Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis - NO SPIN INTERVIEW: Bernie Goldberg

Episode Date: September 11, 2024

Bill talks with media maven Bernie Goldberg about the debate, the media, and the race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So joining us now from North Carolina is the aforementioned Bernard Goldberg. Even Bill O'Reilly. He had to sneak that even. I should not have said even. The thing I was trying to get across, and I didn't do it well, was that of the three people, Mike Wallace, Tim Russard, and you, you were the only one. I think you're the only one who's still alive. I know the other two aren't alive.

I think you're alive, right? I mean, you're... Barely. Barely. So I said even, and I shouldn't have said it that way. Okay. But if you want to know, go ahead. I want to know, look, when you and I were coming up in journalism, the art of interviewing

was pretty well defined. You ask the toughest questions, and you follow up if the person evades, as Barack Obama did. You know, I cited the AP poll. I had that information at my fingertips because I knew he was going to say, ah, no, no, it wasn't there. You know, I knew it. Any good interview asked to anticipate what the answer is going to be the question. That's gone now.

And I don't know why. Do you? It's because of something you said on a show within the last few months that when people are asked to come on and be interviewed, the person who's done, doing the asking, the anchor, only wants to talk to people they already agree with. We become so partisan that we don't sit down with people we don't agree with. And when you're sitting down with people, you do agree with, you're not going to be tough with them.

You're not going to ask. I don't understand that. Never in my life did I do an interview. And you can Google a O'Reilly Donald Trump interviews. It's toughest interviews he's ever gotten. never in my life did that enter my mind and I don't know why it's entering the minds of these of these TV people now I don't know why

because we become partisan and we don't we we only like talking to people as you said that we already agree with let me tell you the effects of this during a political campaign for the presidency the column I wrote by the way asked the question who the heck is Kamala Harris which is a question you asked in the lead-in.

She's been, after the coronation, when she became the nominee, without winning a single primary vote, it's been almost two months now. She hasn't done a single press conference, not one press conference. As bad as that is, what's worse is that there's no outrage from journalists. These are the same journalist bill who document every false move Donald Trump makes and I know a lot of people watching us love Donald Trump, and that's fine with me.

But when he says something stupid, they report it. When he says something or does something dumb, they report it. If he scratches his rear end on the way to a rally, CNN does an hour-long special in prime time. That same media is not outraged that for almost two months. To be fair, though. She hasn't done a single news conference. No, that's true. But to be fair, the New York Times and the Washington Post

would both chastise her in an editorial that she should do more. But my focus isn't on the corporate pinheads. All right, we all know that Post and the Times and all three networks are liberal. And they want the Democrat candidate to win. Everybody knows that. But the individuals, like Dana Bash, this was interesting.

So Bash is the only interview with Kamala Harris. ask the questions, but doesn't follow up. All right, that's what the weakness of the interview was. So Harris can say anything she wants, and that'll probably be the case tonight in the debate. And then there's no follow-up or, well, you're dodging the question. Like I always say to my interview subject, when they don't answer directly,

hey, you didn't answer the question. Do you want another shot at it? Or why won't you answer? They don't do that. Let me give you some behind-the-scenes stuff that you know very well. and you could either say I'm right or I'm wrong, but you know what I'm talking about. When you're sitting next to right in front of somebody that you're going to interview, you've got to be a certain kind of person to say, well, you're full of it in a nice, polite way, of course.

It isn't easy to do that. I used to get geared up. I used to tell myself, they're paying you money to do this. do it. I mean, I actually pump myself up before sitting down and doing a tough interview. I did an interview. I'm the reporter at HBO's Real Sports who broke the story on concussions in the NFL. The NFL was furious with the interview.

The doctor I interviewed lost his job, or let's say he left his job after the interview because I nailed him. He said there was no connection between constant hits to the head and long-term mental problems. It isn't easy sitting face-to-face with somebody. Tell me if I'm right or wrong about this and asking tough questions. And only some people, I would say, you for sure, and I hope you would agree that I'm one of them, can do it. But it's not easy, Bill. And I don't think Dana Bash, I don't think Danabash is one of those people. With all due respect.

Obviously, her answer was to the criticism, I can't force anybody to answer a question, which is true. That's absolutely true. You can tell the audience that the person isn't. I have some genetic problem that I actually relished, tough interview. When I walk into the room, I'm like a prize fighter, okay? I see my opponent, and if it's a informational interview, I'm going to get the information that I think has to be delivered to the folks.

I like doing that. And when I developed a relationship, friendship, maybe you could say, with Mike Wallace, he was of the same mind. He liked going into the Iowa Tola Homani and looking at him and saying, it's not me, but everybody else says you're a murdering pig. You know, he liked that. I don't want to embarrass anyone. And I've interviewed five presidents.

And all of them were asked the toughest questions and the follow. But I like doing it. I guess I'm different. Let me give you one more example. I sat down with Vladimir Putin's good friend who was the head of the Olympic Committee at Sochi a few years ago. And I stole, I didn't borrow. I stole what Mike Wallace did with the Ayatollah Manny when he said, it's not me, Imam.

It's not me. But Anwar Sadat says you're a lunatic. I mean, it was one of the great lines of all time. Right, right. And I said, I stole this for Mike Wallace. Again, I didn't borrow it. I stole it. I should have been arrested on the spot.

I said, I forget the guy's name. He was a very nice guy. I said, forgive me. And I touched my chest. I said, this is not me talking, but your friend, Vladimir Putin, the president, he has critics who say he's like a mafia chieftain. Your response, and he got very angry. He was a very nice guy. He said, I'm not going to answer that under any circumstances.

I'm not going to answer that. But actually, that was a good answer. He was indignant about, you know, being confronted with the truth. But I don't have any problem because he was a nice guy. Here's what I think it is. I have to gear up to ask that question. Right. And where were you during the interview?

Because you could be in Siberia right now if you're on Russia. Absolutely. Absolutely. And don't think that didn't cross my mind. I'm going to put forth something now. And you can, you know, you gave me the yes or no. I'll give you the yes or no. But here's what I think it is.

many television news people are not trained the way they should be trained, number one. Many are in it for the money and the glamour, not for journalism. They don't even know. So if you ask them a question about history of journalism, what happened in the past, Edward R. Murrow, how the wars were covered Vietnam, they don't know anything. They are hired for their looks, their demeanor, their voice, but most of all, corporate media and television hires people who will do as they are told. That is the reason that our journalism on television has fallen apart. Right or wrong?

Yeah, I think there's a lot of truth to that. And let me name two people who wouldn't do what we were told. You and me. Yeah, true. And we paid a price. And we both paid a price. We paid a price for that. But look where we are today.

Exactly. Exactly. So we overcame. I couldn't have said it bad. I'm not going to say another word about that. That is exactly right. And I've thought about that more than once. I would rather have the respect of the people than any paycheck.

And I think you feel the same way. Yeah, and when you run the risk of not having any paycheck and you still do it, that says something about you. Yeah, but there's one more for you, though. If you don't have a paycheck, you can always melt down all those enemies, right behind. See the Emmys behind Goldberg? You can melt them down because gold is at a record high. So you'll have some residual income coming at last word. Or if you come to my website, that would help a lot.

Bernardgoberg.com. I'm always telling people to go there, and there's nothing in it for me. I mean, a lot of times you and this Nut Daily, who you got, you're mocking me and telling me I'm crazy, which is good. I like that. And you read my stuff and send me notes saying a good column, and I appreciate that. That's what journalists do. And if you write a bad column, I'm going to send you a note saying bad column. All right, Bernie Goldberg, everybody, bernardgoberg.com. Check it out.