JARED KUSHNER IS THE SON-IN-LAW FOR DONALD TRUMP.
HE WAS RECENTLY IN A MEETING, I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OFF THE
RECORD, BUT WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
IT WAS WITH BUSINESS LEADERS IN MANHATTAN AND HE MADE A
STARTLING ADMISSION ABOUT HOW THEY MANIPULATED THE MEDIA.
ONE COMPANY IN PARTICULAR, SINCLAIR.
LET ME GO TO POLITICO TO EXPLAIN THE STORY, THEY BROKE IT.
SINCLAIR BROADCASTING HAS A LOT OF LOCAL TELEVISION STATIONS.
WHEN YOU'RE RUNNING AN ELECTION AND YOU NEED COVERAGE IN
STATES LIKE OHIO, THAT IS SUPER IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY OWN
A LOT OF THOSE STATIONS.
LET'S FIND OUT WHAT KIND OF DEAL THEY MADE.
YOU UNDERSTAND THE DEAL HERE?
SO TRUMP GETS TO DO THESE INTERVIEWS AND DOESN'T GET
CHALLENGED.
SO IT IS BASICALLY A GIANT AD FOR HIM.
AND THEY RUN IN ALL THE SWING STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
IN ALL THE STATES THEY OWN.
THAT IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF FREE MEDIA.
AND RETURN SINCLAIR GETS MORE ACCESS TO MR.
TRUMP.
DOES THAT SOUND LIKE JOURNALISM TO YOU?
LIVINGSTON SAID, HE IS THE VP OF NEWS FOR SINCLAIR ñ YOU CAN
SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT AND WE PROMISE YOU WE WILL ZIP IT.
AND SO THAT IS THEIR IDEA OF GIVING PEOPLE THE TRUTH.
THAT IS BETTER THAN AN AD BECAUSE IT LOOKS REAL.
AND IT'S A MUCH LONGER THAN AN AD AND IT COST HIM NOTHING.
AMAZING.
AS KUSHNER EXPLAINS THIS GIVES HIM A MUCH BETTER REACH
THAN GOING ON CABLE NEWS.
BUT HE IS RIGHT, IN THIS CASE LOCAL TV NEWS STATIONS HAS
MORE OF AN IMPACT, ESPECIALLY ON STATES THAT HE NEEDS.
DO YOU GET WHY?
IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY CNN IS SEEN EVERYWHERE.
AND THAT LOCAL STATION IN OHIO [VIDEO BUFFERING] AND SO IN
OHIO NOT VERY MANY PEOPLE WATCH CNN, BUT THEY WATCH THOSE
OTHER STATIONS.
I'M NOT SAYING IT WASN'T A SAVVY DECISION BY THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN, IT WAS.
WHETHER SINCLAIR SHOULD'VE GONE ALONG WITH THAT AS A WHOLE
DIFFERENT STORY.
AT LEAST WHEN THEY PAY THEM AND THEY RUN ADS YOU HAVE A
LITTLE BIT OF TRANSPARENCY.
HERE ARE THE INTERVIEWS IN MY OPINION ARE THE ADS
THEMSELVES AND THEY ARE DISGUISED AS REPORTING.
IT IS A DISASTER.
SCOTT LIVINGSTON, THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF "NEWS"
AND SINCLAIR SAYS ñ IN OTHER WORDS, WE JUST LET THE
CANDIDATE SPEAK AND DID NOT CHALLENGE THEM AT ALL.
THEY CLAIM THAT THEY OFFERED IT UP TO HILLARY CLINTON TWO,
SHE JUST DIDN'T TAKE IT.
THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY BETTER.
IF YOU SAY I AM SELLING OUT TO BOTH PARTIES, AND BEHIND
THE SCENES PROMISING THEM THAT I WON'T CHALLENGE IT OR TALK
ABOUT IT AFTERWARDS IF THEY MISSTATE OR LIE ABOUT ANYTHING.
THAT IS HORRIBLY DECEPTIVE.
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA
AND HOW THEY ARE IN CAHOOTS WITH WASHINGTON.
THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED IN REALITY NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY
THEY OFFERED TO CLINTON.
SINCLAIR IS CONSERVATIVE.
THAT IS WHY THE MANDATE THAT THEIR LOCAL NEWS STATION
RUNS OBAMA NEWS.
OR IF YOU THINK IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO SAY THAT.
YOU DON'T GET TO HAVE PERSPECTIVE OR ANALYSIS.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LIBERAL MEDIA?
THESE COMPANIES ARE WORTH A GIGANTIC AMOUNT OF MONEY,
ALMOST ALL THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA COMPANIES ARE WORTH
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
THEY DON'T WANT TO ROCK THE BOAT, THEY LOVE THE STATUS
QUO, THEY WANT TAX CUTS, THEY WANT THE POLITICAL
CORRUPTION BECAUSE THE END PRODUCT BECOMES TV ADS.
THEY LOVE THE CORRUPTION AND CONSERVATIVE IDEOLOGY, AND
LESS REGULATION.
SO YOU THINK THEY ARE LIBERAL?
THAT IS A JOKE.
I WANT TO GIVE A LITTLE SHOUT OUT TO CNN, NOT SOMETHING
WE DO OFTEN, BUT CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.
APPARENTLY KUSHNER SAID THEY ALSO TRIED TO STRIKE A DEAL
WITH CNN.
AND THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE COMPOSITION OF THEIR PANELS.
SO BASICALLY TRYING TO DICTATE TO THEM WHO THEY PUT ON THE
PANEL.
I HAD A HUGE BONE TO PICK WITH CNN.
IN THE PRIMARIES AND THE GENERAL ELECTION, BUT CREDIT TO
THEM FOR LEAST NOT TOWERING TO THIS LEVEL OF DEMAND BY ONE
OF THE POLITICIANS FOR ACCESS.
AFTER THE ELECTION, ZUCKER AND OTHERS AT CNN WENT TO GO MEET
WITH DONALD TRUMP TO ASK THEM HOW THEY SHOULD DO COVERAGE.
BUT TO THIS POINT, WE DON'T KNOW IF THEY CHANGED IT OR NOT.
HERE WE HAVE DETAIL WHERE WE NEED TO GIVE THEM CREDIT.
THE IMPORTANT PART OF THAT IS THEN WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES?
SO FINDING OUT WHAT HAPPENS BEHIND THE SCENES IS VERY
IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT AFFECTS WHAT YOU SEE.
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING IN THE MEDIA, SOMETIMES THAT IS
THE CASE BUT FOR A LOT OF THESE COMPANIES NOT THE CASE.
THEY EITHER GOT TOLD TO SAY THAT OR BOUGHT TO SAY THAT.
THAT IS WHY PEOPLE CAN'T STAND THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA ANYMORE.
IN FACT THE MEDIA IS THE ONLY THING LESS TRUSTED THAN
POLITICIANS RIGHT NOW.
AND ON THE POLITICIANS SIDE, THEY ALSO MAKE THOSE DEALS.
AND IF YOU DON'T PLAY BALL, YOU DON'T GET AD DEALS OR ACCESS.
FOR EXAMPLE, TYT WE HAVE A GIANT MILLENNIAL AUDIENCE, AND WE
DON'T HAVE ADS, NO MONEY THAT COMES IN.
FOR THE GUYS WHO DO PLAY BALL, THEY GET ACCESS, MORE ADS,
AND THE CANDIDATE GETS BETTER COVERAGE THAT HE BOUGHT OR
NEGOTIATED FOR.
I THOUGHT DONALD TRUMP WAS MR.
AUTHENTIC AND HONEST.
WHEN HE WAS SPEAKING OUT AGAINST CNN HE THOUGHT IT WAS
BECAUSE THEY WERE DOING UNFAIR COVERAGE.
IN REALITY THIS IS THE ONE TIME YOU SHOULD GIVE CNN CREDIT
FOR NOT GIVING IN TO THE RANSOM DEMANDS OF DONALD TRUMP WHO
PRACTICES CORRUPTION FOR A LIVING.
THAT IS WHAT WE WARNED YOU ABOUT.
NOW HIS SON-IN-LAW IS BASICALLY BRAGGING ABOUT IT.
BE FOREWARNED, WE HAVE FOUR YEARS OF THIS COMING UP.
HE DID ALL THIS WITHOUT MUCH POWER.
NOW THAT HE IS GOING TO BE PRESIDENT IMAGINE HOW MUCH
HE WILL PUSH THE MEDIA AROUND?