change across the company, including here at cnn. and i'm sad that i won't be here to cover it. but since this is our final episode, we're going to do something today. this is a special hour and it's about change. it's about change all across the media world. what's changing? what might change? and what must never change about the accountability function of journalism. i love this show. this small but mighty show punched above its weight for so many years. even a former president commented on the cancellation. "reliable sources" has been a one of a kind show, and a popular show. this is one of cnn's highest rated weekend shows. so i want to say thank you to all of you watching around the world. i was lucky to be a part of it for nine years. but it began 30 years ago after the gulf war. so here's what the iconic former cnn ceo tom johnson said on facebook when he heard the show was canceled. he said it was founded by ted turner and leaders of cnn who felt deeply that media organizations have a responsibility to report and evaluate the journalism profession itself. that was the idea. it was a great idea. it is a great idea. and i know many of you are just like johnson. you're going to miss the show. thank you to the thousands and thousands and thousands of e emails and tweets i've been receiving. i'm going to share them with the staff, because they have made this possible. the thing about tv is it's fleeting. it evaporating up into the air, and a lot of it is not meant to be remembered. but this program transcended that. it's a part of journalism school curriculum. teachers across the country, teachers use segments from this show all the time in classrooms, lessons, guiding and teaching the next generation. founding host bernard kyle and rick davis said this program was meant to be a critical lens on the media. such a special thing, a critical lens on the media. this week, we have been given the gift of signing off on our own terms and talking about the media industry. so let's not waste any more time. let's bring in journalist carl bernstein, co-author of many books, most recently the author of "chasing history." carl, thanks for being with me on this final program. >> good to be with you, always. >> i want to know, we have talked so many times over the years about the role of the press. but it's changed a lot in the 30 years this program has been on the air. in the 50 years for example since watergate. what do you think is most important about what has changed and what do we need to make sure doesn't change about american journalism? >> i think the essential bottom line of reporting is to reach the people, the readers, and the viewers with what bob woodward and myself for 50 years have called the best attainable version of the truth, which means even in some of the commentary or a lot of the commentary, that it ought to be repertoirially based. i try to do that. but in this book "chasing history," the most important line in the book, it's about what i learned as a 16, 17, 18-year-old going to work in journalism, is a line that i was taught about great reporters covering civil rights. that is, the truth is not neutral. the truth is not neutral. that doesn't mean that we have to be fair in all we cover. we have to give acknowledgement to two sides. we have to be judicious but not judicial. i know there's been a lot of angst for instance calling donald trump not only on this network but all over a criminal. you know, we called nixon a criminal president in reporting on watergate. in fact, he never was convicted of a crime. but he was a criminal president. donald trump is a serial liar, as i once called him on the air, and i said to myself, i hope that doesn't sound pejorative, because that's what most republicans in the senate in the united states regard him as. so we have to do explaining what we do and how we do it, and the bottom line has to be the best attainable version of the truth, a and the truth is not neutral. ask yourself, is a lynching neutral? i've covered those kinds of stories. it's not neutral. >> it's not neutral. i didn't know if the former president's name was going to come up so early in the hour, but it's appropriate, because i think about my tenure here at cnn. he's the story. he's been the story. he's been the defining story for the last decade, for better or worse. when we think about the media's response to trump, maybe we got some things wrong. have you thought about what we got right and wrong in the past decade? >> yeah, i think we've gotten a number of things wrong. and i probably have myself. but i think the primary thing we got wrong in cable news especially is when donald trump was running for president in the primaries, we gave him unprecedented free air time. and i think that unprecedented free air time, because we thought it was such good theater, that we covered his plane swooping down to a campaign rally. we were there waiting brathlessly. i think it was a kind of irresponsible coverage that we did, all the cable news networks did it. it gave him free ammunition to spread lies, to essentially give campaign speeches with us not making a decision about what is news. and that's the other thing that we do as reporters, editors, what is news is as important a function as we do. >> can we unpack that for a minute? i've been thinking so much about this lately, that some of the biggest stories in the world barely ever register as news. certainly the climate crisis getting more attention. but you think about homelessness, the inability for future generations to own and invest and own homes. all of these economic conditions, because they happen slowly, because we have drip, drip, drip things that are happening in this world, they don't get the attention that the sudden burst from the fire hose does. how do we fix that, to make sure the most important stories are treated like they're news? how do we make sure it's news? >> first of all, i think all of the areas you mentioned can come under the heading of the following, which i believe is the most important story in the world today, that all news organizations, especially this one need to be covering in great detail. and that is the pendulum swinging against democracy all over the world. in western europe, in the former communist east, in this country where more and more we see authoritarianism. not just in the presidency of donald trump, but in the state legislatures, in the campaigns that we're watching now. but the decline of democracy, and its metricicly possible to measure it. the number of countries that have gone from democracy to authoritarianism is increasingly rampant. we need to cover it, even if it's not sexy. it goes to everything you're -- >> what if it is uncomfortable? what if there is pressure not to do it, carl? what if it's scarey in i'm playing devil's advocate, so you can guide us as journalists what to do. >> well, i think this is a function of news organizations and the reporters and editors. you know, it's not very often, in my 60 something years as a reporter -- 60, i don't want to think how many years -- that a good editor or a good news organization turns down a good story. i think as reporters and editors, we need to go to our management. if somebody has said no, you can't put that on the air, and we need to say look, here's why this is a great story. you know, there's a -- and i think both jeff zucker and david zaslov, have been commit through their years to understanding what good journalism is. when he came over to warner, he was asked in an interview with oprah, what is your favorite movie at warner brothers? he said "all the president's men." what is that movie? it's about all the things that we're talking about, how you go about getting the best attainable version of the truth. i think jeff zucker was committed to that. it's basic. it's what we do. and, again, it is not about neutrality, it's about fairness, it's about doing the reporting, it's about getting the multiple sources. all of cable news has commentary. it ought to have commentary. it should be labeled perhaps a little better as commentary. but that's a function, too. just as newspapers and old news organizations had editorial pages. we have room for both. we need to be doing both. but both need to be of the highest caliber. >> i agree with you, and i love you, carl bernstein. thank you for coming on. you gave me an idea just now, you mentioned "all the president's men," it's streaming on hbo max. i think i'll watch that later today. thank you for the inspiration. >> good to be with you always. thanks, brian. >> i've got some time. up next, freedom of the press is under fire. so we have two more really important guests to talk about. jeffrey goldberg and jody ginsburg. they are both up next. 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>> a few things. firstly, increased political polarization. we're seeing a decline in democracy worldwide. carl bernstein alluded to this earlier. countries that should be democracies, upholding fundamental freedoms, are not doing so. in that decline, there is increasing their verbal attacks on the press, their discrediting of the press, because in discrediting the press, that enables them to avoid scrutiny. we have seen that in the likes of donald trump, who calls the press enemies of the people. we've seen that in brazil. >> so around the world. but the counterargument, at least here in the united states, the media has failed the country, the media has failed the public. trump is channeling the appropriate anger of the public. what do you say to that? >> i think you need to recognize that journalists have -- do an incredible job worldwide covering issues that matter to the people. whether they do that this their local context and frankly, that's where they're under most threat, local journalists, reporting on local issues. >> very important to remember that. >> they're not all working for cnn or fox news. there are journalists in the local communities reporting on local issues. think about "the boston globe" exposing the issue in the catholic church. think about local journalists covering the tornadoes last year in kentucky. those are not journalists who are out of touch, as is presented by the likes of trump, with the people. those are the people. they're inside their communities reporting on issues that are important to their local communities, and often those are the people who are most targeted. when we look at the journalists being attacked worldwide, being killed, most off they are local journalists. >> it's important for people to understand. what we have seen is black slisl -- backsiding in democratic countries, leaders trying to turn the public against the press. what are you thinking about in your newsroom, how are you trying to counter these threats? >> well, the important thing is not to be fooled, right? authoritarians obviously see the press correctly as an adversary, trying to get the truth about their authoritarian tendencies and behaviors. authoritarians to stay in power need to convince the people that the press is the enemy. what we need to do -- well, a couple of things. the first is to stay the course and report the truth plainly and fearlessly. and the second thing we need to do is a better job as an industry. i'm not a person that believes the media is one thing. obviously, we need to do a better job as individuals and organizations of explaining why we do what we do, why it's important for people that we do the things that we do. and going back all the way, going back to the founder of what this country said 200 years ago, talked about the indispensability of a free press, and we need to educate people about the indispensability of what we do to make democracy work. when you have an authoritarian in power or anywhere else, they'll be working directly against that interest. >> thomas jefferson once said the press is impotent when it abandons itself to falsehood. but in some corners of the american media, they accept falsehood instead. is the rest of the media doing enough to call it what it is? >> umm, i can't speak for the rest of the media. >> by the way, i think "the atlantic" has. we tried to here. but i wonder if we're not meeting this moment and speaking about the threat to democracy. >> look, we are -- we are obviously like anybody else. we have our traditions and our norms of the way of doing things. but what's happened in politics in the last six or seven years is abnormal. it's not normal in the usual way that things have gone in the united states. i think we have been -- many organizations, many individuals have been slow, and i understand it. it's completely normal. i think we were slow -- i remember six years ago, you know, not wanting to use the word "racist" to describe donald trump. and looking for all these descriptions, racially charged rhetoric. finally you realize, you know what? you have to speak plainly and directly and call things what they are. so we do use "racist." and we did not use "lie" to describe lies for a long time. but now we do. so i think we're catching up. but we have to -- we also have to explain why we're doing that. we are defenseless in a kind of way, because we have made ourselves defenseless, because we assume everybody understands what we are, why we're doing it, and how we do it. and i don't think that's enough any more. because there are people who are casting aspersions on the role and methodology of a free press. >> they're calling the media evil. we're just flawed. jody, how do you react to what jeffrey said? >> we haven't always done a great job of explaining why journalism is important and showing our workings. how do we know something? i think what is increasingly challenging at the moment is, when facts become up for grabs, that's when it becomes difficult. the job of a journalist we always say is not to ask people whether or not it's raining and take both sides, it's to go outside and feel the rain falling on you. we are in a moment where we go outside, and you feel the rain falling on you and tell someone, they might say fake news. part of our job has to be really to engage people, reinfuse people about facts, the importance of facts, the importance of agreeing on some key fundamentals and key information. i think the other thing that's really important, and we have to keep doing is making sure that journalists are properly supported, that we have the financial support that journalists need, but also that they have the backing of those in authority. when those in power have done great journalism, journalists become fair game. and what you see that is morph into online harassment. we have seen a huge increase in that in the past 30 years. and that quite oftenly morphs into real world violence. >> that online harassment is describing an environment of toxicity around journalism that is much more poisonous than it was. it's gotten so much more toxic. and doesn't that scare off some writers and turn off some reporters? don't we news a generation of great journalists because they don't want to be harassed, they don't want to be part of the mess? how do we ensure we're still getting the next best class of journalists to join in this profession and tell the truth around the world, when we are under this poisonous cloud? >> right. that's interesting. i don't know if i worry about as much about recruiting young people into journalism. you have to have guts and you have to want to take risks in your life and you have to not want to make that much money. you have to do a bunch of things to qualify to be in journalism. we're seeing good people come into journalism. some people who don't want to come in won't come in. i'm worried about ownership level as much as what happens in the newsrooms themselves. i think which need to make sure that owners understand that they have a responsibility -- you own a media outlet in america. you have a responsibility. you almost have -- i don't want to call it constitutional responsibility, but a civic responsibility. it's very different from owning a chicken restaurant or car company. you have to be willing to stand up to authority. you have to be willing to lose friends and to be -- you have to be willing there's going to be government pressure against you. that's a larger anxiety. because they control the paychecks. >> i was so proud to be here for the years that cnn -- and i'm talking of only the past, i don't know what will happen in the future. so proud to be here when cnn was setting up so strongly. not because they were standing up to trump's threats but standing up to a government threatening the press. regardless of political party, the press has to stand up to that pressure. so i want to give you the final word. >> of course we have to stand up to that kind of pressure. we have to recognize that's becoming increasingly difficult. if you think about the pressure for people like the no bell laureate, who was subjected to constant harassment, that is a real challenge especially for female journalists to deal with and is unacceptable. we have to do more to support those individuals so we don't find a whole generation that is put off from journalism. >> thank you both for the conversation on this. up next, information overload. do you feel it? what can we do about it? i'll ask a pam of all-star media reporters and critics in just a moment. like #6 the boss. pepperoni kicks it off with meatballs smothered in rich mamarinara. don't forget the fresh mozzarella.. don't you foforget who the real boss is around here. it's subway's biggest refresh yet. a monster was attackingg but the team remained calm. because with miro, they could problem solve together, and find the answer thatas right under their nose. or... his nose. as someone with hearing loss i know what a confusing and frustrating experience getting hearing aids can be. that's why i founded lively. affordable, high-quality hearing aids with all of the features you need, and none of the hassle. i use lively hearing aids and it's been wonderful. it's so light and so small but it's a fraction of the cost of the other devices. they cost thousands less. it's insanely user friendly. you take the hearing test online, the doctor programs in the settings. you don't even need to go into an office. they're delivered to your door in a few days and you're up and running in no time. it connects via bluetooth to my phone. you can stream music and you can answer phone calls. the audiologist was so incredible she's full of all kinds of little helpful hints i love it. they're a game changer for me. i feel like i can take on anything. it feels great to be in control of my hearing. better hearing has never been this easy. try lively risk-free for 100 days. visit listenlively.com millions have made the switch from the big three to xfinity mobile. that means millions are saving hundreds a year on their wireless bill. and all of those millions are on the nation's most reliable 5g network and most recommended wireless carrier. that's a whole lot of happy campers out there. and it's never too late to join them. get $450 off any new purchase of an eligible samsung device with xfinity mobile. or add a line to your plan today at xfinitymobile.com now, today we're talking about 30 years of "reliable sources," 30 years of change a cross the media industry. joining me now are my three favorite guests. welcome, everybody. eric, you once guest hosted the show, more than once. so you get to go first. let's talk about the last 30 years of media. what's been the biggest change in the media world in the 30 years this program has been on the air? >> i want to talk about it from my point of view as a person of color. i wrote a book called "race baiter" that talked how media uses prejudice and stereotypes to make money. one of the things we have seen is that's become much more obvious. there's been much fewer code words used. we see people like tucker carlson talking about the great replacement theory. we see this dis debate about critical race theory. so i've talked about how media outlets use this to fuel their ratings and success and how viewers needed to resist that. i'm sad to say all the trends i identified in my book have only gotten worse. you have to decode what they were doing. now they say it outright. and i think it's much more important for people to resist that kind of thing. >> what about diversity in the media in 30 years? there have been some strides in representation, but not enough. >> there have been strides. not enough. and certainly i think we're trying to resist the group think that happens in media, where even when you have people of color, they're approaching covering the news from a white male perspective. i think that's something that the industry has resisted. and that's why we're seeing, you know, these fights at organizations like "the washington post" and "the new york times." we even at npr struggle with that. we have younger reporters that are pushing us to be better on diversity and to reflect a wider range of perspectives. and yet we have this orthodoxy inside some news organizations that make that more difficult. and i think that war is going to continue. >> continue. let's get to claire atkinson for 30 years of change. what would you say the biggest change you've seen in 30 years of covering the media? >> i guess big tech has had an incredible impact on how we do our jobs. everybody is a journalist these case. you have a phone, you can record and share things. one of the negative consequences is everybody who has a social media account is a media critic. we talk about trust in the media. so many people have criticisms, conspear sis. it's fascinating to see what gets shared on social media. as we know, alex jones has been able to profit off of that. no consequences for lies. it is a crime to lie in a court. it is not a crime to lie in a political ad. in fact, there's no rules. facebook is able to share those ads and there's no accountability. on the flip side, we've been able to -- >> please tell me something, claire. >> we've been able to share our work and bhabl to, you know, create ourselves as individual brands that people want to follow and will want to know what you think about the media well beyond cnn's tenure. >> david? >> it's not the biggest. but i think it's really important and it fits in with what carl was saying. it's a subset of democracy under assault. and it's the accelerated demise of local journalism. that may even be a euphemism of what has happened. >> we've seen it firsthand. >> i had to bear witness to it. you know, in 1989, when i came to the baltimore sun, two papers. the sun had foreign bureaus in london, africa, south america. it was -- to say it's hollowed out is another euphemism. and here's what worries me. yes, papers were owned in the glory years by rich families. but they did have a civic sense of responsibility. they did see themselves as partially public servant. they were invested in the community. now you have hedge funds taking over those papers and there's one thing, make money. that's why i left "the sun." we talked about this, i left it. but think of some of the cities 30 years ago, the kinds of papers they had in buffalo, in cleveland, anywhere. st. petersburg was a great paper. that's gone, and i'll tell you, it's so true. this has become a cliche. but when you take away that local coverage, and i mean by good journalists. journalists who could be working elsewhere, not people minimum wage where they can't afford to live because they take young people and as soon as they join the guild and make enough money, they get rid of them and they get other people who are cheaper in there. when you take that away, the so-called public servants, the politicians, will just run wild. at the state capitols, at city hall, and i've seen it in maryland and baltimore, and it kills me, because i live in baltimore. >> that's why we need these outlets. the nationals and the locals to remain strong and healthy. what we can do as subscribers is support your local news outlets. let's talk about the next 30 years. this program, we should run some of the great interviews. glenn beck once watched off the show on live tv. but as we think about the next 30 years, let's talk about cnn first. what do you -- what do you see as the future of cnn? what is its role and place in this crazy world? >> well, i think your new owners, john malone specifically, would like to -- they want to bring it back to the center. quite what that means i guess is a conundrum, when you have the news cycle that is about a former president. >> tell us what john malone is. >> he's a libertarian, owns a lot of ranch land in america, the father of cable in many ways. he came up with broad band -- >> he's a hero of the cable business. but here's what he said to "the new york times." he said he had nothing to do with the cancellation of "reliable sources" and wants the news portion of cnn to be more centrist. but i'm not in control or directly involved. have you been reporting this out? >> i think that's a good question that people are asking, is john malone responsible for axing your show? i don't know the answer to that. people might suspect it's political. he's a libertarian who believes in not paying tax it is he can avoid it. but he said he's not directly involved -- >> he did deny it. >> but then i think he's a businessman. he's looking at where the money and audience is. and the viewership on the left is split between cnn and msnbc, and the viewership on the right is all at fox news. they have a bigger audience, lots of money, and perhaps he's saying if we shift a little bit this way, maybe we'll get that, too. but he acknowledged in the meantime there's going to be the possibility of people leaving cnn, and the possibility that ratings go down. >> and there will be more change. i know i'm going to be rooting for this place for the rest of my life. david, centrist. is there anything wrong with that word? it's a pretty innocent word. >> nothing wrong with it. but here's what happens. people reduce this conversation and they say, just facts. facts, just give me facts. facts is not enough. yes, facts first. context, explanatory journalism, which this show does. you have to explain the situation. you have to explain why is the cdc doing such a lousy job on information on covid in the early sta arly stains s early statages of it? you can give the facts but sometimes the facts don't tell you anything if you don't give context. on all of -- when trump was president, you regularly had carl bernstein on, and others putting it in historical context. comparing somewhat he did to what president nixon did or what lbj did or someone else. you need to do that. people say oh, just facts. go online and say give us facts. no, this is a larger thing. we also set the parameters of what -- of the civic conversation of american life. that's what you also do on this show. my hope for cnn, just as i said local news is pretty much gone and you have these big papers, the times, the post, "the wall street journal," a few others. it's the same thing on tv news. local tv news is not very good in a lot of cities. i don't think it's very good in baltimore. >> except my wife's show. >> new york is different. >> tv news has been hollowed out. >> and so my hope for cnn, more than ever, this is the most important cable channel, i think, right now, to set a standard for journalism, brian. i pray to god they do it. >> my old mentor david carr would say, it's getting nice sp now. eric, what would you add about the future of cnn? >> the problem is people put a political lens on something that is about preserving democracy and holding politicians accountable. when you have one politician denouncing the press as the enemy of the people, when you have one politician that insists he won an election he did not win, when you have one politician that is blaming immigrants for america's ills, you have to have a journalism apparatus that is free to call out those excesses, without fear of being accused of being unfair. and i think that's the problem. i hope that what we're not going to see cnn do is institute some sort of false equivalence, where the extremism of one party is balanced with the regular dysfunction of another party. we need to be free to call out when someone breaks the law, when someone breaks norms, when someone introduces prejudice and stereotypes into the public debate. we need to feel free to call those things out without being accused of being unfair politically when what we are really doing is trying to see things very clearly and root out the most negative anti-democratic impulses that have risen to the fore in a lot of our public debate. and, you know, i'm concerned also that it will be hard to hold onto viewers if all you do is just give them facts. they do need context, they do need free and fearless exploration, even when you have to look hard at a political party or look hard at a political candidate and say this person is breaking the law or breaking norms. will cnn have the courage to do that? i hope so. >> you know, i have always been a producer at hart, so let's go back to camera three. thank you all for the conversation. >> thank you, brian. >> brian, thank you, thank you for all you have done on this show. up next, we'll end this program the way it began 30 years ago. you're going to like this. the very first guest from the very first episode of "reliable sources" will join me live with a message about the future of the free press. the right relationship with a bank who understands your industry, as well as the local markets where you do business, can help lay a a solid foundation for the future. pnc provides the resources of o one of the nation's largest banks and local leaders with a focus on customized insights to help your business achieve its goals. that's how we make a difference. ♪ ♪ does it get better than never getting lost? ♪ does it t better than not parallel parking yourself? ♪ alexa ask smartfeed to feed the dog. does it get better than feeding yo dog from 50 miles away? 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"preservision is backed by 20 years of clinical studies" "and its from the eye experts at bausch and lomb" so, ask your doctor about adding preservision. and fill in a missing piece of your plan. like i did with preservision" all right. you ready for a little "reliable sources" trivia? what was the guest on the first program? he appeared march 7, 1992. there was a segment about the fineline between rudeness and toughness in questioning the president. he shouted at president george h.w. bush during a press briefing. at if time, he was a reporter for kmol tv in san antonio and he was fired for the incident. that's why he was on "reliable sources" then. and now he's with us for the final episode. he's the author of "free the press" and host of the podcast just ask the question. so brian, my question for you, you haven't aged a day. how did you do that? no, that's not my question. my question is, you have heard the guests this hour. what do you want to add to the conversation about what journalists need to be doing today and in the years to come? >> well, i think all of your guests have hit on a couple of really good points. i want to go back to something that jeff said. i am a former president of the maryland delaware district press association, so i know well from the problems. the problems in local journalism are brought about by government. the bottom line over the last 40 years, beginning with ronald reagan, the rails have been taken off. consolidation means there are twice the number of people on the planet than the day i was born and there's half the reporters. diversity is an issue, because we don't have diversity of ownership. when you have diversity of ownership, diversity of thought comes into play. you asked earlier about attracting the right people. journalism has always attracted the right people, it's hard keeping them. when i first walked into the brady proofing room in 1985, it was helen thomas who introduced me to the world, and it was, of course, my mentor, sam donaldson, who said brian, take a look at that first row in the brady briefing room. there's seven people in that first row, 200 years of experience. of course, he said helen had 190 of it and they exchanged a couple of clips between each other of that. but he was right. today, you have reporters that are hired and brought in to major beats, not just the white house but congress and the vetting facts is our coin of the realm. when i ran newspapers, i would have reporters saying this is what i think. i would say i don't care what you think, i barely care what i think. what do you know. putting a narrative out there that frames the facts in a useful way so people can use the information is the chief problem that we have today. and it is what we will face going forward. and i think the future actually is bright. i think the future does portend well for reporters and for -- i mea mean, we can never be first anymore. social media will beat you to the event. it there is a fire, shooting, whatever, there will be someone with a phone there before we are. what we are -- our coin of the realm and what these shows to like your and others is make sure that we have vetted facts. we're first with vetted facts. that is what makes us relevant and will also keep us relevant for matter the platform. >> i'm glad we ended on a positive note. thank you for being the first and last guest on this program. >> and thank you for having me. it was always a pleasure. and i want everybody to know, cnn's media coverage is not going anywhere. it will continue. the newsletter will be back in the coming weeks. oliver darcy will be leading a team of reporters and you should sign up at reliable sources.com. and if you want to know what i'm thinking right now, let's take a break and then maybe i'll have a few more thoughts. piled with turkey, ham and roast beef.. thisis sub isn't slowing down time any time soon. i'll give it a run for its money. my money's on the sub. it's subway's biggest refresesh yet. why is roger happy? it's the little things carvana does. see, roger wants to sell his car stat. little things like getting a real offer in two minutes really make roger happy. so does carvana's customer advocate caitlin picking up his car at promptly 10am. hi, are you roger? berglund. with the honda accord? yes i am. it's right over there. will i be getting? and he loves that caitlin pays him on the spot. yep, rog. it's the little things that drive you happy. we'll drive you happy at carvana. (fisher investments) in this market, you'll find fisher investments is different than other money managers. (other money manager) different how? aren't we all just looking for the hottest stocks? (fisher investments) nope. we use diversified strategies to position our client's portfolios for their long-term goals. (other money manager) but you still sell investments that generate high commissions for you, right? (fisher investments) no, we don't sell commission products. we're a fiduciary, obligated to act in our client's best interest. (other money manager) so when do you make more money, only when your clients make more money? (fisher investments) yep. we do better when our clients do better. at fisher investments, we're clearly different. large out-of-state corporations have set their sights on california. they've written prop 27, to allow online sports betting. they tell us it will fund programs for the homeless. but read prop 27's fine print. 90% of profits go to out-of-state corporations, leaving almost nothing for the homeless. no real jobs are created here. but the promise between our state and our sovereign tribes would be broken forever. these out-of-state corporations don't care about california. but we do. stand with us. look at the time. you know, this is a really, really unusual day. tv networks rarely have a show like this, a show all about the media. and networks even more rarely cancel a show but still let it have one more live episode. i don't know if i've seen it happen before. so here we are. together. in a super strange situation. so the phenomenal team has been working around the clock on this special hour ever since thursday. no one from cnn management has reviewed my script ahead of time. they have no idea what i'm going to say. and as the control room very well know, i typically go off the script anyway. so i want to thank my wife. this is a selfie that she napped snapped on the first day i had the honor of posting this show. right before we were about to get married. before all the kids and craziness. every sunday that i was here but, my home team was working too. so thank you, jamie. and to my amazing kids. sometimes it feels like the only time they ever really want to play with me is when i'm running out the door to work. they will be in for a surprise this week, right? thank you to jeff zucker for believing in me, for having my back through everything. even through the death threats. thank you to damian calling me and asking me to try out. and thank you for letting me expand the show into a podcast and more. and thank you to cnn's current boss for letting us say good-bye. thank you to everyone at cnn business for digital leadership. thank you to my hero executive producer, john and producing team that makes this possible. i will do whatever i can to help you all in the future. thank you to the technical staff, control room geniuses, floor directors, camera operators, makeup artists, you are cnn's sources of strength. and we need strength. some of you know i've been a media junky for a long time. i was the kid who spent his days building a school website and tv show and i think i'm still that kid. i never thought i'd actually be on tv. i just liked writing about tv. i know this is going to sound like b.s., but i actually thought i didn't have enough hair to be on tv. i am just that kid who loves television and loves the internet. and incredibly powerful sources can figure out how to make the tools work for us, not against us. that is what it is all about, right? that is what reliable sources has been about. dissecting the can changing media world for 30 years. we're living through an era of dizzying change. we have super computers in our pocket. we are all members of the media now. that is probably the biggest change that has happened while this show was on the air. and so the media is the people. people are flawed and opinionated and hopeful and believing in accountability. and that is the watch word here. accountability. so this show is going away, but there will be so many more. we need to have room for media criticism and debate and discussion, and we will. so much of the media ecosystem in 2022 is garbage, but so much of it is spectacular. the hard part is sorting out the treasure from the trash. these are thorny complicated things. i didn't have all the answers. i didn't even have all the questions. but it was the gift of a lifetime to get to confront these issues on international division w television. i know it is not partisan to stand up for decency and democracy and dialogue. it is not partisan to stand up to demagogues. it is patriotic. we must make sure we don't give platforms to those lying to our faces. but we must make sure that we're representing the full spectrum of debate and what is going on in the country and the world. that is doctor sis why cnn need strong and why cnn will always be strong. you viewers at home, it is on you. cnn must remain strong. i know the 4500 staffers will do their part to make it stronger than ever. but it is on you to hold cnn accountable. and not just cnn. you have to hold your local paper and local digital outlet accountable. we are all members of the media helping to make it better. that is what i believe. i can't wait to be watching cnn seeing what happens to it in the future. i'll be rooting for it. i want cnn to be strong. i believe america needs cnn to be strong. i believe the free world needs cnn to be strong. and it will continue to be. because all of us will help make that happen. the free world needs a reliable source. so for the last time, i'm brian stelter, thanks for being with us. scorched earth. western states forced to conserve water as rivers dry up. >> if you don't take it seriously now, you're insane. >> how bad will it get and what can be done. arizona democratic senator mark kelly joins me exclusively in his first sunday show interview ahead. plus, more to come