Tucker vs WaPo's Erik Wemple

why it's fair to say the press botched its coverage of the 2016 election afterward the press tried to blame its failure on a glut of fake news and then widely proceeded to publicize a bunch of bogus stories itself small wonder then then a recent Emerson College poll found that the public trust the Trump administration's honesty substantially more than it trust the media one person is supposed to be a watchdog over all this as Eric went bull he's a media reporter for the Washington Post and he joins us tonight Eric thanks a lot for coming on plus so I read your I'm in the media I read your column I read The Washington Post I read it most of my life and in the past couple of months I've seen a lot of stories including some from you accusing people of basically carrying water for the Russian government and that's Russian government's in the news today so I thought I would ask about something I've wondered about for a long time which is at the Washington Post for years many years has literally carried paid propaganda from the Russian government a section called Russia behind the headlines it looks like newsprint is designed to fool readers into thinking it's real and it's pure propaganda paid for distributed by the Russian government with stories like you know we're doing a great job in Crimea why have you never written about that how can you attack others when you don't know that your own paper makes money from taking propaganda from the Russian government you know I think that's a really good question and I wish you'd told me you wanted to talk about this but no those inserts are interesting I mean they are why don't you write about them oh that's a good question I think you know I got a lot to write about but I you know I am interested in that topic I appreciate you bringing it up but it's your own go gee I mean you cover the yeah and to question is interested I do cover the media and I believe there are several newspapers that do run these inserts I think China has one as well all right that's right they are what's known as native advertising where there are signs to the reader that this is not your you know your approved journalism and I think do think that people subscribers to the Washington Post in New York Times and other places that run these things can differentiate between the news that is in the paper proper and the news that is in the Russia China so on and so forth insert that's really your answer because there does I would say two things one I remember a very famous piece that you did attacking Politico for running native advertising Mike Allen in particular and you were all spun up into moral outrage over native advertising and you never noted again that the Russian government is printing something in your paper designed to fool people filled with the crudest kind of propaganda but she didn't even notice it somehow but I'm not surprised because in case after case you failed to cover your own paper running fake or misleading things I'll just give you a couple of examples in case you didn't see them on February 9 hold on hold on mr. Carlson I need to back you up there on that back up there on that premise the thing I wrote about Mike Allen was a different case altogether it was a headline it said they said native advertising pioneer that was a cheeky way of saying that he was folding endorsements of companies and so on and so forth into the very text of his newsletter there was no attempt whatsoever to differentiate that from his from advertising they had sponsors in that newsletter and so I reject the premise 100% but you know I but you still can't answer why your paper intentionally tries to fool readers into believing that Russian propaganda is news and you haven't bothered to cover it and no your job is to cover the media I think that's what it says in your column but again February 4th you're sure reports that Steve Bannon it is true Steve Bannon drives over the Department of Homeland Security to advocate for Trump's executive orders the story turns out to be totally false it didn't happen and by the way your reporters never even called the White House to ask that's fine we all make mistakes you didn't cover it you didn't cover On January 26 in the State Department fired its entire management team so said your headline story turned out to be totally a crock you didn't have it why don't you cover your own deeper shortcomings I think I think you missed something mr. Karlson would you look back I believe moves in January as well the poster reported something that wasn't quite straight about I believe it was a power plant up in Vermont I wrote a very hard-hitting piece about that situation and if you know I read to be you want to read what you read what you wrote by the way you're two of your reporters reported that the Russian government had broken into it hack to the US electricity or they were wrong you said they were wrong you never bothered to talk to your own reporters presumably in the same newsroom that you're in and here's what right now did you not read my post on that matter I not only did I read your pathologist reread it about ten minutes ago and you did not interview those reporters in there you said that I wasn't viewed I interviewed I put an interview with editor Marty Baron they look the story there were critical of the Washington Post and I would know was you I wasn't because here's the last line and I'm quoting it wait one second mr. Carlson wait one second okay and then there's a high that's laughter I appreciate the high pitched laugh anyway I appreciate your value give me an answer I did there are few if any news organizations that allow their in-house media reporter to do as much coverage of their own shop as Fred Hiatt and Marty Baron allowed me to do and I'll cite you a few examples and you just define to do it is that what you're saying they allow you but you and of cowardice refuse to like what are you saying I did a story about I don't know how many months ago about the failure of the Washington Post to get diverse professionals in the higher ranks of the paper I also broke the story within the document for you but you're not answering my question is that why evens need your real stories a lot about diversity in your newsroom I'm using the interview the real workers who wrote the story and then you end with this the missteps Marv an otherwise spectacular run for the post now when you write something that brown nosey do you feel guilt no do you feel like I'm doing my job as a hardened media reporter a spectacular run of my own publication my own employers finish the post mr. Carlson read till the end please that's actually the lat that's the negative angle read the entire last paragraph please form oh is that is that where you interview the editor who assigned the piece the reporters who screwed it up you get to the question and oh that wasn't in front of me because you were afraid to track it down because you work there no and I will continue I also broke at The Washington Post the story of how this is a couple of years ago a few years ago the advertising side of the paper was putting the arm on the magazine to push content in a certain direction you did it Russian propaganda oh you missed that well your area by the sleuth aren't you tell us actually in the paper when you open it up in the middle of it mr. Carlson did you do anything on bread bears report that would be an FBI investigation related to the Clinton Foundation what oh no but I think I think that you did actually Erin oh look I think that you did let me talk I'm gonna knock the self-described media reporter no I'm not I don't cover the video you do oh yeah well you cover media every single day i watch you you are everybody on fox news covers know anything that year this is a good job Erin Fox's listen mr. Carlson I want to ask well you would know because you're a little obsessive about Fox News I notice you've covered Fox News in the last 10 months 23 times more than MSNBC and well if you've got a political agenda you're a lefty you're angry about politics I get it here's my question to you does Jeff Bezos who owns your paper does Marty Baron who edits it'll call you and say you know good job Eric you're doing a real good job as a media critic do they ever tell you I'm just in sincere question do they ever say that tea let me finish with an earlier point that you just seemed to steamroll me on but what did you say when Brett pare reported falsely that there would be an FBI indictment there would be a federal indictment related to the Clinton Foundation one week before the election against Donald Trump yet what did you say about that as a media reporter what they'll have to go back to the tapes and hearsay would say Eric look I get it you can't answer the question so you're saying that I somehow have an obligation to be a media reporter but I'm not a media reporter and you are and you get a lot of mileage out or I'm mr. media reporter I'm brave they give me all this rope but I can do whatever I want but you don't and instead do you single minority pursue your political agenda and my question is please answer it does the owner of your paper Jeff Bezos who rose Amazon is he ever call you and say good job or does Marty Baron ever say you're doing what we want you to do are you acting on their instruction do they notice what you're doing what do they think of it my direct boss is Fred Hiatt I do not see Sigrid job Eric well like really insightful does he say that I'm wondering I wouldn't quote him as that I don't appreciate the pure I'll angle of inquiry here it's not pure sincere because I don't see you as a media critic I see was a political hack acting out his political beliefs on paper with the cover of media Cruz honest a media critic no everyone who reads you knows that I'm wondering if does your dear editors know that do they read it and say you know you're really covering the media straight do they think that I believe I do cover the media straight today for example you really well today I questioned the New York Times as to how they gave a public account of a reporter you know lo you questioned your competitor that's very brave but you ever questioned yourself IRA question your own mr. Carlson I don't think you do ver I will I will put the Washington Post's in the freedom that I have and the times that I have criticized my own paper against anyone in this industry okay okay I'm starting to know bad look the point is just actually you have the freedom and I think it's great you should just use it to do something useful like reporting on Russian propaganda in your own paper we're out of time Eric it's great and I course I hope you'll come back

Channel: Fox News

Views: 465,813

Keywords: Tucker Carlson Tonight, Tucker Carlson, News Abuse, Media, Tv, Entertainment, On Air, Opinion, Personality, Primary Opinion, Fox News, News

Id: spZX1KlXhMw

Length: 10min 9sec (609 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 15 2017