ED SCHULTZ IS A WELL-KNOWN
PROGRESSIVE TALK SHOW HOST, HE
HAD A RADIO SHOW AND WAS AN
ANCHOR ON MSNBC FOR A LONG TIME.
I WOULD KNOW, I FILLED IN FOR ED
ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS, WE
WORKED TOGETHER AT MSNBC FOR
SOME TIME.
ED WAS THERE TO BE
FAIR MUCH LONGER THAN I WAS, AND
HE HAS LEFT MSNBC, NOW HE'S AT
R.T. AND HE GETS SOME CRITICISM
FOR BEING THERE BECAUSE THEY SAY
IT'S OWNED BY THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT SO DOESN'T THAT MEAN
YOU'RE GETTING ORDERS FROM THEM?
WELL, HE WAS ON THE JAMIE
WEINSTEIN SHOW AND HE WANTED TO
ADDRESS THAT, AND IN SO DOING HE
REVEALED STUNNING FACTS, NOT
JUST ABOUT MSNBC, BUT ALSO ABOUT
THEIR PARTICULAR DISDAIN FOR
BERNIE SANDERS, AND HOW THEY
WOULDN'T COVER HIM.
BUT FIRST, LET'S HEAR OUT HIM ON
HIS TIME AT MSNBC.
THERE WAS MORE OVERSIGHT, AND
MORE DIRECTION, GIVEN TO ME ON
CONTENT AT MSNBC THAN THERE EVER
HAS BEEN HERE AT R.T.
MANY TIMES
I WAS TOLD WHAT TO LEAD WITH ON
MSNBC, MANY TIMES I WAS TOLD
WHAT I WAS NOT GOING TO DO, AND
I'VE GOT A STORY THAT HAD I NOT
BEEN INVOLVED IN AND I NEVER
WOULD HAVE BELIEVED IT, AND PHIL
GRIFFIN, WHO I CONSIDER A FRIEND
TO THIS DAY, WAS A WATCHDOG.
FAR
MORE THAN ANYTHING I AM EXPOSED
TO HERE AT R.T.
AMERICA.
DID HE TELL YOU WHAT TO SAY,
DID HE TELL YOU AN ANGLE TO
TAKE?
OFTEN.
NOW THAT IS A GREAT NUMBER OF
PEOPLE WHO HAVE LEFT MSNBC AND
TOLD A VERY SIMILAR STORY,
INCLUDING MYSELF.
NOW, ACTUALLY,
AND MY CASE, PHIL GRIFFIN GAVE
ME GENERAL DIRECTIONS, THEY WERE
AWFULLY SPECIFIC IN TELLING YOU
WHICH DIRECTION TO GO IN, WHERE
HE SAID THAT OUTSIDERS ARE COOL,
THEY WEAR LEATHER JACKETS, THEY
RIDE MOTORCYCLES, BUT WE ARE
INSIDERS, WE ARE MSNBC, WE ARE
THE ESTABLISHMENT AND YOU HAVE
TO ACT LIKE IT.
BUT HE DIDN'T
GIVE ME DIRECTIONS ON SPECIFIC
STORIES.
ED IS SAYING HE WOULD
OFTEN GIVE HIM DIRECTIONS ON
SPECIFIC STORIES.
THAT IS MUCH
WORSE.
OF COURSE BOTH ED AND I,
IN DIFFERENT WAYS, CHOSE NOT TO
STAY AT MSNBC BECAUSE OF THAT
SITUATION.
AND SO IT'S A POINT I
MAKE OFTEN NOT JUST ABOUT MSNBC
BUT ABOUT ALL OF CORPORATE
MEDIA.
YOU THINK THEY ARE NOT
INFLUENCED?
THAT THERE IS NO
COLLUSION THERE?
WELL, OKAY.
I
AGREE THAT AL JAZEERA IS OWNED
BY QATAR, OF COURSE IT IS, BBC
IS OWNED BY THE BRITISH
GOVERNMENT, BY THE WAY, AND
WHENEVER YOU MAKE THAT
COMPARISON PEOPLE GO NO, THAT'S
WESTERN AND THEY ARE THE GOOD
GUYS AND THAT'S TOTALLY FINE,
AND I THINK IT'S AN INTERESTING
SYSTEM AND I THINK THE BBC DOES
WONDERFUL WORK, AND FROM TIME TO
TIME I THINK AL JAZEERA DOES
WONDERFUL WORK, I ALSO THINK
THAT THEY ARE NOT GOOD TO COVER
QATAR HONESTLY AND I GET THAT
THAT BIAS EXISTS, THERE'S NO
QUESTION ABOUT THAT.
SAME WITH
R.T., THERE HAVE BEEN GOOD FOLKS
WHO WORK THERE AND REPORTED THAT
THEY DID NOT GET ANY COMMANDS
FROM THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT OR
OTHERWISE.
TO I TRUST R.T.'S
COVERAGE OF RUSSIA?
NO, I DO
NOT.
THEY ARE OWNED BY THE
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.
SO THAT
STUFF IS RELEVANT.
BUT DO YOU
THINK THAT THE GIANT
CORPORATIONS THAT OWN THE MAJOR
CABLE NEWS CHANNELS DON'T ALSO
INFLUENCE COVERAGE ON THOSE
CHANNELS?
THAT THEY DON'T CARE
ABOUT THEIR PROFITS?
THEY DON'T
CARE ABOUT THE LARGER PARENT
CORPORATION, AND MERGERS THAT
NEED TO BE APPROVED BY THE
GOVERNMENT?
NET
NEUTRALITY THAT THEY WOULD LIKE
TO END, AND ALL THE OTHER
BUSINESS THEY HAVE IN FRONT OF
THE GOVERNMENT THAT AFFECTS
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS?
IS IT THE
CONSPIRACY THEORY BY THE
MAINSTREAM MEDIA THAT GIANT
CORPORATIONS, IF THEY HAVE A
MEDIA ARM, ALL OF A SUDDEN DON'T
CARE ABOUT THE PROFIT MOTIVE?
THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO MAXIMIZE
PROFIT?
THAT OUT OF THE GOODNESS
OF THEIR HEART THEY DO NOT
INFLUENCE THE PEOPLE ON AIR, AND
THAT THEY DO NOT SELECT PEOPLE
ON AIR AHEAD OF TIME TO MAKE
SURE THAT THEY SUPPORT THE
STATUS QUO?
THAT'S THE
CONSPIRACY THEORY, THAT
CORPORATIONS DO NOT CARE ABOUT
THEIR PROFITS?
THAT'S A
PREPOSTEROUS THEORY, AND IN
PRACTICE I HAVE SEEN IT, ED
SCHULTZ HAS SEEN IT, PHIL
DONAHUE HAS SEEN IT, AND SO MANY
OTHER HOSTS HAVE SEEN IN FACT
THAT OF COURSE THEY CARE ABOUT
THEIR POLITICAL INTERESTS AND
MOST IMPORTANTLY THEIR BUSINESS
INTERESTS, AND IF YOU TOUCH
THOSE YOU ARE IN A WORLD OF
TROUBLE.
BUT THIS STORY GETS
MORE INTERESTING BECAUSE IN THE
CASE OF ED SCHULTZ APPARENTLY
THEY TOLD HIM NOT TO COVER
BERNIE SANDERS IN SPECIFIC.
SO HERE'S A STUNNING STORY ABOUT
THAT.
DID HE TELL YOU WHAT TO SAY,
DID HE TELL YOU AN ANGLE TO
TAKE?
OFTEN.
IN FACT, WHEN BERNIE
SANDERS WAS ANNOUNCING THAT HE
WAS GOING TO BE A CANDIDATE FOR
THE NOMINATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY IN BURLINGTON, VERMONT, I
WAS THE ONLY CABLE HOST BETWEEN
FOX, MSNBC, AND CNN, THAT WAS
THERE LIVE TO COVER IT.
NOW,
THERE WERE LIVE CAMERAS THERE,
BUT WE HAD COORDINATED WITH THE
SANDERS CAMPAIGN THAT AT 5
O'CLOCK HE WOULD MAKE THE
ANNOUNCEMENT AND WE WOULD COVER
IT ON THE ED SHOW.
I GO TO
BERNIE'S HOUSE THAT AFTERNOON,
THE GRANDKIDS ARE RUNNING
AROUND, IT'S A BIG DAY FOR THE
SANDERS FAMILY, HE'S GOING TO
ANNOUNCE HE'S RUNNING FOR
PRESIDENT, WE ARE GOING TO CARRY
IT LIVES THERE IN THE DAY AND
RUN THIS ONE ON ONE TAPE WITH
BERNIE, FIVE MINUTES TO AIR I
GET A PHONE CALL FROM PHIL
GRIFFIN, YOU ARE NOT COVERING
THIS.
I SAID, PHIL, BERNIE
SANDERS IS ANNOUNCING HE'S
RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.
I DON'T
CARE, YOU'RE NOT COVERING THIS.
AND IT GOT RATHER CONTENTIOUS.
WHY THOUGH?
NOW YOU'RE ASKING ME FOR
OPINION, AND GIVING YOU FACT
RIGHT NOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
AND OTHER PEOPLE WILL ATTEST
THAT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS, WE
WERE TOLD WE HAD TO COVER
SOMETHING DOWN IN TEXAS THAT WAS
TOTALLY MEANINGLESS, AND ANOTHER
PRESS CONFERENCE IN BALTIMORE
WHICH ALREADY HAD BEEN IN THE
NEWS FOR A FEW DAYS.
WE ARE
COVERING BERNIE SANDERS LIVE,
WE'RE COORDINATED WITH HIS
CAMPAIGN, AND I'M TOLD FIVE
MINUTES BEFORE YOU ARE COVERING
BERNIE SANDERS.
NOW, LET ME GIVE
THE OPINION.
I THINK THE
CLINTONS WERE CONNECTED TO AND
THE LACK AT THE HIP, THEY DIDN'T
WANT ANYONE IN THEIR PRIME TIME
OR THEIR LINEUP SUPPORTING
BERNIE SANDERS, I THINK THEY
WERE IN THE TANK FOR HILLARY
CLINTON, AND I THINK IT WAS
MANAGED, AND 45 DAYS LATER I WAS
OUT AT MSNBC.
WOW.
SO I'VE TOLD YOU IN THE
PAST ABOUT HOW THE MEDIA AND THE
CABLE NEWS CHANNELS IN SPECIFIC
IN SOME WAYS RIGGED THE ELECTION
ON BEHALF OF HILLARY CLINTON,
AND I DON'T MEAN IN TERMS OF A
SMOKE-FILLED ROOM AND THEY GOT
TOGETHER AND PASSED AROUND
NOTES, BUT GIVEN ED'S STORY I
MIGHT HAVE TO RETHINK THAT, BUT
NO, IN THE SENSE THAT THEY WOULD
SAY HILLARY CLINTON ALREADY HAD
A GIGANTIC LEAD, A LEAD OF
HUNDREDS OF DELEGATES -- WELL,
THOSE WERE THE SUPERDELEGATES
AND THEY DON'T VOTE UNTIL THE
END OF THE PRIMARY SEASON.
AND
THEY OFTEN CHANGE THEIR VOTE.
THEY DID WHEN OBAMA AND HILLARY
WERE RUNNING THE LAST TIME IN A
CONTENTIOUS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY,
A LOT OF THE SUPERDELEGATES
CHANGED THEIR VOTE.
SO COUNTING
THEM AHEAD OF TIME WAS AT BEST
JOURNALISTIC MALPRACTICE.
CNN
DID IT, FOX NEWS DID IT COME
MSNBC DID IT.
BUT IT TURNS OUT
THAT WAS THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG,
IT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE NOT
COVERING BERNIE SANDERS AT ALL
AND USUALLY WHAT THEY SAY IS NO,
WE DIDN'T THINK HE HAD A CHANCE
TO WIN.
HE CLOSED A 60 POINT
LEAD, THAT WAS HISTORIC, THAT
WAS UNBELIEVABLE, AND 2015.
AND
THEY STILL WOULDN'T COVER HIM.
AND NOW WE FIND OUT FROM ED THAT
IN FACT, NO, THEY ACTIVELY WERE
TOLD NOT TO COVER BERNIE
SANDERS.
I HAD ANOTHER ON-AIR
TALENT AT MSNBC TELL ME OFF THE
RECORD THAT IF THEY EVER
CRITICIZED HILLARY CLINTON THEY
WOULD IMMEDIATELY GET A CALL
FROM MANAGEMENT.
I DON'T KNOW IF
YOU REMEMBER BUT MIKA BRZEZINSKI
ON AIR SAID THAT IF SHE EVER
SAID THAT HILLARY CLINTON WASN'T
NECESSARILY GOING TO WIN, THE
CLINTON CAMPAIGN WOULD CALL
MSNBC AND THEN MSNBC WOULD TALK
TO THEIR HOSTS.
SO IF THAT'S NOT
IN THE TANK FOR HILLARY CLINTON
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS.
SO YES,
MSNBC, THE SO-CALLED PROGRESSIVE
CHANNEL, RIGGED THE ELECTIONS IN
SOME WAYS, IN THE WAYS THAT THEY
COULD COME AGAINST THE
PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATE.
ED'S NOT
DONE YET, ONE LAST CLICK HERE.
WHEN YOU SEE HOW THE CAMPAIGN
UNFOLDED, DONNA BRAZILE FEEDING
HILLARY CLINTON QUESTIONS AT THE
CAMPAIGN, THE DNC UNDERCUTTING
BERNIE SANDERS, THE
SUPERDELEGATES THAT WERE
ORGANIZED BY HILLARY CLINTON, I
MEAN, IN MY STATE OF MINNESOTA
WHERE I'M A RESIDENT AND PAY
TAXES AL FRANKEN AND AMY
KLOBUCHAR WERE SUPERDELEGATES
AND DESPITE THE FACT THAT BERNIE
SANDERS WON MINNESOTA THEY
SUPPORTED CLINTON.
THE FIX WAS
IN, THE FIX WAS IN WITH THE
MAINSTREAM MEDIA, WITH MANAGING
THE NEWS AND SHUTTING DOWN
BERNIE SANDERS, AND IT WASN'T
UNTIL HE STARTED MATCHING THE
CLINTONS IN RAISING MONEY THAT
IT BECAME, WELL, WE HAVE TO
COVER THIS GUY.
BUT FROM THE
START THE CLINTONS DIDN'T WANT
COMPETITION, THEY DIDN'T WANT
BERNIE SANDERS AROUND, THEY
DIDN'T WANT THE KEYSTONE XL
PIPELINE, THEY DIDN'T WANT TO
PUSH HER ON THAT ISSUE, THEY
DIDN'T WANT TO PUSH HER UNFREE
EDUCATION FOR ALL, AND THEY
CERTAINLY DIDN'T WANT TO PUSH
HER ON THE TPP, AND ALSO
UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE.
THOSE WERE
FOUR MAIN ISSUES THAT BERNIE
SANDERS, HAD HE NOT BEEN IN THE
CAMPAIGN, HILLARY CLINTON NEVER
WOULD HAVE HAD TO ADDRESS.
SO I
THINK THE FIX WAS IN EARLY ON TO
DEEP SIX BERNIE, TO THIS DAY A
KIND OF PISSES ME OFF.
IT PISSES A LOT OF US OFF.
SO
WHO AFFECTED THE ELECTION MORE,
THE RUSSIANS, OR CABLE NEWS?
IS
THAT AN OPEN QUESTION?
I THINK
THE RUSSIANS DID INTERFERE, I
SAID THAT ABOUT A THOUSAND
TIMES, BUT WHAT DID THEY HAVE,
ABOUT 40 PINTEREST ACCOUNTS?
A
COUPLE MILLION TWITTER
IMPRESSIONS?
LOOK, ANY HOST ON
AIR GETS A COUPLE MILLION
TWITTER IMPRESSIONS IN AN
AFTERNOON.
THAT'S TINY COMPARED
TO THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF
MEDIA COVERAGE.
AND YOU GUYS
HAVE PROBABLY ALL HEARD THE
STATISTIC THAT DONALD TRUMP GOT
$2 BILLION IN FREE MEDIA
COVERAGE, AND THAT WAS BEFORE
THE GENERAL ELECTION.
YOU
REMEMBER ALL THE EMPTY PODIUMS
CNN WOULD SHOW?
WELL, FOX NEWS
DID IT, CNN DID IT, MSNBC DID
IT, AND THEY GAVE A TON OF FREE
COVERAGE TO BOTH DONALD TRUMP
AND HILLARY CLINTON.
BUT IT
TURNS OUT THEY ALSO ACTIVELY
BLOCK THE COVERAGE OF BERNIE
SANDERS.
THAT'S NOT PLAYING
AROUND THE EDGES, THAT'S NOT A
COUPLE TWITTER IMPRESSIONS OR A
PINTEREST ACCOUNT, THAT'S
GIGANTIC.
THAT'S BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS.
SO WHO AFFECTED THE
ELECTION MORE, IT'S NOT CLOSE.
SO AND SHUTTING OUT BERNIE
SANDERS, WHO BY THE WAY
ACCORDING TO EVERY POLL HAD A
BETTER CHANCE OF BEATING DONALD
TRUMP AND HILLARY CLINTON, PHIL
GRIFFIN, JEFF ZUCKER, THE
EXECUTIVES AT FOX NEWS, THEY ALL
AFFECTED THE SELECTION HELPS TO
GET DONALD TRUMP ELECTED, AND
MADE SURE THAT THE PROGRESSIVE
CANDIDATE WOULDN'T WIN.
THAT'S
WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS COUNTRY,
AND THAT IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT
TO OUR DEMOCRACY THAN WHAT THE
RUSSIANS DID.
THEY ARE BOTH
IMPORTANT, AND I BELIEVE MUELLER
SHOULD CONTINUE HIS
INVESTIGATION, BUT IS ANYONE
EVER GOING TO INVESTIGATE THE
OUTSIZED INFLUENCE AND THE
COLLUSION OF CABLE NEWS TO
SUPPORT RIGHT-WING CANDIDATES
AND TO ALWAYS BE AGAINST
PROGRESSIVES?
NO.
WHAT YOU WILL
GET INSTEAD IS OVERWHELMING
SILENCE, JUST LIKE THEY DID TO
BERNIE SANDERS.
BECAUSE IT'S NOT
IN THEIR CORPORATE INTERESTS.
YOUNG TURKS.
