The Media Research Center’s Tim Graham called out the hypocritical media for trashing Donald Trump’s presidential transition, reminding everyone that they had a different take for Barack Obama. Appearing on Fox Business’s Risk and Reward, Wednesday, the director of media analysis for the MRC mocked hyperventilating at MSNBC over Trump going to dinner and not taking along journalists: “NBC News has a transparency problem! They had an anchorman who lied about a lot of stuff. They had an internal investigation, to which we had how much transparency? None.”
Graham continued, “NBC is doing reports right now showing they are outraged at fake news. This is a network that for several years employed a fake news correspondent named Chelsea Clinton. So, the idea that NBC News is going to lecture us transparency and media professionalism, I'm just not having it!”
Graham also derided the idea that the New York Times would have the inside scoop on Trump’s transition, saying, “If you were a Trump insider, would be the first person to seek out to give out reliable information be the New York Times at this-point? I would question, highly, the quality of their sources.”
A transcript of the segment is below:
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Risk and Reward
11/16/16
5:01pm ETELIZABETH MACDONALD: The media though, reporting that there is chaos behind the scenes surrounding Trump cabinet appointment. The front page headline of today’s New York Times reads “Firing and discord put Donald Trump transition team in a state of disarray.” Trump firing back, saying this is basic speculation. He tweeted out: “The failing New York Times is so totally wrong on transition. It is going so smoothly. Also, I have spoken to many foreign leaders.” We got another headlines from the Times: “Political divide splits relationships, also at Thanksgiving Time Too.” We welcome the director of analysis of the Media Research Center. Tim Graham joins me now. Time, we also have a head line out just about a half hour ago, less than a half hour ago from the New York Times saying, essentially that Trump says the transition going smoothly disputing disarray reports. But, again, watch this, the Times is saying, legal, procedural delays, freezing the traditional hand off of critical information from the current administration more than a week after Mr. Trump won the election. Media being fair here? What do you think?
TIM GRAHAM: No. I think if you go back to the Obama transition in 2008, how long did it take them to come up with their first two nominations? I believe we were deep into November before we got Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. And we waited another couple of days, until his next pick was on December 1. So, I mean, I think that this is sort of a classic slow news day where all you can really do is say, “We talked to a lot of anonymous people. We have conflicting reports so we're going to call it disarray, because that is all of information we have.”
MACDONALD: Yeah, Tim, when you look back to Nixon administration, I mean, there is just one president who immediately, within one week, one or two weeks, named four people to the cabinet. That was George H.W. Bush. Many others presidents waited weeks, more than a month to their cabinets. So, I mean what is going on here with the media now?
GRAHAM: I think what they are trying to suggest that Donald Trump is an amateur. I think that is obviously what is being suggested and they still like the whole narrative of it, a Republican civil war when really that would be a you know perhaps a better story line there are the Democrats at this-point. They are the ones who should have the autopsy about what went wrong. But, you know, this is the New York Times. This is what they do. They were wrong in everything they wrote about Trump being a disaster and now they are just doubling down. So, I mean, if you were a Trump insider, would be the first person to seek out to give out reliable information be the New York Times at this-point? I would question, highly, the quality of their sources.
MACDONALD: Here is what Donald Trump — All he has to do is name 5 cabinet posts, and he will be the fastest to name cabinet posts since Nixon. I mean, that would be a headline maybe not see. But we are telling you, that is the truth according to what we have checked into. And also, we have this. We have the media making a big deal after Donald Trump went around the block for a steak dinner last night, watch.
[Montage of talking heads attacking Trump.]
MACDONALD: I think that the news is he had steak instead of the chicken hash, which is a better entree at the 21 Club. Tim, what do you make of the overreaction here? This is really hyper ventilated. I have to say it, hysteria. I mean, President Obama broke away from the press pool as president-elect, one time and president two others. What is the big deal here, Tim?
GRAHAM: Well, it was NBC News online last night put out this thing that this was a bad example of you know transparency, with the Trump administration incoming. Look. NBC News has a transparency problem! They had an anchorman who lied about a lot of stuff. They had an internal investigation, to which we had how much transparency? None. NBC is doing reports right now showing they are outraged at fake news. This is a network that for several years employed a fake news correspondent named Chelsea Clinton. So, the idea that NBC News is going to lecture us transparency and media professionalism, I'm just not having it!
MACDONALD: Tim Graham, you’re always terrific. Always a pleasure to have you on the show, sir. Thank you again.
