIS IS MY PERSPECTIVE, YOU SAY DON'T EVEN DO THAT.
IF
SPORTS REPORTING WORK THAT WAY, THEY WOULD SAY WELL, THE DODGERS
AND YANKEES PLAYED, THE DODGERS SAY THEY WON AND THE YANKEES SAY
THEY WON.
I GUESS WE WILL NEVER KNOW.
BUT THE YANKEES WON --
STOP IT WITH THAT OPINION.
THAT ISN'T OPINION, THAT'S FACT.
BUT
THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA DIDN'T DELIVER THOSE FACTS.
SO IS SEAN
HANNITY THE STANDARDBEARER FOR DELIVERING FACTS TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE?
NO, YOU ALMOST COULDN'T PICK A WORSE
EXAMPLE, BUT IF YOU WERE IT WOULD BE SOMEONE ELSE ON HIS
NETWORK.
BUT I DON'T WANT TO KILL OFF PERSPECTIVE, I DON'T
WANT TO KILL OFF OPINION, BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T LIKE THE
OPINION.
I DON'T LIKE SEAN HANNITY'S OPINION, THAT IS WHY I
GIVE A COUNTER OPINION.
AND THAT IS HOW DEMOCRACY IS SUPPOSED TO
WORK.
AND IF WE LEAVE IT IN THE HAND OF THE ESTABLISHMENT PRESS,
WHO IS SO NOBLE AND WORTHY AND KNOWS WHAT THE TRUTH IS, AND THE
TRUTH IS THE GOVERNMENT AND THE DIFFERENT PARTIES INVOLVED
IN GOVERNMENT ARE ALWAYS RIGHT, REPUBLICANS SAY THIS AND I WILL
NEVER CHALLENGE THEM, DEMOCRATS SAY THAT AND I WILL NEVER
CHALLENGE THEM, THE GOVERNMENT SAYS THIS, THE PENTAGON SAYS
THAT, I WILL NEVER CHALLENGE THEM BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE AN
OPINION -- NO, IT WOULD BE DOING HER JOB.
IF YOU SAY YOU DON'T
WANT OPINIONS, GREAT, WE NEED OBJECTIVE JOURNALISM, WE NEED
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AND REUTERS.
THE RIGHT WING WANTS TO
TEAR DOWN THE MEDIA AND DESTROY IT SO THEY CAN REPLACE IT WITH
THEIR PROPAGANDA.
PROGRESSIVES DON'T WANT TO DO THAT.
WE DO THE
CRITIQUE OF THE MEDIA SO THAT WE CAN STRENGTHEN THE MEDIA.
SO
GIVE ME ACTUAL, OBJECTIVE JOURNALISM, I LOVE IT, THAT'S
FANTASTIC, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE WANT -- DON'T BE NEUTRAL, BE
OBJECTIVE.
AND IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE IT AT THAT, GREAT.
BUT
DON'T STOP OTHER PEOPLE FROM GIVING FURTHER ANALYSIS AND
PERSPECTIVE ON TOP OF THAT.
THAT IS A DISTINCTION THAT APPARENTLY
IS VERY HARD FOR OLD-SCHOOL, MAINSTREAM MEDIA TO HANDLE.
AND
LOOK, I GREW UP WATCHING TED KOPPEL TOO AND I RESPECT HIM IN
A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS, AND I THINK HE WAS A GIANT IN THE
INDUSTRY, AND HE COVERED THINGS OFTENTIMES THAT THE REST OF THE
MEDIA DIDN'T COVER, AND THAT IS WHY NIGHTLINE WAS THE SUCCESS IT
WAS.
BUT IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE OVERALL LANDSCAPE OF THE
MAINSTREAM MEDIA AND YOU SAY WE SHOULD JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT AND
NOT PROVIDE ANY ALTERNATIVE VOICES, I VOTE HELL NO.
SO IN A
RARE CASE, VERY RARE CASE, SCORE ONE FOR SEAN HANNITY.