part of me that disagrees. i ll tell you why. it s because after tragedies like this, we have to take action. the question is what kind of action are we going to take? i said before we found out the suspects identity here, because that was really an interesting moment. we didn t know whether they were right ring or muslims. i said our reaction should be the same no matter what. so that right-wingers, left wingers, whoever should all agree what our proper reaction should be before we find out who it is so we don t fly off the handle. at the same way when there s a mass shooting or act of terrorism, we have to respond. there s political differences about how we respond. i think the right wing guys go overboard and we invaded iraq after 9/11 for no reason. it is a moment where we have to make decisions. everyone agrees that these are important issues, these are emotional issues and should be debated. i m talking about what i see in some instances, and this week is the ugly tone.
let s have an honest conversation about that. when you talk about deciding who gets to be in the conversation and where it goes i think that s where you lose me. because now you are kind of using code words to say journalists are cooking the books so to speak in leading the conversation. on immigration. i mean, again, it is tricky, right, but because as you say there are republicans in favor of immigration reform as well as democrats. but it s also the case if you look at where it is a bipartisan push for immigration reform coming from? it is coming from the wall street wing of the republican party. it s coming from let s say the elite wing of the republican party. the koch brothers wing of the republican party. it sounds like you are all right with the press being out front of the issues. you would like it in a more even handed fashion. i d actually just like to have more diversity within the press core so you have more interesting stories pushed and more questions asked. i d
great to be here. thanks for having me. the gun control debate, the background check legislation that went down in the senate, you see that as a classic example of media bias, media rooting for certain outcomes. is that fair? i mean, i think it s a little more complicated than that. i think it s a situation where the press likes to feel like they re in the vanguard of history on certain issues, right? those are usually social issues and issues like gun control, gay marriage and so on. i think those are the places where, you know, a lot of people in the press walk a very fine line between sort of trying to report neutrally, but also trying to, you know, be on the winning side and on social issues i think they tend to fall off that tight rope a little bit. to the point of unfairness sometimes? yes, to the point of unfairness quite a bit. ok, for example, senators joe manchin and pat toomey, democrat and republican were kind of depicted as heroes for coming together with this
you choose as the issue where you choose to crusade on, right? so press looks at newtown and says, well, this is a moment when we need to lead a national conversation on gun control. the press is less likely to look at the goznell trial and say let s have a national conversation on abortion because it s an issue that s more likely to make the press a little bit uncomfortable because i don t think it is any secret that most people who work in our profession lean pro choice and lean liberal on social issues. so again, it s not the issue is not that we shouldn t have a crusading press. it would be we would have a better press maybe if more issue of wider range of issues were prompting these crusades. i agree with the leaning left on social issues and i also think that it is a challenge for journalists who have those views or opposite views to keep it out of their work. i think we see this on immigration too although on the one hand, you have the republican party trying to come to immi
i don t think so. this is particularly strong in terms of blending the dividing line between hollywood and washington. and, i mean, i don t think that works well for hollywood and i don t think it works well for washington. the fact that conan o brien was the host that president obama had some film clips that were very elegantly prepared, the president was funny. he s also always funny at this kind of event. he has speech writers, michael. but i think there is something a little bit tone deaf right now. this guy s speechwriter has got to go. cenk uygur, once again, michael medved and jane hall. after the break, new york times columnist, ross douthat challenges me on whether journalists are pushing a liberal agenda on gun control and other issues. we ll bring you that debate in a moment. neutrogena® pore refining cleanser. alpha-hydroxy and exfoliating beads work to clean and tighten pores so they can look half their size. pores.shrink em down to size! [ female announcer ]