INROADS ON IT.
THIS MORNING THE THOMAS FIRE
SAID TO BE 30% CONTAINED.
>> Julie: BREAKING NOW ON THE
OUTCOME OF THE ALABAMA SENATE
RACE WITH A LOOK AT HOW THE
PRESS COVERED IT ALL.
HOWARD KURTZ HOST OF MEDIA BUZZ
WRITING IT'S NOT MUCH OF AN
OVERSTATEMENT TO SAY THE MEDIA
ARE ENJOYING THE ALABAMA UPSET.
IT IS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, A
GREAT STORY.
ONE THAT FEELS AS MUCH LIKE A
CULTURAL MOMENT COMING IN THE
MIDST OF A FIERCE NATIONAL
DEBATE OVER SEXUAL HARASSMENT
AS A POLITICAL VERDICT.
AND THERE WAS THE LATE NIGHT
DRAMA OF DOUG JONES SURGING
PAST ROY MOORE IN THE FINAL
HOUR.
A VOTE COUNTING THAT PRODUCED A
DEMOCRATIC VICTORY THAT ONCE
MIGHT HAVE BEEN HARD TO IMAGINE.
HOWARD KURTZ JOINS US NOW.
IT DID SEEM THAT THE MEDIA DID
CELEBRATE THIS AS A VICTORY A
LITTLE DIFFERENTLY THAN THEY
POWERHOUSES WHOSE CAREERS CAME
TUMBLING DOWN.
THERE IS A DOUBLE STANDARD?
>> IT WAS A GREAT STORY.
IMAGINE HOW DIFFERENT THE TONE
WOULD HAVE BEEN HAD ROY MOORE
SURGED IN THE FINAL COUNTING
AND BEATEN DOUG JONES BY 20,000
VOTES.
I MEAN, I THINK PART OF THIS IS
THAT THERE WAS A COLLECTIVE
JUDGMENT THAT ROY MOORE WAS A
BAD GUY AND HE WASN'T FIT TO BE
A SENATOR.
BUT BEYOND THAT THE PRESS
PLAYED SUCH A KEY ROLE, JULIE,
IN DIGGING UP THOSE ACCUSATIONS
BY THE NINE WOMEN OF SEXUAL
HARASSMENT BY THE FORMER JUDGE
BACK NEARLY FOUR DECADES AGO
AND MOORE RAN AGAINST THE
"WASHINGTON POST", WHAT HE
CALLED THE LYNCH MOB MEDIA.
HE WAS A TRUMPIAN FLAVOR TO
THAT.
>> Julie: BASICALLY WHEN WE
HEARD OF JOHN CONYERS, AL
FRANKEN, HARVEY WEINSTEIN, MATT
LAUER, CHARLIE ROSE, ALL THOSE
STORIES WERE BROKEN BY THE
MEDIA.
THAT'S IRONIC.
THE MEDIA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
BRINGING DOWN THOSE PEOPLE.
YOU DIDN'T NECESSARILY FEEL THE
SAME KIND OF CELEBRATION.
IT WAS A DEPRESSING STORY
NONETHELESS BUT IT WASN'T ONE
THAT WAS EXCITING THE MEDIA SO
MUCH.
WHY, THEN, THE CELEBRATING OF
ROY MOORE'S FALL YESTERDAY?
>> FOR ONE THING WHEN YOU TALK
ABOUT SOME OF THE MEDIA
FIGURES, MANY JOURNALISTS
THE VOTERS OF ALABAMA WHO
DECIDED, NOT THE PRESS THAT
TOOK HIM DOWN.
ME LOOKING AT THE COVERAGE IS
DEFEAT AROUND PRESIDENT TRUMP'S
NECK.
THERE IS NO QUESTION HE
ENDORSED MOORE, DID THE
ROBOCALL AND IT WAS A SETBACK
FOR THE PRESIDENT WHO WANTED TO
PRESERVE THAT SEAT BUT AT THE
SAME TIME IT'S NOT JUST THE
LIBERAL PRECINCTS IN THE MEDIA,
"NEW YORK TIMES" EDITORIAL PAGE
HAS A HEADLINE SANITY REINS.
WERE HAPPY.
>> Julie: WHILE THE MEDIA MAY
HAVE BEEN CELEBRATING MOORE'S
REPUBLICANS IN THE END.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A BAD THING
MY ORIGINAL POINT WHY THEN
WOULD THE MEDIA CELEBRATE ROY
MOORE'S WIN WHEN REALLY IT IS A
WIN FOR REPUBLICANS DESPITE THE
FACT A DEMOCRAT TOOK THAT RACE
AWAY IN ALABAMA?
>> THERE WAS SUCH HIGH DRAMA.
IT BECOME A NATIONAL ELECTION.
HE WAS A TERRIBLE CANDIDATE.
THE PRESS FELT IT WAS A BETTER
OUTCOME.
MANY OF THE PRESS OF ROY MOORE
NOT BECOMING A UNITED STATES
SENATOR.
WOULD BE MONTHS OF BATTLE WITH
THE ETHICS COMMITTEE.
THE DEMOCRATS WOULD HAVE RUN
AGAINST THIS GUY EVERY OTHER
REPUBLICAN SENATOR WOULD HAVE
ROY MOORE.
IN A WAY YOU COULD SAY THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY DODGED A
BULLET AND EVEN FOR PRESIDENT
TRUMP PROBABLY HE LOSES THE
SEAT.
HE HAS A 51-49 MAJORITY IN THE
SENATE BUT DOESN'T HAVE THE ROY
MOORE AS A CONTINUING DRUMBEAT
OF A STORY.
FOR ROY MOORE'S LOSS, WHICH
LET'S JUST REMEMBER WHAT HAS
LUTHER STRANGE LOST IN THE
AS A NUMBER TWO BUT THAT WASN'T
NECESSARILY HIS FIRST OPTION.
THE PRESIDENT CAMPAIGNING FOR A
CANDIDATE DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN
THAT CANDIDATE IS GOING TO WIN
AND THAT'S NOT JUST FOR
PRESIDENT TRUMP, THAT ALSO
APPLIED TO FORMER PRESIDENT
OBAMA BUT FOR SOME REASON WHEN
THE PRESIDENT STICKS HIS NECK
OUT FOR A CANDIDATE NOW AND
THAT CANDIDATE DOESN'T WIN IT
SEEMS THERE IS A BIG PILE ON
THE PRESIDENT SHOWING THAT HE
>> RIGHT, ROY MOORE LOST THE
ELECTION, DONALD TRUMP DIDN'T.
EVEN THOUGH HE CAME TO ROY
MOORE RELUCTANTLY, ONCE HE CAME
OUT AND ENDORSED AND HAD THE
RALLY IN PENSACOLA IT WOULD BE
JUDGED AS A WIN OR A SETBACK
FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP.
AND THE OTHER THING THE PRESS
TRIED TO DO IS SAY TO BADGER
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS SO THE
PRESIDENT DOESN'T BELIEVE THESE
NINE WOMEN, DOES HE?
THE PRESIDENT IS SAYING WHAT
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S OWN
ACCUSERS FROM THE CAMPAIGN?
ALL OF THAT GOT DREDGED UP IN
WHAT ORDINARILY WOULD HAVE BEEN
AN EASY WIN IN A RED STATE OF
HE CAMPAIGNED AND HELD THE
RALLY IN PENSACOLA.
HE DID NOT GO TO ALABAMA.
HE DID WANT TO DISTANCE HIMSELF
AS WELL.
I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP DID
SOMETHING THAT WE ARE ALL NOT
CATCHING ON TO.
PERHAPS HE SAW THIS IS WHERE
THIS WAS GOING AND HE JUST DID
THE RIGHT THING AS A REPUBLICAN
PRESIDENT TO BACK THE