On Thursday’s episode of the LARRY podcast, host Larry O’Connor welcomed MRC President David Bozell for an in-depth discussion titled “Inside The Media Cartel: Bias, Money & Blacklisting.” O’Connor began with glowing praise for MRC’s foundational role in media accountability: “I learned from two of the best, Andrew Breitbart and Brent Bozell, the founder of Media Research Center over 30 years ago … we expose their bias, we expose their tricks and their tactics.”
He emphasized how MRC’s NewsBusters supplies crucial clips daily, adding, “We interact with video clips on this show every single day... and so many of the clips, I often have to say thank you, NewsBusters, for that clip.”
Diving into MRC’s history, O’Connor asked, “When was Media Research Center founded, and what was the idea of Brent Bozell when he founded it?”
Bozell shared the origin story from 1987 in a bar in Old Town Alexandria, chuckling: “Alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of life’s problems.” He explained how his father and conservative allies recognized media distortion during Reagan’s era: “The message may be filet mignon, but by the time it got to the networks and the media, it ended up being chop suey.”
MRC began with a bi-monthly newsletter featuring biased quotes, evolving to more bold tactics, such as slipping critiques under reporters’ doors at the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans. This created demand for alternatives, boosting figures like Rush Limbaugh, whom MRC fed clips via rudimentary tech — “holding rotary phones to VHS players.”
O’Connor reflected on the media landscape’s monopoly in the late ‘80s, with only three networks and nascent CNN. He questioned why liberal outlets haven’t reformed despite exposure of their bias: “Do you ever wonder why the liberal media don’t sort of rethink their business model... and say, maybe we should be more fair?”
Bozell responded, “The money is still too good for these guys. I think CNN is a billion dollars in the black.” He recounted a story of CNN’s president once seeking advice from Brent Bozell amid ratings woes, who suggested hiring Limbaugh with a blank check — advice ignored due to ideological resistance.
A central topic was MRC’s pivotal role in defunding NPR and PBS. O’Connor credited MRC extensively: “Single-handedly ... the predominance of the argument against NPR and the federal funding was achieved because of your analysis showing the media over there was illegal.”
“I appreciate the kudos on that, and I appreciate your effort on the show ... You’ve been carrying the flag for us,” Bozell replied. He also detailed MRC’s intensive work with Congress: “We delivered our talking points and data to them around 23 dozen times. But the night of the vote, there were still members of Congress texting us, ‘Can you please send us the data again?’”
O’Connor also highlighted bias through omission, such as NPR's failure to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story. Bozell cited MRC’s 2020 polling of Biden voters: “If you had known about the Hunter Biden story, would your vote have been different? Across all seven swing states, enough voters would have flipped their vote because they had no idea about the Hunter Biden story.”
Bozell detailed a decisive moment in dismantling public media funding came from an investigation into Kerrville, Texas, during the tragic flood that claimed over 100 lives. NPR and PBS lobbied Congress, claiming they were uniquely equipped to deliver emergency broadcasts in rural areas. MRC’s research debunked this as we contacted the Kerrville County Sheriff’s Department, confirming they appeared on every local outlet except Texas Public Broadcasting, which never sought an interview. Bozell called it “the final nail,” concluding a 40-year fight against PBS and NPR.
Bozell highlighted MRC’s expansive work, from archiving 1 million hours of TV news to combating tech censorship with CensorTrack’s 8,400 documented cases. He stressed emerging threats: “We’ve got to do to the Googles and the Apples and the Yahoos and the Microsofts what we’ve done to ABC and CBS and NBC. Essentially, we have to get into the reputational destruction business with these guys.” Google News, he said, favors liberal sources nine out of ten times.
O’Connor encouraged a victory lap for MRC’s influence on Trump’s elections, crediting their decades-long fight. He wrapped with appreciation: “Thank you, NewsBusters and David Bozell, and Media Research Center for the great work you continue to do... we’re glad to be partners in that effort to draw attention to what the media continues to do because we the people deserve a free press in this country.”
David Bozell is the president of the Media Research Center and ForAmerica, a grassroots organization that mobilizes conservatives to advance policies prioritizing American sovereignty and values.
Larry O'Connor is the host of "O'Connor & Company," airing weekday mornings from 5:00 to 9:00 AM on WMAL in Washington, D.C. He also hosts the daily "LARRY" podcast for Townhall Media. A seasoned media figure, O'Connor appears regularly on Fox News and Newsmax.
