Obama courting reporters

Since 2009, at least 25 journalists have taken jobs with the Democrats

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," September 26, 2013. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

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O'REILLY: And in the "Impact Segment" tonight, the editor of "Time" magazine Rick Stengel has resigned and going to work for the Obama administration. Since 2009 at least 25 American journalists have been taken by the Democrats and put into the administration including Jay Carney the White House spokesman. Many believe this proves the national media is a left-leaning entity.

With us now Dana Perino co-host of "THE FIVE" who is a White House Press Secretary under President Bush. Now this goes both ways.

DANA PERINO, CO-HOST OF "THE FIVE": Yes.

O'REILLY: Because Tony -- not only Tony Snow he was working at Fox and then he went to be your predecessor who is a spokesman for W. You were a journalist in the beginning.

PERINO: Yes. That's what I aspired to be and I worked for WCIA, the CBS affiliate in Springfield, Illinois. But it is -- I just wasn't cut out for it and to be -- to be honest I had never seen bias like that. I grew up in Colorado and I thought everyone thought like I did. And when I got there it was --

O'REILLY: All right so you saw bias even in the local news in Springfield, Illinois and you didn't want it.

PERINO: Definitely, oh in Illinois in the legislature? You bet.

O'REILLY: Ok so you then went into politics and then rose to the ranks to get your job in that Bush administration. Do you believe that 25 -- that's a lot --

PERINO: It's a lot.

O'REILLY: The Obama -- the Obama administration brings over that shows the national media is liberal.

PERINO: I think it show a couple of things. Yes, I think that it gives -- it allows us to stop the charade that everybody is fair and balanced.

O'REILLY: Right.

PERINO: Tony Snow was an excellent hire by George Bush, that was -- he was probably the best press secretary at the podium that the country had ever seen. But when he came from Fox he had already been a speech writer for President Bush 41.

O'REILLY: Right.

PERINO: And then he -- when he was working at Fox he wasn't pretending to be --

O'REILLY: He was a reporter.

PERINO: An unbiased journalist. He was an opinion guy.

O'REILLY: No he was a commentator -- that's an excellent point. I talked to Tony. You know, I was a friend of his as you know before he took the job he called me and he said, you know look I got this opportunity and he was doing radio.

PERINO: Yes.

O'REILLY: He was my -- on the RADIO FACTOR he was my sub. And then he was doing a column and he was doing a whole bunch of things. And I said take the job if you want it. If you think it will be fun and interesting and you will learn a lot. Take the job.

PERINO: Yes.

O'REILLY: It's not going to show anything other than you're a Republican but everybody knows you're a Republican.

PERINO: Right.

O'REILLY: So now Rick Stengel the editor of "Time" magazine he was supposed to be nonpartisan, right? Nonpartisan guy. We knew he wasn't, anybody who knows Mr. Stengel and this isn't a slam at him.

PERINO: No.

O'REILLY: But he's a -- he is a liberal. He's a liberal guy.

PERINO: It's just -- it's just honesty.

O'REILLY: So now he says, well I have had enough at "Time" because its' is going down the drain or whatever and I'm going to go over to the Obama administration. But Stengel was supposed to be a hard news guy.

PERINO: But so was Jay Carney. When I was in the White House press office he was the DC Bureau Chief for "Time" magazine.

O'REILLY: "Time" magazine.

PERINO: And I remember in 2004 when "Time" magazine did a cover it's called "Cowboy Diplomacy" and it was meant to undermine President Bush's foreign policy. At the time when -- and I know you've been critical of how some in the Bush administration, how we handled some of the media coverage of the Bush administration.

But in a way you are just so under siege. So it's the mainstream media and you have nothing, you have no other choice but to be gracious, provide facts, provide interviews where you can and push back when you can.

When Jay Carney went to work for Joe Biden initially before he became the Press Secretary for President Obama I remember thinking ok, good now we can all just stop pretending. And I think that's healthy. But I think they can look at me and say well ok how ironic is this? She was the former White House press secretary and now she is on Fox. But I never pretended to be an unbiased person.

O'REILLY: Well I mean we hire analysts and that's pretty what you are. I mean you're the co-host of "THE FIVE".

PERINO: Pretty much.

O'REILLY: But you're not going out and covering you know al-Qaeda attacks.

PERINO: Right.

O'REILLY: We hire people who we think the audience is going to relate to one way or the other.

PERINO: Yes.

O'REILLY: I mean look at Bob Beckel and he's a committed Democrat. So he's -- he's on the --

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: Or people that have experience and bring it.

O'REILLY: Yes and who can perform also. But the -- I -- I have always said this on his program that the national media skews left about seven or eight to one.

PERINO: Yes.

O'REILLY: For every conservative working at the national level there are eight or seven liberals. And that's the skew, that's the --

PERINO: And the people bears that out -- every year the people says that that is true. I also think to your point about the magazines and the newspapers going down the drain. If you are concerned about job security and you think that there might be a good match for you to work for an administration that you agree with, I think that these journalists are making probably good personal decisions and then that gives them experience for the future.

O'REILLY: They are making decisions, sure and then off that they get a big university job. All right that's the pipe line.

PERINO: And the administration -- and the administration needs fresh energy, people who are able to go the distance.

O'REILLY: Right and I'll tell you what Dana after I retire from here I am sure I am going to get some community college offers. I'll be teaching at --

PERINO: And you will probably work for a dollar.

O'REILLY: I'll be teaching at New Mexico community college or whatever it is. But believe me, my alma mater Harvard going to offer me a job. I know it up there you guys.

All right Dana thanks very much, we appreciate it.

PERINO: Thank you.

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