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>>> WELCOME BACK TO "RELIABLE
SOURCES."
IT'S NOT OFTEN THAT WE HEAR
PRESIDENT OBAMA TALK ABOUT HIS
CHILDHOOD, TALK ABOUT WHAT IT
WAS REALLY LIKE ON THURSDAY WHEN
HE KICKED OFF A PROGRAM CALLED
MY BROTHER'S KEEPER HE SAID
THINGS LIKE I GOT HIGH AND I
MADE BAD CHOICES AN THE LINE
THAT STOOD OUT, SOMETIMES I SOLD
MYSELF SHORT.
THAT'S A PERSONAL SUBJECT FOR
BARACK OBAMA.
HOW TOUGH IT IS TO BEAT THE ODDS
IF YOU'RE A YOUNG BLACK MAN IN
AMERICA.
AT THE EVENT A BIG LAUGH WHEN HE
POINTED OUT THE TWO MEMBERS OF
THE MEDIA OVER MY SHOULDER WHO
WERE IN ATTENDANCE.
>> IF I CAN PERSUADE, YOU KNOW,
SHARPTON AND O'REILLY TO BE IN
THE SAME MEETING THEN IT MEANS
THAT -- THEN IT MEANS THAT THERE
ARE PEOPLE OF GOOD FAITH WHO
WANT TO GET SOME STUFF DONE,
EVEN IF WE DON'T AGREE ON
EVERYTHING.
>> HE'S TALKING ABOUT AL
SHARPTON OF MSNBC AND BILL
O'REILLY OF FOX NEWS.
IF YOU WERE WATCHING MSNBC OR
CNN AT THAT HOUR, YOU HEARD
OBAMA'S JOKE LIVE.
IF YOU WERE WATCHING FOX NEWS,
YOU DID NOT.
FOX CHOSE NOT TO CARRY THE
PRESIDENT'S DEEPLY PERSONAL
COMMENTS LIVE, DESPITE THE FACT
THAT O'REILLY THOUGHT IT WAS
IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO ATTEND THE
EVENT AND RUPERT MURDOCH THOUGHT
IT WAS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO TWEET
ABOUT IT ON THURSDAY.
A LATER OF THE DAY O'REILLY
DEVOTED A CHUNK OF HIS SHOW TO
THE INITIATIVE HE DID PRAISE IT,
BUT HE DESCRIBED WHAT HE WOULD
DO DIFFERENTLY.
>> YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET
PEOPLE LIKE JAY-Z, ALL RIGHT,
KAYNE WEST, ALL OF THESE
GANGSTER RAPPERS TO KNOCK IT
OFF.
THAT'S NUMBER ONE.
THEY IDOLIZE THESE GUYS WITH THE
HATS ON BACKWARDS AND THE
TERRIBLE RAP LYRICS AND THE DRUG
AND ALL OF THAT.
YOU GOT TO GET THESE GUYS.
>> BILL O'REILLY, OBAMA ADVISER,
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT.
I LOVE HOW HE STRETCHES JAY-Z'S
NAME OUT LIKE FOUR SYLLABLES
LONG.
JAY-ZP.
BACK TO THE SPEECH.
SOMETHING OF A PATTERN AT FOX
NEWS, THEY SOMETIMES SKIP
PRESIDENTIAL EVENTS WHILE OTHER
NETWORKS ARE SHOWING THEM LIVE.
SOMETIMES FOX SAYS THE SPEECHES
ARE PREDICTABLE POLITICAL
EVENTS.
I REACHED OUT TO FOX AND THE
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF NEWS
SAID THE FOLLOWING, DECISIONS
ARE MADE ALL DAY LONG ABOUT WHAT
SHOULD BE ON THE SCREEN AT ANY
GIVEN TIME.
AS WITH EVERY OTHER EVENT, WE
STREAM LIVE NEWS ON OUR WEBSITE
TO BACK UP THE TOP STORY.
SO DOES THIS FAMOUSLY RIGHT
LEANING NETWORK AVOID GIVING AIR
TIME TO A LEFT LEANING
PRESIDENT?
MY NEXT GUEST MONITORS THE CABLE
NEWS CHANNEL CONSTANTLY, HE'S
THE MEDIA REPORTER FOR POLITICO
AND JOINED ME EARLIER FROM
WASHINGTON.
DYLAN, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> SUCH A PLEASURE.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME, BRIAN.
LET ME ASK THE OBVIOUS QUESTION,
IF MITT ROMNEY WAS THE PRESIDENT
DO YOU THINK FOX NEWS WOULD BE
BROADCASTING MORE OF HIS
SPEECHES?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT WHEN
FOX NEWS BROADCAST SPEECHES BY
GEORGE W. BUSH YOU'LL SEE THAT
THEY DID SO A LOT MORE OFTEN
THAN THEY'VE DONE FOR PRESIDENT
OBAMA.
NOW DOES FOX NEWS NEED TO
BROADCAST EVERY SINGLE SPEECH OR
ADDRESS OR PRESS CONFERENCE THAT
THE PRESIDENT GIVES?
NO, PROBABLY NOT.
I THINK IT'S ALSO FAIR TO SAY
THAT MSNBC PROBABLY OVERDOES IT.
I MEAN IF YOU TURN ON YOUR
TELEVISION AND YOU WANT TO SEE
IF OBAMA IS SPEAKING YOU CAN
PROBABLY GO TO MSNBC AND IF HE'S
NOT THERE THEN HE'S PROBABLY NOT
GIVING A PUBLIC SPEECH.
>> OF COURSE THE AVERAGE AGE OF
THE FOX NEWS VIEWER IS OVER THE
AGE OF 65.
THE VAST MAJORITY IS WHITE.
I THINK THE DATA FROM EARLIER IN
THE YEAR SHOWS IN THE DEMO, THE
25 TO 54 DEMO THAT MATTERS SO
MUCH, ONLY 2% OF THE AUDIENCE IS
AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
DO YOU THINK THAT PLAYS A ROLE
IN THE DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT TO
COVER AN WHEN TO COVER THE
PRESIDENT'S SPEECHES?
>> SURE.
I ABSOLUTELY -- I DO.
I THINK THE KEY ISSUE IS THAT
FOX NEWS TRUSTS THAT THEIR
VIEWERSHIP DOESN'T REALLY CARE
ABOUT OBAMA.
NOW SOMETIMES FOX NEWS WILL
COVER AN OBAMA SPEECH AND, IN
FACT, GIVE IT EVEN MORE COVERAGE
THAN THE OTHER NETWORKS IF OBAMA
HAS TO COME OUT AND SAY --
DEFEND BAD JOBS NUMBERS, ACCOUNT
FOR SOMETHING HE'S RECEIVED A
LOT OF PRESSURE FOR.
I WILL SAY IN TERMS OF WHY
O'REILLY CHOSE TO COVER THIS, I
DON'T WANT TO QUESTION
O'REILLY'S INTENTIONS, DON'T
WANT TO SUGGEST THAT I KNOW WHAT
HIS MOTIVE WAS, I CERTAINLY
DON'T.
I THINK FOR THE FOX NEWS
VIEWERSHIP, THEY
DO SORT OF -- FOX NEWS LOVES TO
ADDRESS THIS ISSUE OF RACE IN
AMERICA AND LOVE TO ADDRESS IT
TOWARD THAT OLDER WHITE AUDIENCE
AND MAYBE TRUMP UP THESE CAUSES
FOR CONCERN REGARDING, YOU KNOW,
THE SO-CALLED GANGSTER CULTURE.
SO I THINK THAT WAS SORT OF IN A
WAY TO TALK ABOUT THOSE PROBLEMS
WAS A STRANGE SORT OF APPEAL TO
THAT OLD WHITE AUDIENCE AND SORT
OF A VERY PERVERSE AND TROUBLING
WAY.
>> SOME BIG MEDIA NEWS INVOLVING
CNN THAT HAPPENED THIS PEERG.
PIERS MORGAN SAID HE'LL BE
ENDING HIS NIGHTLY SHOW, "PIERS
MORGAN LIVE."
IT WILL BE ENDING SOMETIME IN
THE COMING WEEKS, NO END DATE
YET.
SOMETHING HE SAID TO "THE NEW
YORK TIMES," DAVID CARR, WHO
BROKE THE NEWS, HE SAID, LOOK,
I'M A BRITISH GUY DEBATING
AMERICAN CULTURAL ISSUES,
INCLUDING GUNS, WHICH IS VERY
POLARIZING, AND THERE IS NO
DOUBT THERE ARE MANY IN THE
AUDIENCE TIRED OF ME BANGING ON
ABOUT IT.
I ASKED HIM TO TALK ABOUT IT
WITH US.
HE SAID, I'M STILL NEGOTIATING
WITH JEFF ZUCKER, THE HEAD OF
CNN, OVER A NEW SHOW, ONE THAT
PLAYS MUCH MORE TO MY STRENGTHS,
BIG INTERVIEWS.
BUT IT'S CLEAR SOMETIMES IN THE
COMING WEEKS "PIERS MORGAN LIVE"
WILL BE ENDING AND THERE ARE ALL
SORTS OF REASONS, PEOPLE'S
SPECULATION ABOUT WHY THE SHOW
IS ENDING.
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON WHY IT'S
GOING AWAY?
>> WELL, A NUMBER OF THINGS ARE
AT PLAY.
I MEAN, WHAT PIERCE SAID,
THERE'S PROBABLY SOME TRUTH TO
THAT.
I CERTAINLY THINK AMERICANS
DON'T LIKE BEING -- CERTAINLY
AMERICAN WHO IS SUPPORT OR ARE
AGAINST GUN CONTROL DON'T LIKE
BEING TALKED DOWN TO BY A
DISMISSIVE BRIT.
NOW, THERE MIGHT BE A BIGGER
PROBLEM AS WELL, WHICH IS JUST
THE NATURE OF THE TELEVISION
INDUSTRY IN GENERAL.
YOU KNOW, PIERS MORGAN'S RATINGS
WEREN'T ALL THAT MUCH WORSE THAN
LARRY KING'S WHEN HE LEFT.
I THINK IS THERE STILL A PLACE
IN CABLE NEWS FOR THIS SORT OF
ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW ON A
NIGHTLY BASIS WHEN THERE ISN'T
ALWAYS MAJOR NEWS AND SORT OF
MAJOR BOOKINGS FOR THESE
INTERVIEWS.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER
QUESTION THAT I THINK CNN HAS TO
THINK ABOUT IS, YOU KNOW, THE
AGE IN WHICH THE BOOKINGS DEFINE
THE SHOW, WE MIGHT BE BE SEEING
THAT COMING TO AN END.
RIGHT?
IF YOU LOOK AT THE TWO MOST
POPULAR SHOWS ON FOX AND ON
MSNBC, THOSE ARE SHOWS WITH THE
LEAST BOOKINGS BECAUSE THEY HAVE
OUTSIZED PERSONALITIES SITTING
BEHIND THE DESK.
YOU HAVE BILL O'REILLY AT FOX
NEWS, MRACHEL MADDOW AT MSNBC.
PIERS MORGAN JUST MIGHT NOT BE
THE RIGHT SIZE PERSONALITY THAT