WELL, IT'S HEADY TIMES FOR THE OLD GREY LADY.
>> IT IS.
>> Stephen: RIGHT NOW, YOU JUST WON THREE PULITZER PRIZES.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) YOU GUYS BROKE THE NEWS ON THE
F.B.I. RAID ON COHEN.
YOU WERE FIRST WITH THE SUPPOSED QUESTIONS MUELLER HAS FOR TRUMP,
AND YOU ALSO JUST HAD A BIG ARTICLE ABOUT CROSSFIRE
HURRICANE, THE BEGINNING OF THE INVESTIGATION BY THE F.B.I. AND
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INTO THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN.
CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL THAT.
>> THANK YOU.
THANK YOU.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WHAT'S IT LIKE
BEING SO PUBLICLY AND REPEATEDLY VILIFIED BY THE MOST POWERFUL
MAN IN THE WORLD?
( LAUGHTER ) >> YOU KNOW, I HAVE TWO
REACTIONS TO IT.
THE FIRST ONE IS, OF COURSE IT'S NOT GREAT.
PARTLY BECAUSE, I MEAN, HE'S INTENTIONALLY TRYING TO
UNDERMINE THE MOST INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS IN THE COUNTRY,
WHICH I THINK OF US AS AMONG THE MOST.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN
ENERGIZING FOR JOURNALISM.
I HAVE TO SAY THAT I RAN ANOTHER NEWSPAPER, THE "L.A. TIMES" WHEN
IT WAS HAVING A CUT.
ON THE ONE HAND, I THINK THE ATTACKS ARE BAD FOR US.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I'M NOT SURE JOURNALISM HAS BEEN AS ENERGIZED
AS IT IS RIGHT NOW IN SUCH A LONG TIME
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: I DON'T REMEMBER
IT IN MY ADULT LIFE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: TO FEEL THIS VITAL.
>> YES, THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU EVER RECEIVED A PHONE CALL DIRECTLY
FROM MR. TRUMP COMPLAINING ABOUT COVERAGE?
>> I HAVE.
( LAUGHTER ) I HAVE.
>> Stephen: BUT WHILE HE WAS PRESIDENT OR BEFORE?
>> WHILE H HE WAS PRESIDENT.
>> Stephen: SO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES CALLS UP
AND SOMEBODY GOES, MR. BAQUET, THE PRESIDENT IS ON LINE ONE AND
HE SOUNDS PISSED.
>> ALMOST.
I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT HE WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT, BUT I
WAS IN A MEETING AND I GOT AN EMAIL FROM HIS OFFICE SAYING CAN
I TAKE A CALL FROM THE PRESIDENT?
I WENT DOWN, I GOT THE CALL, I LISTENED TO HIS COMPLAINT, I
LISTENED, WE TALKED FOR A WHILE, AND THAT WAS THE END OF IT.
THAT'S THE ONLY TIME I'VE TALKED TO HIM DIRECTLY.
>> Stephen: I IMAGINE AFTER YOU EXPLAINED YOUR REASONING HE
SAID "YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, I'M SORRY."
>> HE DID NOT.
( LAUGHTER ) BUT IT WAS POLITE.
IT WASN'T A NASTY CONVERSATION.
>> Stephen: I KNOW YOU CAN'T TELL US WHAT IT WAS ABOUT.
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT?
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
WHY CAN'T YOU TELL ME WHAT IT WAS ABOUT?
THE THING THAT -- WE KNOW HE WAS UPSET, WE KNOW THE THINGS YOU
PRINTED ABOUT HIM.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN ANY ONE OF THEM.
WHAT WAS THE ONE?
>> HE DIDN'T LIKE OUR HEALTHCARE COVERAGE.
IT WAS SOMETHING BORING.
>> Stephen: HE DIDN'T LIKE YOUR HEALTHCARE COVERAGE.
WAS IT ABOUT ONE OF THE HEADLINES THAT CALLED HIM A
LIAR?
IT WASN'T ONE OF THOSE?
>> IT WASN'T ANYTHING AS SEXY AS THAT.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
NOW I'M GOING TO STOP, THOUGH.
>> Stephen: I'M GOING TO GO LOOK UP WHAT IT IS NOW.
( LAUGHTER ) WELL, THE TIMES GETS DISMISSED
BY ITS CRITICS AS BEING, I BELIEVE THE TERM IS LIBERAL RAG.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: OKAY, AN ORGAN OF THE LEFT.
>> MM-HMM.
>> Stephen: AND HAVE YOU EVER PRINTED A HEADLINE THAT WAS
PERHAPS SLIGHTLY MADE -- MADE SLIGHTLY CHARITABLE TO THE RIGHT
IN ORDER TO LAY OUT YOUR BONA FIDES AS BEING BALANCED.
>> NO.
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU EVER SAID LET'S MAKE ATE LITTLE LESS HARSH
BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO BE ACCUSED?
>> NO.
I DROPPED OUT OF COLLEGE.
I HAVE BEEN IN A NEWS ROOM SINCE I WAS 19.
NEWS ROOMS ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, DEEPLY FLAWED PLACES.
ON MY WAY HERE ON THE PHONE I MADE THREE DECISIONS.
WE MAKE CONSTANT DECISIONS ABOUT COVERAGE.
HOW DO YOU PLAY THE LATEST SCHOOL SHOOTING.
HOW DO WE MAKE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT'S DIFFERENT.
SOMETIMES PARTICULARLY ON THE INTERNET WE WRITE BAD HEADLINES
BECAUSE SOME HUMAN BEING WRITES A HEADLINE -- STARTS WRITING A
HEADLINE AT 7:00 P.M. THAT HAS TO BE UP AT 7:00 P.M. AND HE
GETS IT WRONG, AND READERS CALL UP AND SAY IT'S AWFUL, PART OF A
CONSPIRACY, WHEN ACTUALLY IT'S SOMEONE WHO DIDN'T HAVE THEIR
SECOND CUP OF COFFEE THAT DAY.
>> Stephen: THERE IS HEADLINES PEOPLE ARE HAWKING ABOUT NOW, IN
THE ARTICLE TALKING ABOUT CROSSFIRE HURRICANE, THE ARTICLE
YOU FLINTED 2017 SAYS F.B.I.
INVESTIGATING TRUMP SHOWS NO LINK TO LOTION GAVE AFTERNOON
AIR OF FINALITY THAT THAT DIDN'T SUPPORT.
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
THAT WAS IN PRINT.
A LOT OF THOUGHT WENT INTO IT.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
THAT WAS A CASE IN WHICH WE WROTE A STORY ABOUT A YEAR AGO.
WE WROTE WHAT WE KNEW AT THE TIME, AND OUR MISTAKE, TO BE
FRANK, IS WE MADE A HEADLINE THAT MADE IT LOOK LIKE WE KNEW
MORE THAN WE DID.
WE ACTUALLY THOUGHT WE KNEW A LOT.
WE KEPT REPORTING, AND EVERY TIME WE REPORTED SOMETHING NEW,
EVEN IF IT CONTRADICTED WHAT WE REPORTED BACK IN THAT STORY, WE
WROTE IT ANYWAY.
I MEAN, TO BE FRANK, THE -- TO BE BLUNT, THE COWARDLY WAY WOULD
BE LET'S PRETEND THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, LET'S NOT REPORT THAT
ANYMORE.
THE MOST RECENT STORY YOU'RE REFERRING TO THERE, WE ACTUALLY
WENT IN AND SAID, YOU KNOW, WE NOW KNOW STUFF THAT WE WISH WE
HAD KNOWN BACK THEN AND WE NOW UNDERSTAND THAT THE HEADLINE
MADE IT LOOK LIKE WE KNEW MORE THAN WE DID, THAT SENSE OF
FINALITY, AND WE SAID THAT IN THE STORY, WE OWNED UP TO IT.
I MEAN, WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT NEWSPAPERS IS,
FIRST OFF, HOW HARD WE TRY.
WE PRINT 300 STORIES A DAY.
THERE ARE 99% ACCURATE.
WE MAKE MISTAKES.
WHEN WE CATCH THEM, WE OWN UP TO THEM.
>> YOU'VE GOT A FOUR-PART DOCUMENTARY ON SHOW TIME CALLED
THE FOURTH ESTATE.
WHY DID YOU LET PEOPLE INTO THE NEWS ROOM?
YOU GUYS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THE STORY.
>> FOR THE REASON I SAID BEFORE.
I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW HOW HARD WE TRY.
I WANT PEOPLE TO BE BLUNT HOW MUCH INTEGRITY I BELIEVE WE
HAVE, AND I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW OUR IMPERFECTIONS, AND I THINK
MY BELIEVE WAS THAT IF PEOPLE GOT A LOOK INSIDE THE "NEW YORK
TIMES," THEIR REACTION WOULD BE, BOY, THEY'RE BETTER THAN I
THOUGHT THEY WERE.
THAT'S WHAT I HOPE.
>> Stephen: WELL, GOOD LUCK.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> Stephen: AND THANK YOU FOR TRYING TO GET THE STORIES OUT
THERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: THE FOURTH ESTATE PREMIERES THIS SUNDAY ON
SHOWTIME.
DEAN BAQUET, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK!