HBO Real Time host Bill Maher and actor and direct Seth MacFarlane had an argument on Friday over whether or not journalists can be trusted. MacFarlane accused Maher of doing “exactly what Donald Trump wants” while Maher accused MacFarlane of being a partisan who wants to “feel good.”
The background for the segment was actually about Florida and New York City, two places on opposite ends of the political spectrum, passing laws related to social media. Florida’s law bans anyone under 16 from social media while New York’s labeled social media a “public health hazard” for young people.
Against this backdrop, MacFarlane argued that journalists are superior as he portrayed the ideal news media as the actual news media, “I have no idea what these outlets gained by allowing comments on their sites, it's like this reporter took the time to research this, to fact-check it, oversight from an editor, and if they got it wrong, then they have to print the retraction.”
Moving away from the social media angle, Maher sought to probe just how much MacFarlane believes that, “What if it's just slanted? What if it’s just slanted? What if it's not wrong, it’s just slanted, it's what somebody is pointing out in the column.”
Again, MacFarlane displayed a naïve attitude towards the media and how it responds to criticism, “Then write a letter to the editor, do your research and formulate your argument.”
After Maher pointed out that the correction would come “a week later,” MacFarlane wondered, “So what? What’s a week?” Maher rebutted, “Because by then I forgotten it or I don’t see it.”
MacFarlane then set up a false dichotomy were you either get social media crazy people or journalism as it currently operates, “There's this thing we take for granted now, the journalist who did the work, gets to have their piece put on the same shelf as everyone else's spur of the moment to bullshit.”
Maher observed that “You seem to trust journalists more than I do” and claimed “everything I read, whatever source, it’s only half the truth, they print the narrative, they don't print truth.”
MacFarlane then accused Maher of helping Trump, “By the way, that's exactly what Donald Trump wants. What you just said is exactly what he wants. Don't trust the reporters, don't trust the journalists.”
Maher rejected the dichotomy, “It doesn't matter. Okay, well, Hitler was a vegetarian, doesn't mean I like Donald Trump. They print the half that they want that is going to make people like you who are a partisan, very partisan, you want to read something that -- that makes me feel good.”
MacFarlane then claimed he wasn’t a partisan and offered up a profane and unconvincing argument to defend himself, “I read John Bolton's book for fuck sake, I’m not partisan, I slogged through that thing. Jesus Christ.”
Of course, Bolton’s latest book was one of those tell all books about his time in the Trump White House that led him to getting some strange new respect from liberals. After Maher and fellow panelist Rep. Adam Schiff offered their condolences for having read Bolton’s book, Schiff, with no sense of Russia Collusion-related irony, stated, “I think this is the most crosscutting challenge we have overall which is people don't get their information from the same place, they tune into the news they want to hear, reinforce the views they already have, you have social media algorithms queue up what they want to see.”
Maher added, “They’re in the audience stroking business. That is what the media—that’s what they are.”
Correct, which is why Schiff is running for Senate and not retiring from Congress in disgrace.
Here is a transcript for the January 26 show:
HBO Real Time with Bill Maher
1/26/2024
10:45 PM ET
SETH MACFARLANE: I have no idea what these outlets gained by allowing comments on their sites, it's like this reporter took the time to research this, to fact-check it, oversight from an editor, and if they got it wrong, then they have to print the retraction.
BILL MAHER: What if it's just slanted? What if it’s just slanted? What if it's not wrong, it’s just slanted, it's what somebody is pointing out in the column.
MACFARLANE: Then write a letter to the editor, do your research and formulate your argument.
MAHER: But that appears a week later.
MACFARLANE: So what? What’s a week?
MAHER: Because by then I forgotten it or I don’t see it.
MACFARLANE: There's this thing we take for granted now, the journalist who did the work, gets to have their piece put on the same shelf as everyone else's spur of the moment to bullshit.
MAHER: You seem to trust journalists more than I do.
MACFARLANE: I trust certain journalists, yeah.
MAHER: I do, certain ones I do, not a lot.
MACFARLANE: Not a lot?
MAHER: No, and everything I read, whatever source, it’s only half the truth, they print the narrative, they don't print truth.
MACFARLANE: That’s a generalization though.
MAHER: Well, it is but, because it's generally true. They print the side of the story –
MACFARLANE: By the way, that's exactly what Donald Trump wants. What you just said is exactly what he wants.
MAHER: It doesn't matter.
MACFARLANE: Don't trust the reporters, don't trust the journalists.
MAHER: Okay, well, Hitler was a vegetarian, doesn't mean I like Donald Trump. They print the half that they want that is going to make people like you who are a partisan, very partisan, you want to read something that -- that makes me feel good.
MACFARLANE: I read John Bolton's book for fuck sake, I’m not partisan, I slogged through that thing. Jesus Christ
ADAM SCHIFF: You have my condolences.
MAHER: I don't know why you would do that.
SCHIFF: I think this is the most crosscutting challenge we have overall which is people don't get their information from the same place, they tune into the news they want to hear—
MAHER: Correct.
SCHIFF: -- reinforce the views they already have, you have social media algorithms queue up what they want to see.
MAHER: They’re in the audience stroking business. That is what the media—that’s what they are.
SCHIFF: They are. They are. They are.
MACFARLANE: To some extent that is true, but I think to generalize the majority of it is—
