Even veteran liberal journalist Carl Bernstein slammed CNBC, trashing the cable channel’s handling of Wednesday’s debate as “reprehensible.” The Watergate-era author appeared on CNN and fumed, “More than anything... CNBC was really reprehensible.”
Bernstein then called for more balance and open-mindedness from the press. Saying of conservatism and the debate: “But we got a real look at the Republican Party for the first time and their anti-government message is really picking up steam.”
Making a remarkable concession about the liberal press, he continued, “They're [Republicans are] right about the mainstream media. We in the mainstream media need to be reading the right-wing press more, looking online more.”
The co-author of All the President’s Men lectured liberals: “I look at it, because it's a very different universe than we talk about. And there's a lot of people out there that adhere to it.”
A transcript of the exchange, which occurred just after midnight on Thursday, follows:
CNN Tonight
10/29/15
12:39am ETDON LEMON: And last but certainly not least, Mr. Bernstein.
CARL BERSTEIN: I think it was a bad, bad night for Jeb Bush. I think it was a bad night for Trump and for Carson. They didn't deliver the way they were expected to. More than anything, MSNBC was — I'm sorry, CNBC was really reprehensible. But we got a real look at the Republican Party for the first time and their anti-government message is really picking up steam. And the Democrats got to pay attention to it and they're right about the mainstream media. We in the mainstream media need to be reading the right-wing press more, looking online more. I look at it, because it's a very different universe than we talk about. And there's a lot of people out there that adhere to it.
