1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:10,532 --> 00:00:11,837 MAN 1: Hello? 4 00:00:13,230 --> 00:00:15,145 -ROGER: Son. -MAN 1: Yes, sir? 5 00:00:15,189 --> 00:00:17,582 WOMAN 1: Dad? 6 00:00:17,626 --> 00:00:19,454 ROGER: You and I... 7 00:00:19,497 --> 00:00:21,760 have to have a serious talk. 8 00:00:21,804 --> 00:00:23,284 WOMAN 1: Oh, sure thing, Roger. 9 00:00:23,327 --> 00:00:25,416 WOMAN 2: The great man, Roger Ailes. 10 00:00:25,460 --> 00:00:27,592 WOMAN 3: Why don't you wear that tomorrow? 11 00:00:27,636 --> 00:00:30,813 ROGER: This is something I want you to always remember. 12 00:00:30,856 --> 00:00:32,206 Hello? 13 00:00:35,470 --> 00:00:37,428 -WOMAN 4: Roger... -ROGER: Who would give somebody 14 00:00:37,472 --> 00:00:39,996 the audacity to stand for something 15 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:41,824 when there are seven billion people? 16 00:00:41,867 --> 00:00:43,260 PRESIDENT NIXON: And this certainly has to be 17 00:00:43,304 --> 00:00:45,610 the most historic telephone call. 18 00:00:47,308 --> 00:00:49,136 PRESIDENT REAGAN: Youth and inexperience. 19 00:00:49,179 --> 00:00:51,312 -MAN 2: Roger Ailes. -GEORGE H.W. BUSH: Only in America. 20 00:00:51,355 --> 00:00:53,531 MAN 3: He bucked the tide. 21 00:00:53,575 --> 00:00:54,837 To Roger Ailes. 22 00:00:56,752 --> 00:00:59,363 ROGER: They pushed their own abilities... 23 00:00:59,407 --> 00:01:01,235 MAN 4: The most powerful man in media. 24 00:01:01,278 --> 00:01:03,106 ROGER: ...further than others expected. 25 00:01:03,150 --> 00:01:06,240 If it weren't for Roger Ailes... 26 00:01:06,283 --> 00:01:07,937 MAN 5: You did more than your detractors 27 00:01:07,980 --> 00:01:09,634 ever thought you could. 28 00:01:11,201 --> 00:01:12,985 ROGER: You've been called every name of the book, right? 29 00:01:13,029 --> 00:01:15,727 Wingnut, partisan hack, fat, ugly, crazy, 30 00:01:15,771 --> 00:01:18,687 dark prince, Darth Vader, paranoid. 31 00:01:19,862 --> 00:01:21,429 And those were the nice things. 32 00:01:21,472 --> 00:01:24,475 MALE ANNOUNCER: This is an ABC News Special Report. 33 00:01:26,999 --> 00:01:28,610 ROBIN ROBERTS: And we do have breaking news here 34 00:01:28,653 --> 00:01:30,612 because we have learned this morning 35 00:01:30,655 --> 00:01:33,136 that FOX News founder and former CEO 36 00:01:33,180 --> 00:01:35,095 Roger Ailes has died. 37 00:01:35,138 --> 00:01:37,836 JOE SCARBOROUGH: Roger Ailes has died. 38 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:39,447 SHEPARD SMITH: The founder of our network, 39 00:01:39,490 --> 00:01:40,883 our former CEO and Chairman, husband to Beth. 40 00:01:40,926 --> 00:01:42,841 SEAN HANNITY: Second father to me. 41 00:01:42,885 --> 00:01:44,495 -SHEP SMITH: Father of Zach. -PRESIDENT TRUMP: Genius. 42 00:01:44,539 --> 00:01:46,062 -SHEP SMITH: Media genius. -MAN 6: Patriotic. 43 00:01:46,106 --> 00:01:47,629 SHEP SMITH: Shaper of American history. 44 00:01:47,672 --> 00:01:48,934 ANDREA MITCHELL: Transformed American politics. 45 00:01:48,978 --> 00:01:50,371 SHEP SMITH: Well documented flaws, 46 00:01:50,414 --> 00:01:52,199 fell at his home and did not survive. 47 00:01:52,242 --> 00:01:53,852 WOMAN 5: He will be missed. 48 00:01:53,896 --> 00:01:55,550 I loved him. 49 00:01:55,593 --> 00:01:57,813 MAN 7: He was very tough and a lot of people hated him. 50 00:01:57,856 --> 00:01:59,249 WOMAN 6: Complicated legacy. 51 00:01:59,293 --> 00:02:00,816 WOMAN 7: You can look at Roger Ailes in, 52 00:02:00,859 --> 00:02:02,034 in two very different lights-- 53 00:02:02,078 --> 00:02:03,775 what he did for the media world, 54 00:02:03,819 --> 00:02:05,560 and then, the way he went out of the media world. 55 00:02:05,603 --> 00:02:07,518 JOY REID: Ailes resigned from FOX last summer amid 56 00:02:07,562 --> 00:02:10,391 multiple sexual harassment allegations, which he denied. 57 00:02:10,434 --> 00:02:12,175 WOMAN 8: He won, he lost, he did good, 58 00:02:12,219 --> 00:02:13,829 he did bad, he was a sinner. 59 00:02:13,872 --> 00:02:16,048 A lot of negative things to say about Roger Aisles 60 00:02:16,092 --> 00:02:17,354 and I won't hesitate. 61 00:02:17,398 --> 00:02:18,834 There's this whole nonsense about, 62 00:02:18,877 --> 00:02:20,401 "Oh, once someone has passed away, 63 00:02:20,444 --> 00:02:21,837 all of a sudden they're a good guy." No. 64 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:23,578 But when someone passes, 65 00:02:23,621 --> 00:02:26,146 you have to take the full measure of the man or woman. 66 00:02:26,189 --> 00:02:27,973 Roger Ailes is a genius. 67 00:02:28,017 --> 00:02:29,323 Evil genius. 68 00:02:29,366 --> 00:02:31,716 Roger always rooted for the underdog. 69 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,197 He was tortured by not being part of the elite. 70 00:02:34,241 --> 00:02:36,678 MAN 8: Extremely connected to his roots. 71 00:02:36,721 --> 00:02:39,333 MAN 9: I think he feels that he's trying to save the country. 72 00:02:39,376 --> 00:02:41,813 WOMAN 9: This divided country, Roger Ailes divided it. 73 00:02:41,857 --> 00:02:44,816 Many people out there would say that he saved this country. 74 00:02:44,860 --> 00:02:46,166 MAN 10: Playing into their fears. 75 00:02:46,209 --> 00:02:47,689 MAN 11: Fusing racism, xenophobia, 76 00:02:47,732 --> 00:02:49,908 populism, and fear of terrorism. 77 00:02:49,952 --> 00:02:51,649 The evil dictator, Roger Ailes. 78 00:02:51,693 --> 00:02:53,216 A great man in every regard. 79 00:02:53,260 --> 00:02:54,957 WOMAN 10: Roger Ailes was a loser. 80 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,002 Roger Ailes was a winner. 81 00:02:57,046 --> 00:03:00,571 ...is an ugly pathetically sick character. 82 00:03:00,615 --> 00:03:01,877 Generous, hilarious. 83 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:03,052 -WOMAN: Racist. -MAN: Racist. 84 00:03:03,095 --> 00:03:04,488 Loyal, loyal, loyal. 85 00:03:04,532 --> 00:03:05,968 -Sociopath. -The legend. 86 00:03:06,011 --> 00:03:07,491 -The legendary. -A hero, arch villain. 87 00:03:07,535 --> 00:03:09,232 -Roger Ailes. -Roger Ailes. 88 00:03:09,276 --> 00:03:12,496 -Roger Ailes. -Roger Ailes. 89 00:03:12,540 --> 00:03:15,064 ROGER [ON RECORDING]: What they called me... 90 00:03:15,107 --> 00:03:18,285 is opinion. 91 00:03:18,328 --> 00:03:20,939 What I've done is on the record. 92 00:03:27,294 --> 00:03:31,515 I tend to think of it as something I've done, 93 00:03:31,559 --> 00:03:34,953 which my critics would not have done, 94 00:03:34,997 --> 00:03:37,304 because they didn't have the guts. 95 00:03:50,578 --> 00:03:52,797 ROGER [ON RECORDING]: So I'm gonna talk 96 00:03:52,841 --> 00:03:54,321 about the scenarios 97 00:03:54,364 --> 00:03:55,931 and moments in my life, which were interesting, 98 00:03:55,974 --> 00:03:58,455 and try to leave out all the boring stuff. 99 00:03:58,499 --> 00:04:00,370 The scenes and moments I recall 100 00:04:00,414 --> 00:04:01,893 that were significant, 101 00:04:01,937 --> 00:04:04,287 things that might be useful to you. 102 00:04:07,421 --> 00:04:11,251 The first quarter century of my life was in Ohio. 103 00:04:12,252 --> 00:04:13,818 Born in Ohio. 104 00:04:13,862 --> 00:04:15,603 Just a small factory town 105 00:04:15,646 --> 00:04:17,909 about 50 miles south of Cleveland. 106 00:04:17,953 --> 00:04:20,347 I love Warren deeply. 107 00:04:21,913 --> 00:04:25,090 It was a tough or gritty little industrial town 108 00:04:25,134 --> 00:04:26,701 back from the '40s and '50s, 109 00:04:26,744 --> 00:04:30,008 and I was born on the wrong side of the tracks. 110 00:04:30,052 --> 00:04:31,401 [TRAIN HORN BLOWING] 111 00:04:31,445 --> 00:04:33,098 MALE NARRATOR: Northern Ohio, and the home 112 00:04:33,142 --> 00:04:34,883 of Packard Electric Division. 113 00:04:34,926 --> 00:04:37,712 JON VOIGHT: The men of Warren worked at the steel mills. 114 00:04:37,755 --> 00:04:40,192 Or at Packard Electric. 115 00:04:40,236 --> 00:04:42,325 Packard built parts for American cars, 116 00:04:42,369 --> 00:04:45,676 as well as for tanks, and the B-29 bombers. 117 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:47,548 My family had no money. 118 00:04:47,591 --> 00:04:50,333 My father was just a high school graduate, 119 00:04:50,377 --> 00:04:52,683 as well as my mother, and they did labor, 120 00:04:52,727 --> 00:04:54,294 whatever they could do. 121 00:04:54,337 --> 00:04:55,904 But Roger and I had to-- If we wanted to go to college, 122 00:04:55,947 --> 00:04:57,166 we'd have to have jobs. 123 00:04:57,209 --> 00:04:58,733 ROGER: I started when I was about 10, 124 00:04:58,776 --> 00:05:00,517 I worked as a-- I had a paper route, 125 00:05:00,561 --> 00:05:03,477 and I worked as a stock boy in a grocery store. 126 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:05,348 And then, by the time I was 16, 127 00:05:05,392 --> 00:05:07,307 I was on a road gang. 128 00:05:07,350 --> 00:05:09,831 ROBERT: Roger got assigned to the toughest crew. 129 00:05:09,874 --> 00:05:12,616 They dug ditches and put in guardrails. 130 00:05:12,660 --> 00:05:14,226 That was pretty hard work. 131 00:05:14,270 --> 00:05:15,750 ROGER [ON RECORDING]: The pressures of that time, 132 00:05:15,793 --> 00:05:17,534 trying to make enough money, 133 00:05:17,578 --> 00:05:19,188 were just a tremendous amount of pressure 134 00:05:19,231 --> 00:05:21,538 on my mother and father. My mother worked also, 135 00:05:21,582 --> 00:05:23,758 and she was probably the driving force 136 00:05:23,801 --> 00:05:25,455 for excellence in the family. 137 00:05:25,499 --> 00:05:29,241 But it was a, it was a pretty tough time. 138 00:05:29,285 --> 00:05:33,550 Well, my dad was an unlucky guy. 139 00:05:33,594 --> 00:05:35,247 He had a very ill mother and sister. 140 00:05:35,291 --> 00:05:36,684 He was deserted by his father, 141 00:05:36,727 --> 00:05:39,208 so he ended up going to work in a factory, 142 00:05:39,251 --> 00:05:40,688 and worked all his life in a factory. 143 00:05:40,731 --> 00:05:44,344 And he would work and get up at 5:00, 144 00:05:44,387 --> 00:05:46,781 and get home at 10:00. 145 00:05:46,824 --> 00:05:49,610 Did it day after day after day. 146 00:05:49,653 --> 00:05:51,699 It was a hell of a trapped life. 147 00:05:51,742 --> 00:05:55,485 He supported us until we all got off into college, 148 00:05:55,529 --> 00:05:59,141 and he never got to fulfill his dreams, 149 00:05:59,184 --> 00:06:02,927 but he did make sure everybody else did. 150 00:06:02,971 --> 00:06:06,235 ROBERT: And so my dad, although not firmly educated, 151 00:06:06,278 --> 00:06:10,065 really provided a lot of Roger's education. 152 00:06:10,108 --> 00:06:13,373 And Roger, because of his handicap, a hemophilia, 153 00:06:13,416 --> 00:06:16,071 my father had to put more time into Roger, 154 00:06:16,114 --> 00:06:17,507 and when we were kids, 155 00:06:17,551 --> 00:06:20,380 there was no good treatment for hemophilia. 156 00:06:21,816 --> 00:06:23,905 That's a major, major disadvantage 157 00:06:23,948 --> 00:06:26,255 when you're a kid growing up. 158 00:06:26,298 --> 00:06:28,823 You can't do other things the other kids can do, 159 00:06:28,866 --> 00:06:30,433 like, sports and whatnot, 160 00:06:30,477 --> 00:06:33,044 because you sustain serious injuries 161 00:06:33,088 --> 00:06:34,655 with minor accidents. 162 00:06:34,698 --> 00:06:37,788 My dad decided that 163 00:06:37,832 --> 00:06:39,442 I would lead a normal life, 164 00:06:39,486 --> 00:06:41,749 and so, he put me into every difficult situation 165 00:06:41,792 --> 00:06:43,315 he possibly could. 166 00:06:43,359 --> 00:06:46,536 ROBERT: Roger, he did not want to be hamstrung, 167 00:06:46,580 --> 00:06:48,538 or thought of as a weakling, 168 00:06:48,582 --> 00:06:50,105 who you could kick the sand 169 00:06:50,148 --> 00:06:52,368 in the face off at the beach. 170 00:06:52,412 --> 00:06:54,239 ROGER: Something, even at a young age, 171 00:06:54,283 --> 00:06:56,851 made me wanna break out of that. 172 00:06:56,894 --> 00:06:59,375 Part of it was the illness. 173 00:06:59,419 --> 00:07:01,682 ROBERT: Because he wanted to be so physically active, 174 00:07:01,725 --> 00:07:05,337 he injured himself many times. 175 00:07:05,381 --> 00:07:07,383 ROGER: The first real crisis came 176 00:07:07,427 --> 00:07:09,777 when I was seven or eight when I was bleeding to death. 177 00:07:09,820 --> 00:07:11,518 ROBERT: And he was running. 178 00:07:11,561 --> 00:07:13,911 We were just playing outside and running around, 179 00:07:13,955 --> 00:07:17,132 and playing cowboys and Indians or some damn thing. 180 00:07:17,175 --> 00:07:19,090 BOY: Bang, bang, I got you. You're dead. 181 00:07:19,134 --> 00:07:22,485 ROBERT: Roger tripped and fell, 182 00:07:22,529 --> 00:07:24,182 and bit his tongue. 183 00:07:25,662 --> 00:07:27,359 The doctors in Warren, Ohio, 184 00:07:27,403 --> 00:07:31,886 and the hospital there could not stop his bleeding. 185 00:07:31,929 --> 00:07:33,757 ROGER: I heard the doctor tell my dad, 186 00:07:33,801 --> 00:07:35,803 "I don't think he's gonna make it." 187 00:07:35,846 --> 00:07:37,892 My dad wouldn't take that so he ran down, 188 00:07:37,935 --> 00:07:39,937 threw me in the back seat of the car, 189 00:07:39,981 --> 00:07:43,158 wrapped in sheets, and took off for Cleveland. 190 00:07:44,246 --> 00:07:45,987 ROBERT: He got to Chagrin Falls, 191 00:07:46,030 --> 00:07:48,293 which is about halfway to Cleveland, 192 00:07:48,337 --> 00:07:51,209 and my dad got arrested in that city for speeding. 193 00:07:51,253 --> 00:07:55,083 So, he just showed them Roger in the backseat. 194 00:07:55,126 --> 00:07:56,780 ROGER: It was that instant, 195 00:07:56,824 --> 00:07:59,435 it was in that episode 196 00:07:59,479 --> 00:08:03,047 that I knew my dad really loved me. 197 00:08:03,091 --> 00:08:06,181 He was not big on hugging or kissing or saying it, 198 00:08:06,224 --> 00:08:09,184 but the way he handled me in the backseat of that car, 199 00:08:09,227 --> 00:08:11,708 I could tell he was scared and he loved me. 200 00:08:11,752 --> 00:08:13,318 That's important to a kid. 201 00:08:13,362 --> 00:08:14,842 ROBERT: And my dad had a number 202 00:08:14,885 --> 00:08:17,584 of his friends at Packard in Warren 203 00:08:17,627 --> 00:08:21,196 who drove to Cleveland, to donate blood. 204 00:08:21,239 --> 00:08:25,113 ROGER: Guys with names like Dirty Nick Watson, 205 00:08:25,156 --> 00:08:27,419 grimy from hard industrial work, 206 00:08:27,463 --> 00:08:28,812 strapping their arms, 207 00:08:28,856 --> 00:08:30,553 putting their blood into me. 208 00:08:30,597 --> 00:08:32,555 My dad said, "Son, you've got a lot 209 00:08:32,599 --> 00:08:35,776 of blue collar blood in your veins. 210 00:08:35,819 --> 00:08:37,821 Don't ever forget that." 211 00:08:39,431 --> 00:08:41,521 JON: And Roger never forgot. 212 00:08:43,740 --> 00:08:45,220 MAN ANNOUNCER [ON RADIO]: We interrupt this program 213 00:08:45,263 --> 00:08:47,048 to bring you a special news bulletin. 214 00:08:47,091 --> 00:08:49,311 ROGER: My little life had its share of trauma and drama. 215 00:08:49,354 --> 00:08:50,573 ANNOUNCER: The Japanese have attacked 216 00:08:50,617 --> 00:08:52,183 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by air. 217 00:08:52,227 --> 00:08:53,794 ROGER: But I was always more interested 218 00:08:53,837 --> 00:08:57,232 in the greater struggles of America. 219 00:08:58,929 --> 00:09:00,757 When I came into the world, 220 00:09:00,801 --> 00:09:03,194 the world was facing war. 221 00:09:04,674 --> 00:09:07,242 During World War II, we used to go down the basement 222 00:09:07,285 --> 00:09:10,201 for air raid drills because they were absolutely confident 223 00:09:10,245 --> 00:09:12,726 that if the German bombers got over Canada, 224 00:09:12,769 --> 00:09:15,511 that they would get Warren, Ohio first 225 00:09:15,555 --> 00:09:17,905 because all the steel mills and factories were there. 226 00:09:17,948 --> 00:09:20,168 War was closing in on America, 227 00:09:20,211 --> 00:09:23,258 and that thought of how fragile life is, 228 00:09:23,301 --> 00:09:24,825 personally, and for our nation, 229 00:09:24,868 --> 00:09:28,480 has probably been a big part of why I do what I do. 230 00:09:30,178 --> 00:09:32,354 ROBERT: When Roger was a kid, 231 00:09:32,397 --> 00:09:34,878 he wanted to be an army general-- 232 00:09:34,922 --> 00:09:37,489 that was his desire in life-- 233 00:09:37,533 --> 00:09:39,796 and he hung onto that for years and years. 234 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:41,929 ROGER: Very young, I had a lot of times 235 00:09:41,972 --> 00:09:43,495 that I had to overcome things. 236 00:09:43,539 --> 00:09:46,498 A lot of lonely days in the hospital, 237 00:09:46,542 --> 00:09:48,631 but I did spend a lot of time reading, 238 00:09:48,675 --> 00:09:50,720 and I read about heroes. 239 00:09:50,764 --> 00:09:52,069 ROBERT: He read a lot, 240 00:09:52,113 --> 00:09:54,202 but he read what he wanted to read. 241 00:09:54,245 --> 00:09:57,118 He read every book there ever was about the Civil War, 242 00:09:57,161 --> 00:09:59,468 and the Second World War, and so on. 243 00:09:59,511 --> 00:10:02,645 ROGER: I always believed myself to be a lion, 244 00:10:02,689 --> 00:10:06,344 that I would do something important someday. 245 00:10:06,388 --> 00:10:09,043 ROBERT: Roger always wanted to be a general. 246 00:10:09,086 --> 00:10:10,479 He didn't wanna be just a soldier. 247 00:10:10,522 --> 00:10:12,829 "I'm gonna be a general." Heh. 248 00:10:12,873 --> 00:10:15,963 Because of his hemophilia, there was no chance 249 00:10:16,006 --> 00:10:18,574 that he would ever be accepted into the army, 250 00:10:18,618 --> 00:10:20,707 let alone become a general. 251 00:10:20,750 --> 00:10:24,188 But he never gave up that dream. 252 00:10:24,232 --> 00:10:25,363 ROGER: When I was 18, my dad said, 253 00:10:25,407 --> 00:10:26,669 "Where are you going?" I said, 254 00:10:26,713 --> 00:10:28,192 "What do you mean where am I going?" 255 00:10:28,236 --> 00:10:29,585 He said, "Well, you can't live here." 256 00:10:29,629 --> 00:10:30,673 I said, "Well, what do you mean?" 257 00:10:30,717 --> 00:10:32,022 He said, "You're 18. 258 00:10:32,066 --> 00:10:33,110 You're gonna join the service, 259 00:10:33,154 --> 00:10:34,938 you go to college. 260 00:10:34,982 --> 00:10:36,200 What are you gonna do?" 261 00:10:36,244 --> 00:10:37,941 JON: Roger did both. 262 00:10:37,985 --> 00:10:39,595 He enrolled at Ohio University 263 00:10:39,639 --> 00:10:42,250 and joined the Air Force ROTC. 264 00:10:42,293 --> 00:10:45,340 ROGER: I purposely didn't join the Army ROTC. 265 00:10:45,383 --> 00:10:47,821 I was afraid if I trip on a hike 266 00:10:47,864 --> 00:10:50,650 and I get a hematoma, they're gonna figure it out. 267 00:10:50,693 --> 00:10:51,999 And I figured if I'm in the Air Force, 268 00:10:52,042 --> 00:10:53,304 they're never gonna figure it out. 269 00:10:53,348 --> 00:10:55,132 So I devised a plan. 270 00:10:57,134 --> 00:11:01,356 I went in and changed my file before I applied to ROTC. 271 00:11:02,749 --> 00:11:05,142 I got myself checked into the OU Health Clinic 272 00:11:05,186 --> 00:11:06,796 because I knew where the files were, 273 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:08,711 they were right in the lobby. 274 00:11:08,755 --> 00:11:10,887 So, you know, I just sneaked down to the files, 275 00:11:10,931 --> 00:11:12,628 and got my file out. 276 00:11:12,672 --> 00:11:14,282 I went down, sat on the floor, 277 00:11:14,325 --> 00:11:17,720 I whited out hemophilia behind the desk on the floor, 278 00:11:17,764 --> 00:11:20,680 put it back in the file and left. 279 00:11:20,723 --> 00:11:23,726 And they had a surprise inspection, 280 00:11:23,770 --> 00:11:25,641 including a medical exam. 281 00:11:25,685 --> 00:11:27,425 They pulled me back in, and did it again, 282 00:11:27,469 --> 00:11:30,951 and they said, "You've got a bleeding problem." 283 00:11:30,994 --> 00:11:33,780 Told me I would just have to drop out of ROTC. 284 00:11:33,823 --> 00:11:36,652 And they said maybe they could engineer me 285 00:11:36,696 --> 00:11:38,219 into a general officer category, 286 00:11:38,262 --> 00:11:40,047 which meant a desk job, but I said, 287 00:11:40,090 --> 00:11:42,876 "I have no interest in a desk job." 288 00:11:42,919 --> 00:11:45,356 You know, I was very sad during that time. 289 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:47,097 My parents got divorced, 290 00:11:47,141 --> 00:11:48,751 and so, when I went home for Christmas, 291 00:11:48,795 --> 00:11:50,884 I got out a few days early, I just took off, 292 00:11:50,927 --> 00:11:52,276 and the house was sold. 293 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:53,669 Somebody else was living there, 294 00:11:53,713 --> 00:11:55,889 and my dad had moved to his mother's house, 295 00:11:55,932 --> 00:11:57,368 my mother had left for California, 296 00:11:57,412 --> 00:11:59,457 and none of my stuff was there. 297 00:11:59,501 --> 00:12:01,764 My stamp collection. I don't know where-- you know, 298 00:12:01,808 --> 00:12:04,288 I still don't know where all that stuff went. 299 00:12:04,332 --> 00:12:06,769 The house was fucking gone. 300 00:12:06,813 --> 00:12:09,119 My parents were gone, my father was locked 301 00:12:09,163 --> 00:12:11,339 in grandma's house, he was depressed. 302 00:12:11,382 --> 00:12:13,994 My brother was away from and out of it, 303 00:12:14,037 --> 00:12:15,778 and he'd gone on to medical school. 304 00:12:15,822 --> 00:12:19,695 I was at OU, and I was lost. 305 00:12:20,914 --> 00:12:22,437 But it was a very big disappointment 306 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:23,960 because it was the-- 307 00:12:24,004 --> 00:12:26,746 My quest to be a lion was suddenly stopped. 308 00:12:32,490 --> 00:12:36,494 You don't run away from people in trouble. 309 00:12:36,538 --> 00:12:38,322 This goes back to my grandfather, 310 00:12:38,366 --> 00:12:39,889 my religious training. 311 00:12:39,933 --> 00:12:41,804 Because I used to go to prayer meetings with him 312 00:12:41,848 --> 00:12:42,979 every Wednesday night, 313 00:12:43,023 --> 00:12:45,068 and Sunday school in the church. 314 00:12:45,112 --> 00:12:46,766 I've always run toward trouble. 315 00:12:46,809 --> 00:12:48,898 People in trouble tend to come me, 316 00:12:48,942 --> 00:12:51,161 and I don't run away from them. 317 00:12:51,205 --> 00:12:53,120 John Alexander would often be somebody 318 00:12:53,163 --> 00:12:54,861 that people who would say to me, 319 00:12:54,904 --> 00:12:56,819 "What are you hanging around with that guy for?" 320 00:12:56,863 --> 00:12:58,342 And my answer was very simple. 321 00:12:58,386 --> 00:13:00,214 I said, "I like him." 322 00:13:00,257 --> 00:13:01,824 When I was 13, 14, I went 323 00:13:01,868 --> 00:13:05,349 to the Canadian North Woods with the YMCA. 324 00:13:05,393 --> 00:13:07,482 One day we're in camp and it was raining. 325 00:13:07,525 --> 00:13:09,658 And it was very rough water. 326 00:13:09,701 --> 00:13:11,878 We saw a couple 327 00:13:11,921 --> 00:13:13,140 who appeared to be drowning 328 00:13:13,183 --> 00:13:14,794 a couple hundred yards offshore, 329 00:13:14,837 --> 00:13:16,578 and my friend, Doug Webster, 330 00:13:16,621 --> 00:13:18,188 we jumped in our canoes, 331 00:13:18,232 --> 00:13:20,843 and paddled through the storm out to the people, 332 00:13:20,887 --> 00:13:22,366 and got 'em out of the lake. 333 00:13:22,410 --> 00:13:24,629 And so, we literally saved two lives. 334 00:13:24,673 --> 00:13:27,067 Webster and I grew up together. 335 00:13:27,110 --> 00:13:29,591 He was a year younger than me, a year behind me. 336 00:13:29,634 --> 00:13:31,027 We bonded in such a way, 337 00:13:31,071 --> 00:13:32,942 that we knew that if either guy ever had 338 00:13:32,986 --> 00:13:36,467 to give up his life for the other one, he would. 339 00:13:36,511 --> 00:13:38,426 And he got to be a navy pilot. 340 00:13:38,469 --> 00:13:40,863 Webster was killed in an airplane accident 341 00:13:40,907 --> 00:13:42,386 over Vietnam. 342 00:13:42,430 --> 00:13:44,345 And it has always haunted me 343 00:13:44,388 --> 00:13:46,477 from the night I heard that he died on that ship. 344 00:13:46,521 --> 00:13:50,438 I guarantee, one of his last thoughts was, 345 00:13:50,481 --> 00:13:52,875 "Ailes, where the hell are you?" 346 00:13:52,919 --> 00:13:56,270 Because I was always there to save him. 347 00:13:56,313 --> 00:13:59,229 I always had this feeling that it would be me 348 00:13:59,273 --> 00:14:02,058 because of the bleeding episode. 349 00:14:02,102 --> 00:14:04,582 I never thought it would be Doug. 350 00:14:04,626 --> 00:14:06,454 I should have died when he died, 351 00:14:06,497 --> 00:14:10,414 and because I didn't, I could risk bigger things. 352 00:14:12,329 --> 00:14:14,679 So why not take some chances. 353 00:14:16,203 --> 00:14:17,639 [CLICKS] 354 00:14:17,682 --> 00:14:19,249 MALE INTERVIEWER: Uh, basically how did you go 355 00:14:19,293 --> 00:14:20,990 from being a prop boy to where you are now? 356 00:14:21,034 --> 00:14:23,601 ROGER: That's a long and complicated story. Um... 357 00:14:23,645 --> 00:14:25,647 I got into radio and television, 358 00:14:25,690 --> 00:14:27,127 pretty much by accident, 359 00:14:27,170 --> 00:14:28,650 because I had a problem with some athletics, 360 00:14:28,693 --> 00:14:30,304 although I did play intramural sports. 361 00:14:30,347 --> 00:14:33,133 I went toward the theatre, drama department, 362 00:14:33,176 --> 00:14:35,439 and got the lead in school plays. 363 00:14:35,483 --> 00:14:39,095 And it gave me an early appreciation for audiences, 364 00:14:39,139 --> 00:14:41,968 and what makes them respond. 365 00:14:42,011 --> 00:14:46,015 I got my first job on the college radio station. 366 00:14:46,059 --> 00:14:48,539 And I realized that people on campus 367 00:14:48,583 --> 00:14:50,933 actually listen to it and, uh, 368 00:14:50,977 --> 00:14:53,066 would call in, we had radio early, 369 00:14:53,109 --> 00:14:55,372 radio college show, this is by the time I graduated, 370 00:14:55,416 --> 00:14:59,463 I had been student station manager for two years. 371 00:14:59,507 --> 00:15:01,074 By fluke, I had a job offer 372 00:15:01,117 --> 00:15:03,380 as a radio sports announcer in Columbus, 373 00:15:03,424 --> 00:15:05,121 and I had a job offer 374 00:15:05,165 --> 00:15:06,993 as a television prop boy in Cleveland. 375 00:15:07,036 --> 00:15:09,604 Um, the radio announcer was much more glamorous 376 00:15:09,647 --> 00:15:10,997 and paid more money, almost-- 377 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:12,781 more than twice as much, actually. 378 00:15:12,824 --> 00:15:14,391 They tell me that a great many of you 379 00:15:14,435 --> 00:15:16,437 may be interested in jobs in television production. 380 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:18,830 ROGER: Program manager of a major television station 381 00:15:18,874 --> 00:15:20,441 in the number one city, he said, 382 00:15:20,484 --> 00:15:22,008 "Bob, the only thing we would have 383 00:15:22,051 --> 00:15:24,271 would be an entry level, a 'gofer' job." 384 00:15:24,314 --> 00:15:26,316 A gofer means you go for this, go for that. 385 00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:28,188 And so you're really a production assistant. 386 00:15:28,231 --> 00:15:30,320 Your job to do whatever anybody tells you to do. 387 00:15:30,364 --> 00:15:33,149 And I said, "Well, how much does it pay?" 388 00:15:33,193 --> 00:15:34,977 And it was $68 a week. 389 00:15:35,021 --> 00:15:36,457 INTERVIEWER: Sixty-eight dollars a week? 390 00:15:36,500 --> 00:15:40,113 -ROGER: Right. -INTERVIEWER: Oh, geez. 391 00:15:40,156 --> 00:15:41,897 [BEEPING] 392 00:15:41,941 --> 00:15:45,509 ROGER: I decided that the real future was television. 393 00:15:45,553 --> 00:15:47,729 Everything will happen on television. 394 00:15:47,772 --> 00:15:50,384 And there's a great deal of, uh, ability to use 395 00:15:50,427 --> 00:15:52,690 and misuse the medium, if you're not careful. 396 00:15:52,734 --> 00:15:55,998 So, I became fascinated with the medium itself. 397 00:15:56,042 --> 00:15:58,087 And so, I took the prop boy job in television. 398 00:15:58,131 --> 00:16:01,612 That was probably one of the key decision points of my life. 399 00:16:01,656 --> 00:16:03,179 I happened to be in the station 400 00:16:03,223 --> 00:16:04,833 whereThe Mike Douglas Show was starting. 401 00:16:04,876 --> 00:16:06,704 It was a local television show at that time. 402 00:16:06,748 --> 00:16:09,664 MALE ANNOUNCER: And now, here's the star of the show, 403 00:16:09,707 --> 00:16:12,014 Mike Douglas! 404 00:16:12,058 --> 00:16:13,581 ROGER: I wrote the cue cards for the songs, 405 00:16:13,624 --> 00:16:15,322 and I ran for coffee for the stars, 406 00:16:15,365 --> 00:16:16,888 and I picked up stars at the airport 407 00:16:16,932 --> 00:16:18,368 and brought 'em to the station. 408 00:16:18,412 --> 00:16:20,283 And did whatever anybody asked me to do. 409 00:16:20,327 --> 00:16:23,939 But through a series of working myself to death, 410 00:16:23,983 --> 00:16:26,507 and coming up with creative solutions to problems, 411 00:16:26,550 --> 00:16:29,118 I got assigned to that show as the assistant director. 412 00:16:29,162 --> 00:16:31,251 I learned about television. 413 00:16:31,294 --> 00:16:34,297 And we had to put together an eclectic rundown, 414 00:16:34,341 --> 00:16:36,908 from comedy to music to serious issue-- 415 00:16:36,952 --> 00:16:38,171 all in 90 minutes. 416 00:16:38,214 --> 00:16:39,607 You had to make the audience full 417 00:16:39,650 --> 00:16:41,261 from segment to segment. 418 00:16:41,304 --> 00:16:43,045 You had to not offend anybody. 419 00:16:43,089 --> 00:16:44,481 And then I learned-- 420 00:16:44,525 --> 00:16:45,743 I think about communications even then. 421 00:16:45,787 --> 00:16:47,441 I was watching stars. 422 00:16:47,484 --> 00:16:49,617 I was watching people who were effective communicators. 423 00:16:49,660 --> 00:16:51,314 MIKE DOUGLAS: Uh, England's newest hitmakers. 424 00:16:51,358 --> 00:16:54,187 ♪ I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be♪ 425 00:16:55,492 --> 00:16:57,538 ROGER: And then you had to present stars. 426 00:16:57,581 --> 00:16:59,279 We're waiting for the arrival of a very big star. 427 00:16:59,322 --> 00:17:01,194 We've been looking for his limousine. 428 00:17:01,237 --> 00:17:02,934 -Have you seen his limo? -ROGER: And live with their egos. 429 00:17:02,978 --> 00:17:04,806 -"Hi, Captain Jerk." You know. -[AUDIENCE LAUGHS] 430 00:17:04,849 --> 00:17:07,896 ROGER: You handled every one of those problems in real time. 431 00:17:07,939 --> 00:17:09,419 WOMAN: And Bill's gonna catch him, I hope. 432 00:17:09,463 --> 00:17:10,942 ROGER: When a son of a bitch has to work, 433 00:17:10,986 --> 00:17:12,466 and you have to get a rating with it. 434 00:17:12,509 --> 00:17:15,512 Now, that's how you live or die every day. 435 00:17:15,556 --> 00:17:18,515 And so, I have learned my craft, 436 00:17:18,559 --> 00:17:20,300 and you had to engage the audience, 437 00:17:20,343 --> 00:17:21,910 you had to entertain them, you had to inform them, 438 00:17:21,953 --> 00:17:23,694 you know, all those things just started 439 00:17:23,738 --> 00:17:26,610 to become a part of who I was. 440 00:17:26,654 --> 00:17:28,438 I ended up getting, I don't know, 441 00:17:28,482 --> 00:17:30,571 several promotions within a four, five year period, 442 00:17:30,614 --> 00:17:32,616 and ended up executive producer of the show. 443 00:17:32,660 --> 00:17:34,705 My mentor was a guy named Chet Collier. 444 00:17:34,749 --> 00:17:36,925 And so one day, I said, "Chet, how did you end up 445 00:17:36,968 --> 00:17:38,448 putting me in charge ofMike Douglas? 446 00:17:38,492 --> 00:17:39,884 How did that all happen?" 447 00:17:39,928 --> 00:17:41,495 He said, "Every time there was a problem 448 00:17:41,538 --> 00:17:44,976 at that station, somebody said, 'Get Ailes.'" 449 00:17:45,020 --> 00:17:47,631 Then he said, "Even guys who didn't like you, 450 00:17:47,675 --> 00:17:49,764 "if there was a crisis, they'd say, 451 00:17:49,807 --> 00:17:51,070 'Get Ailes in here.'" 452 00:17:51,113 --> 00:17:53,072 And he said, "If you wanna know 453 00:17:53,115 --> 00:17:54,595 how you got to be who you are today, 454 00:17:54,638 --> 00:17:56,031 it's those two words." 455 00:17:56,075 --> 00:17:59,339 MARVIN KALB: At age 25, he was already 456 00:17:59,382 --> 00:18:02,037 the executive producer ofThe Mike Douglas Show, 457 00:18:02,081 --> 00:18:04,431 which was successfully syndicated, 458 00:18:04,474 --> 00:18:06,520 and won several Emmy Awards. 459 00:18:06,563 --> 00:18:08,087 ROGER: Actually, we had more viewers 460 00:18:08,130 --> 00:18:09,175 forThe Mike Douglas show 461 00:18:09,218 --> 00:18:11,133 in the '60s at its peak. 462 00:18:11,177 --> 00:18:13,483 We're in a 182 cities, we had more viewers 463 00:18:13,527 --> 00:18:16,443 thanThe Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. 464 00:18:16,486 --> 00:18:18,706 That might have been the last pure television show, 465 00:18:18,749 --> 00:18:21,317 in the sense that there was never 466 00:18:21,361 --> 00:18:24,973 a political discussion about who should we book. 467 00:18:25,016 --> 00:18:29,151 I did four television shows with Martin Luther King. 468 00:18:29,195 --> 00:18:30,979 Martin Luther King was for peace. 469 00:18:31,022 --> 00:18:32,850 We were too. 470 00:18:32,894 --> 00:18:35,070 You know, the '60s. 471 00:18:37,028 --> 00:18:38,769 Women's Lib. 472 00:18:39,857 --> 00:18:41,816 The Vietnam War. 473 00:18:41,859 --> 00:18:45,036 Then Civil Rights. 474 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:47,735 People are tearing their jeans and painting their ass. 475 00:18:47,778 --> 00:18:50,259 So that all took place in a decade. 476 00:18:50,303 --> 00:18:52,174 Some of it good, some of it bad, 477 00:18:52,218 --> 00:18:54,133 but it was chaotic for America. 478 00:18:54,176 --> 00:18:56,004 MALE REPORTER: Made of violence and senseless 479 00:18:56,047 --> 00:18:58,093 stoning of cars and shops. 480 00:18:58,137 --> 00:19:01,314 MARTIN LUTHER KING: I have to take a stand against the riots 481 00:19:01,357 --> 00:19:03,359 because with my deep commitment, 482 00:19:03,403 --> 00:19:04,882 uh, to nonviolence. 483 00:19:04,926 --> 00:19:06,275 ROGER: So I've been interested in civil rights 484 00:19:06,319 --> 00:19:07,842 since the early '60s. 485 00:19:07,885 --> 00:19:10,192 We worked very hard for integration. 486 00:19:10,236 --> 00:19:12,063 Many of us who were pro-civil rights 487 00:19:12,107 --> 00:19:13,804 thought this was a good idea. 488 00:19:13,848 --> 00:19:16,546 The African-Americans had been held down so long, 489 00:19:16,590 --> 00:19:19,332 they had every right to be pissed off about it. 490 00:19:19,375 --> 00:19:23,205 But it formed the anti-American movement. 491 00:19:23,249 --> 00:19:26,121 BOBBY SEALE: But you, revolutionaries, 492 00:19:26,165 --> 00:19:28,776 how many white folks you killed today? 493 00:19:30,995 --> 00:19:33,650 So when Roger Ailes entered politics, uh, 494 00:19:33,694 --> 00:19:36,697 the country was torn apart by the Vietnam War, 495 00:19:36,740 --> 00:19:38,089 there's this new radical movement 496 00:19:38,133 --> 00:19:40,309 that didn't like the American government. 497 00:19:40,353 --> 00:19:42,920 I'm not committed to nonviolence in any way. 498 00:19:42,964 --> 00:19:45,401 Not to say that he was accepting of a bad war 499 00:19:45,445 --> 00:19:48,752 or he was judgmental about people who are smoking pot. 500 00:19:48,796 --> 00:19:50,798 ROGER: We got 26,000 guys getting shot at 501 00:19:50,841 --> 00:19:53,235 for no fucking reason, and we can't-- 502 00:19:53,279 --> 00:19:55,106 we have nothing to win over there. 503 00:19:55,150 --> 00:19:57,283 BILL: That's not what it was. 504 00:19:57,326 --> 00:19:59,981 It was, "America is noble." 505 00:20:00,024 --> 00:20:01,983 Don't-- You-- 506 00:20:02,026 --> 00:20:04,986 Dissent is fine, but don't tear the whole fabric of the country down. 507 00:20:05,029 --> 00:20:08,032 So he aligned himself with those kinds of politicians. 508 00:20:09,512 --> 00:20:11,340 PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON: I pledge to you, 509 00:20:11,384 --> 00:20:15,736 we shall have an honorable end to the war in Vietnam. 510 00:20:15,779 --> 00:20:18,739 ROGER: It was late 1967, and the war was going. 511 00:20:18,782 --> 00:20:21,045 Johnson was pouring troops into Vietnam, 512 00:20:21,089 --> 00:20:24,266 and Richard Nixon decided to run in 1968. 513 00:20:24,310 --> 00:20:25,920 And he was a guest onThe Mike Douglas Show. 514 00:20:25,963 --> 00:20:27,356 RICHARD NIXON: Politics, more and more, 515 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:29,924 is becoming show business, I find. 516 00:20:29,967 --> 00:20:31,447 ROGER: And I saw an opportunity there. 517 00:20:31,491 --> 00:20:33,928 I was 28 years old. I came back one day, 518 00:20:33,971 --> 00:20:36,104 from rehearsal, he says, 519 00:20:36,147 --> 00:20:38,106 "That's too bad a guy has to rely on a gimmick 520 00:20:38,149 --> 00:20:39,847 to get elected." I said, "If you think 521 00:20:39,890 --> 00:20:42,371 television is a gimmick, you're gonna lose again." 522 00:20:42,415 --> 00:20:44,155 I think it was the "again" that got him. 523 00:20:44,199 --> 00:20:46,636 I didn't care what I said to him, I didn't know him. 524 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,422 He was not rude. But he speaks his mind. 525 00:20:49,465 --> 00:20:52,120 I mean, he doesn't think that, uh, 526 00:20:52,163 --> 00:20:56,385 anybody is gonna be offended by blunt talk. 527 00:20:56,429 --> 00:20:58,779 And Ailes just had the nuts to turn around and say, 528 00:20:58,822 --> 00:21:00,476 "You'll never win another election in your life." 529 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:03,131 I love that story. I mean, this guy Ailes had balls. 530 00:21:03,174 --> 00:21:07,178 Not everybody liked Roger's style, 531 00:21:07,222 --> 00:21:10,312 which was funny, profane, conversational, blunt. 532 00:21:10,356 --> 00:21:12,749 ROGER: You have to be able to speak up at a certain time, 533 00:21:12,793 --> 00:21:15,535 and change the flow, uh, and that means taking risks. 534 00:21:15,578 --> 00:21:17,493 A lot of people don't wanna do that. 535 00:21:17,537 --> 00:21:19,278 Nobody's gonna package me, 536 00:21:19,321 --> 00:21:22,368 uh, nobody is going to make me put on an act for television. 537 00:21:22,411 --> 00:21:24,935 The answer is, I never have, and I'm not gonna start now. 538 00:21:24,979 --> 00:21:26,981 You know, Nixon was probably still absorbing 539 00:21:27,024 --> 00:21:29,331 the lessons of the 1960 presidential debate, 540 00:21:29,375 --> 00:21:31,333 when he really didn't look very good on camera, 541 00:21:31,377 --> 00:21:33,770 and John F. Kennedy looked fabulous. 542 00:21:33,814 --> 00:21:36,991 KENNEDY: ...as a Democrat, I can say I don't know what we'd do without television. 543 00:21:37,034 --> 00:21:38,775 Roger would tell me years later 544 00:21:38,819 --> 00:21:42,475 that Nixon had not learned the lessons of 1960 545 00:21:42,518 --> 00:21:44,433 or the lesson of 1962. 546 00:21:44,477 --> 00:21:46,392 And Roger convinced Nixon 547 00:21:46,435 --> 00:21:48,176 that television was not a gimmick. 548 00:21:48,219 --> 00:21:51,397 And because of that, he later became a consultant 549 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,574 to the 1968 presidential campaign for Nixon. 550 00:21:54,617 --> 00:21:56,358 ROGER: He called me and asked me to come 551 00:21:56,402 --> 00:21:58,099 and brief his people, and would I be interested 552 00:21:58,142 --> 00:21:59,361 in producing some television. 553 00:21:59,405 --> 00:22:01,232 And I thought, that's interesting. 554 00:22:01,276 --> 00:22:03,234 I'm a 28-year-old former ditch digger from Ohio, 555 00:22:03,278 --> 00:22:06,325 and they're asking me to produce television 556 00:22:06,368 --> 00:22:09,110 for a presidential campaign. 557 00:22:09,153 --> 00:22:10,894 BILL: Everybody said there was no way 558 00:22:10,938 --> 00:22:12,983 Richard Nixon could use television to get elected. 559 00:22:13,027 --> 00:22:15,159 That he was the worst media candidate 560 00:22:15,203 --> 00:22:17,597 in the history of the country, that he was basically finished. 561 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:20,774 Gentlemen, this is my last press conference, 562 00:22:20,817 --> 00:22:23,211 just think how much you're gonna be missing me. 563 00:22:23,254 --> 00:22:26,736 You don't have Nixon to kick around anymore. Good day. 564 00:22:26,780 --> 00:22:29,522 ROGER: No, they hated Nixon because he wasn't cool, 565 00:22:29,565 --> 00:22:32,002 didn't go to an Ivy League school. 566 00:22:32,046 --> 00:22:33,308 They hated him. 567 00:22:33,352 --> 00:22:34,614 There is a thread in me 568 00:22:34,657 --> 00:22:36,877 that goes to the least popular person. 569 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:38,705 Part of it is my Christian roots, 570 00:22:38,748 --> 00:22:40,620 part of it is, you know, you show me somebody 571 00:22:40,663 --> 00:22:42,622 who's getting the shit kicked out of them by everybody, 572 00:22:42,665 --> 00:22:45,886 and my instincts immediately 573 00:22:45,929 --> 00:22:48,932 are to get into that fight on the other side. 574 00:22:48,976 --> 00:22:51,021 I saw Nixon as an underdog. 575 00:22:51,065 --> 00:22:54,416 That picture probably pissed me off. 576 00:22:54,460 --> 00:22:56,331 And I was getting pissed and pissed 577 00:22:56,375 --> 00:22:58,202 because I was basically feeling I was being threatened 578 00:22:58,246 --> 00:22:59,465 that if I work for Nixon, 579 00:22:59,508 --> 00:23:01,380 I'd never work in television again. 580 00:23:01,423 --> 00:23:03,512 And I just said, "I haven't decided 581 00:23:03,556 --> 00:23:06,820 whether I'm gonna work for Richard Nixon or not. 582 00:23:08,038 --> 00:23:10,693 But if I do, he'll win." 583 00:23:10,737 --> 00:23:17,178 I thought, "Hmm, that's the biggest media problem of our time." 584 00:23:17,221 --> 00:23:19,876 Maybe I'll solve it. 585 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:21,400 Everybody thought that the way to do it 586 00:23:21,443 --> 00:23:23,097 was to make him warm and cuddly, 587 00:23:23,140 --> 00:23:25,491 and try to get him across on television 588 00:23:25,534 --> 00:23:26,883 as a warm human being. 589 00:23:26,927 --> 00:23:28,102 Well, that's very, uh-- 590 00:23:28,145 --> 00:23:30,104 What's the population in the town? 591 00:23:30,147 --> 00:23:31,845 -MAN: About 2100. -Twenty-one hundred? 592 00:23:31,888 --> 00:23:34,282 That is-- That's the-- Mm-hmm. 593 00:23:34,325 --> 00:23:35,979 ROGER: I watched a bunch of tape they shot 594 00:23:36,023 --> 00:23:37,503 of Richard Nixon in New Hampshire, 595 00:23:37,546 --> 00:23:39,461 and they asked me to evaluate it. 596 00:23:39,505 --> 00:23:40,810 RICHARD NIXON: Uh, what is your bigger season, 597 00:23:40,854 --> 00:23:42,464 winter or summer? Summer? 598 00:23:42,508 --> 00:23:45,206 ROGER: And the tape was him going into people's homes, 599 00:23:45,249 --> 00:23:46,947 balancing a teacup on his knee, 600 00:23:46,990 --> 00:23:48,731 and trying to have little chatty conversations 601 00:23:48,775 --> 00:23:50,429 with these people from New England. 602 00:23:50,472 --> 00:23:51,691 Tell me, uh, where are you from? 603 00:23:51,734 --> 00:23:53,170 SHIRLEY: Shirley Meryl, Lebanon. 604 00:23:53,214 --> 00:23:55,042 From Lebanon? Yes. Yes. 605 00:23:55,085 --> 00:23:56,522 Nice to see you here. 606 00:23:56,565 --> 00:23:58,437 ROGER: It was horrible. 607 00:23:58,480 --> 00:23:59,829 And I think this is the time, 608 00:23:59,873 --> 00:24:02,658 and this is the place to take off the gloves 609 00:24:02,702 --> 00:24:04,225 and sock it to 'em! 610 00:24:05,835 --> 00:24:07,533 Sock it to me? 611 00:24:08,751 --> 00:24:10,361 ROGER: Just horrible. 612 00:24:10,405 --> 00:24:12,451 And I basically went against the group, 613 00:24:12,494 --> 00:24:14,714 and said the objective is to show him for what he is, 614 00:24:14,757 --> 00:24:16,542 very knowledgeable and tough. 615 00:24:16,585 --> 00:24:18,544 Well, you're either comfortable on TV or not. 616 00:24:18,587 --> 00:24:20,807 What I realized was, I had to do something 617 00:24:20,850 --> 00:24:22,591 that would make Nixon comfortable, 618 00:24:22,635 --> 00:24:24,680 so the audience would be comfortable. 619 00:24:24,724 --> 00:24:28,467 If the person--if the performer is uncomfortable on the screen, 620 00:24:28,510 --> 00:24:30,381 the viewer gets uncomfortable. 621 00:24:30,425 --> 00:24:31,861 So I knew I had to find a format 622 00:24:31,905 --> 00:24:33,602 where he could appear comfortable. 623 00:24:33,646 --> 00:24:36,518 I went to see a play in London in The Round. 624 00:24:36,562 --> 00:24:38,564 I wanted to see The Roundabout Theater 625 00:24:38,607 --> 00:24:41,262 because I was thinking, I was staging Nixon 626 00:24:41,305 --> 00:24:43,438 in The Round, and it was never heard of 627 00:24:43,482 --> 00:24:46,006 in terms of politics, but I was trying to come up 628 00:24:46,049 --> 00:24:47,703 with a new way to do things. 629 00:24:47,747 --> 00:24:49,705 And then, I was researching Nixon, 630 00:24:49,749 --> 00:24:52,142 and I saw that he liked Teddy Roosevelt. 631 00:24:52,186 --> 00:24:54,014 I began to read Teddy Roosevelt, 632 00:24:54,057 --> 00:24:57,321 and I found "In the Arena", the speech he gave. 633 00:24:57,365 --> 00:24:58,888 "It's not the critic who counts. 634 00:24:58,932 --> 00:25:00,673 It's the man who is actually in the arena." 635 00:25:00,716 --> 00:25:02,022 That sounded like Nixon. 636 00:25:02,065 --> 00:25:03,763 So I realized, if I can build this 637 00:25:03,806 --> 00:25:05,591 out of something he believes, 638 00:25:05,634 --> 00:25:08,376 if I can get a person organically closer 639 00:25:08,419 --> 00:25:11,553 to the material because he actually believes the material, 640 00:25:11,597 --> 00:25:13,468 and believes the setting, he won't feel 641 00:25:13,512 --> 00:25:15,644 as if this is any phony staging. 642 00:25:15,688 --> 00:25:19,996 Dangerous as it was, I wanted everything live, 643 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:21,345 including Nixon. 644 00:25:21,389 --> 00:25:23,260 And they all said, "Well, that's-- 645 00:25:23,304 --> 00:25:25,001 could be dangerous." And I said, 646 00:25:25,045 --> 00:25:27,395 "The guy got his ass kicked in California." 647 00:25:27,438 --> 00:25:29,528 And he got beat by J.F. Kennedy. 648 00:25:29,571 --> 00:25:31,791 I need to put him in a comfortable setting. 649 00:25:31,834 --> 00:25:36,143 This guy, under fire, if you study his life, 650 00:25:36,186 --> 00:25:38,667 under fire, he's a pretty cool customer. 651 00:25:38,711 --> 00:25:42,453 If I convince him that it's him against the world here, 652 00:25:42,497 --> 00:25:44,455 and frankly, your whole damn life 653 00:25:44,499 --> 00:25:46,066 has been you against the world, 654 00:25:46,109 --> 00:25:48,285 so this will be the challenge of your life. 655 00:25:48,329 --> 00:25:50,331 And he said, "Well, what if a goddamn 656 00:25:50,374 --> 00:25:52,463 microphone goes off?" Then I said, 657 00:25:52,507 --> 00:25:55,728 "Mr. Vice President, I am so good at what I do, 658 00:25:55,771 --> 00:25:57,120 that nothing is gonna go 659 00:25:57,164 --> 00:25:59,122 technically wrong with this show. 660 00:25:59,166 --> 00:26:00,733 So if there is a problem, 661 00:26:00,776 --> 00:26:02,430 it will be your fault." 662 00:26:02,473 --> 00:26:04,171 And he kind of stared at me. 663 00:26:04,214 --> 00:26:06,826 And then he grinned, and he'd said, 664 00:26:06,869 --> 00:26:08,828 "A lot of balls." 665 00:26:08,871 --> 00:26:10,351 I had some sketches made 666 00:26:10,394 --> 00:26:12,571 of what the studio would look like. 667 00:26:12,614 --> 00:26:14,660 And then we were--I'd finally laid it out on the floor, 668 00:26:14,703 --> 00:26:17,619 of his suite in The Blackstone Hotel. 669 00:26:17,663 --> 00:26:20,013 BUD WILKINSON: Tonight, Richard Nixon, in person, 670 00:26:20,056 --> 00:26:21,667 is going to face a panel of citizens 671 00:26:21,710 --> 00:26:24,104 asking the questions they want answered. 672 00:26:24,147 --> 00:26:27,368 ROGER: Then I wanted to put Nixon on his feet, live, 673 00:26:27,411 --> 00:26:30,501 with no podium and nothing, naked, 674 00:26:30,545 --> 00:26:31,807 standing right out there. 675 00:26:31,851 --> 00:26:34,810 Okay. Got him the center. Then over here, 676 00:26:34,854 --> 00:26:36,943 I put somebody that was comfortable for him, 677 00:26:36,986 --> 00:26:38,248 Bud Wilkinson. 678 00:26:38,292 --> 00:26:40,468 Richard Nixon, in a live telecast... 679 00:26:40,511 --> 00:26:42,601 ROGER: So Bud would open and close the show 680 00:26:42,644 --> 00:26:44,994 from this thing, and if trouble came up, 681 00:26:45,038 --> 00:26:48,824 he could clarify a question or get in. 682 00:26:48,868 --> 00:26:50,609 Then, I need support for Nixon, 683 00:26:50,652 --> 00:26:54,264 so I took another circle out here, 684 00:26:54,308 --> 00:26:55,918 then I put an audience. 685 00:26:55,962 --> 00:26:58,704 And so for Philadelphia, we'd fill these seats. 686 00:26:58,747 --> 00:27:00,053 They were not part of the show. 687 00:27:00,096 --> 00:27:01,924 They were shoot off from my cameras. 688 00:27:01,968 --> 00:27:04,492 And at the end of his questions, from time to time, 689 00:27:04,535 --> 00:27:05,885 if he gave a really great one, 690 00:27:05,928 --> 00:27:07,538 they would probably in pause, 691 00:27:07,582 --> 00:27:10,019 I decided that he needs a panel of questioners 692 00:27:10,063 --> 00:27:12,674 in front of him, which is two independents, 693 00:27:12,718 --> 00:27:14,415 two liberals, or two democrats, 694 00:27:14,458 --> 00:27:16,112 and two republicans. 695 00:27:16,156 --> 00:27:18,767 The press frequently writes that we coach them, 696 00:27:18,811 --> 00:27:21,117 we gave him questions, we did things. 697 00:27:21,161 --> 00:27:22,771 I never gave one. 698 00:27:22,815 --> 00:27:24,425 What, what is your view, in general, 699 00:27:24,468 --> 00:27:26,209 on the role of dissent in society? 700 00:27:26,253 --> 00:27:28,647 The writing off the black vote in America, 701 00:27:28,690 --> 00:27:31,301 how do you respond to that kind of a charge? 702 00:27:31,345 --> 00:27:33,129 How do you feel about the use of nuclear weapons 703 00:27:33,173 --> 00:27:34,696 in Vietnam or elsewhere? 704 00:27:34,740 --> 00:27:36,350 I do not believe that nuclear bombs 705 00:27:36,393 --> 00:27:38,918 or nuclear weapons should be used in Vietnam. 706 00:27:38,961 --> 00:27:40,354 WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY JR.: Oh, Mr. Joe McGinniss 707 00:27:40,397 --> 00:27:41,834 is the author of a best-selling book 708 00:27:41,877 --> 00:27:45,098 calledThe Selling of the President 1968, 709 00:27:45,141 --> 00:27:47,753 which is touted by the publishers 710 00:27:47,796 --> 00:27:51,844 as "the inside story of how Nixon was really elected." 711 00:27:51,887 --> 00:27:54,411 JOE McGINNISS: There were 350 people brought into the studio. 712 00:27:54,455 --> 00:27:57,501 And their role, according to Roger Ailes, 713 00:27:57,545 --> 00:27:59,634 was simply to serve as an applause machine. 714 00:27:59,678 --> 00:28:02,550 ROGER: I mean, the media focused on-- 715 00:28:02,593 --> 00:28:04,595 "Well, he built a cheering section for the guy, 716 00:28:04,639 --> 00:28:05,858 and that's how he did it." 717 00:28:05,901 --> 00:28:07,337 Fine. Fuck you. That's my right. 718 00:28:07,381 --> 00:28:08,730 He gets to be cheered. 719 00:28:08,774 --> 00:28:12,429 One man snuck in, or was allowed in, 720 00:28:12,473 --> 00:28:14,736 who had the professional ability in questioning 721 00:28:14,780 --> 00:28:16,999 to actually contend with Mr. Nixon 722 00:28:17,043 --> 00:28:18,479 and his responses. 723 00:28:18,522 --> 00:28:20,524 Why don't you face professionals 724 00:28:20,568 --> 00:28:22,439 and answer their questions? 725 00:28:22,483 --> 00:28:24,920 And the reaction of the Nixon staff 726 00:28:24,964 --> 00:28:27,444 after that program was, "My God, this was awful. 727 00:28:27,488 --> 00:28:29,751 We must make sure this never happens again." 728 00:28:29,795 --> 00:28:30,926 Now, Roger Ailes, who was the producer, 729 00:28:30,970 --> 00:28:32,449 said, "This was terrific. 730 00:28:32,493 --> 00:28:33,842 This was the best show he's done, 731 00:28:33,886 --> 00:28:35,496 because he stood up to that guy." 732 00:28:35,539 --> 00:28:37,585 And in the free-swinging exchange, 733 00:28:37,628 --> 00:28:39,935 Ailes believed, and I believed, and I said so in the book, 734 00:28:39,979 --> 00:28:41,763 that Mr. Nixon came off the better. 735 00:28:41,807 --> 00:28:44,287 ROGER: Well, I never had a fear that he was gonna be asked 736 00:28:44,331 --> 00:28:45,854 too tough a question, I was afraid 737 00:28:45,898 --> 00:28:47,900 they were gonna ask him, "What did you do 738 00:28:47,943 --> 00:28:49,597 on Saturday morning with Tricia and Julie?" 739 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:52,992 That would have been a tough question for him. 740 00:28:53,035 --> 00:28:55,298 CHET HUNTLEY: An almost midday Eastern Time, 741 00:28:55,342 --> 00:28:57,300 NBC News projected Richard Nixon, 742 00:28:57,344 --> 00:28:59,607 the 37th President of the United States. 743 00:28:59,650 --> 00:29:02,915 There aren't many precedents for a man coming back like this, 744 00:29:02,958 --> 00:29:04,830 and winning the presidency after losing it, 745 00:29:04,873 --> 00:29:07,658 and spending eight years in hibernation, are there? 746 00:29:07,702 --> 00:29:11,184 I, Richard Milhous Nixon, do solemnly swear... 747 00:29:11,227 --> 00:29:13,360 JOE: Well, I think almost all campaigns today, 748 00:29:13,403 --> 00:29:15,405 when there is money and talent available, 749 00:29:15,449 --> 00:29:16,972 are constructed the same way. 750 00:29:17,016 --> 00:29:19,192 And I think more campaigns in the future will be. 751 00:29:19,235 --> 00:29:21,847 My qualm is with the whole approach itself. 752 00:29:21,890 --> 00:29:25,807 All we ever get to see now is the televised image, 753 00:29:25,851 --> 00:29:28,201 the finished product of all these mechanics. 754 00:29:28,244 --> 00:29:30,072 WILLIAM: I don't find it particularly appealing 755 00:29:30,116 --> 00:29:31,770 incidentally, but I don't know 756 00:29:31,813 --> 00:29:33,684 that the free enterprise system, 757 00:29:33,728 --> 00:29:36,383 which is called democracy, 758 00:29:36,426 --> 00:29:38,254 in this case, is going to admit 759 00:29:38,298 --> 00:29:41,301 of anything less than an attempt to maximize 760 00:29:41,344 --> 00:29:43,694 your vote by whatever means. 761 00:29:43,738 --> 00:29:47,524 JON: Roger Ailes invented the televised town hall. 762 00:29:47,568 --> 00:29:50,440 Nobody had done it before Roger Ailes did it. 763 00:29:52,268 --> 00:29:53,922 Ailes did that. 764 00:29:55,315 --> 00:29:58,840 MAN: Three, two, one, zero. 765 00:29:58,884 --> 00:30:02,148 [EXPLOSION] 766 00:30:04,977 --> 00:30:06,674 MALE REPORTER: All engine running. 767 00:30:06,717 --> 00:30:08,719 Lift-off. We have a lift-off. 768 00:30:08,763 --> 00:30:11,157 Thirty-two minutes past the hour. 769 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:13,202 Lift-off on Apollo 11. 770 00:30:13,246 --> 00:30:15,901 JON: In July 1969, 771 00:30:15,944 --> 00:30:20,644 America was about to land its astronauts on the moon. 772 00:30:20,688 --> 00:30:22,995 The mission was high-risk. 773 00:30:23,038 --> 00:30:24,735 Its success or failure 774 00:30:24,779 --> 00:30:27,782 would determine the winner of the space race, 775 00:30:27,826 --> 00:30:30,785 an important public face of the Cold War 776 00:30:30,829 --> 00:30:34,571 between the West and Communist Soviet Bloc. 777 00:30:34,615 --> 00:30:36,878 Roger Ailes was to play a role. 778 00:30:36,922 --> 00:30:40,490 He was cleared by a national security background check. 779 00:30:42,362 --> 00:30:45,931 NEIL ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man, 780 00:30:45,974 --> 00:30:48,977 one giant leap for mankind. 781 00:30:49,021 --> 00:30:52,807 JON: Roger designed a televised live call to the moon 782 00:30:52,851 --> 00:30:57,333 between President Nixon and the Apollo 11 astronauts. 783 00:30:57,377 --> 00:30:59,031 NIXON: Hello, Neil and Buzz. 784 00:30:59,074 --> 00:31:00,728 I'm talking to you by telephone 785 00:31:00,771 --> 00:31:03,296 from the Oval Room at The White House. 786 00:31:03,339 --> 00:31:04,863 And this certainly has to be 787 00:31:04,906 --> 00:31:07,996 the most historic telephone call ever made. 788 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:10,085 ROGER: There was a feed coming back from the moon, 789 00:31:10,129 --> 00:31:12,609 so I suggested we split screen, 790 00:31:12,653 --> 00:31:16,396 a live shot from the moon and a live shot from Earth. 791 00:31:16,439 --> 00:31:17,919 NEIL: Thank you, Mr. President. 792 00:31:17,963 --> 00:31:19,921 It's a great honor and privilege 793 00:31:19,965 --> 00:31:21,531 for us to be here. 794 00:31:21,575 --> 00:31:24,665 ROGER: I think that the experience for all of them 795 00:31:24,708 --> 00:31:26,797 puts it into some kind of perspective, 796 00:31:26,841 --> 00:31:31,150 that we who never will see the Earth from another planet 797 00:31:31,193 --> 00:31:34,631 and recognize that we're all together 798 00:31:34,675 --> 00:31:37,373 on this big blue marble, 799 00:31:37,417 --> 00:31:40,159 and have to get along, and I think it changes people. 800 00:31:40,202 --> 00:31:41,508 I think it really does. 801 00:31:41,551 --> 00:31:44,380 Roger Ailes was always interested in space. 802 00:31:44,424 --> 00:31:47,949 It started off with Nixon making that famous phone call 803 00:31:47,993 --> 00:31:49,385 to the astronauts. 804 00:31:49,429 --> 00:31:51,997 That was a creation of Roger Ailes. 805 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:53,999 -MAN 1: Booster, how do you look? -MAN 2: We look good. 806 00:31:54,042 --> 00:31:56,436 JON: America's third moon landing mission, 807 00:31:56,479 --> 00:31:59,352 Apollo 13, was ill-fated. 808 00:32:00,788 --> 00:32:02,703 JIM LOVELL: Houston, we've had a problem. 809 00:32:02,746 --> 00:32:05,010 JON: The rescue plan was to slingshot 810 00:32:05,053 --> 00:32:07,360 the failing capsule around the moon, 811 00:32:07,403 --> 00:32:09,101 and back to Earth. 812 00:32:09,144 --> 00:32:10,667 Disaster loomed, 813 00:32:10,711 --> 00:32:15,020 as an anxious world watched on television. 814 00:32:15,063 --> 00:32:16,847 The White House sent Roger Ailes to Hawaii 815 00:32:16,891 --> 00:32:20,112 to stage either the television celebration 816 00:32:20,155 --> 00:32:21,896 or a funeral. 817 00:32:21,940 --> 00:32:24,986 Caskets were readied in a hangar. 818 00:32:25,030 --> 00:32:28,337 Almost miraculously, tragedy was averted. 819 00:32:29,686 --> 00:32:31,558 [CHEERING] 820 00:32:31,601 --> 00:32:34,213 MAN: Odyssey, Houston. We show you on the mains. 821 00:32:34,256 --> 00:32:35,605 It really looks great. 822 00:32:35,649 --> 00:32:37,738 JON: Roger staged the televised ceremony 823 00:32:37,781 --> 00:32:41,002 that reassured a traumatized nation. 824 00:32:41,046 --> 00:32:42,351 Roger played his small part 825 00:32:42,395 --> 00:32:45,224 in the historic drama of Apollo 13, 826 00:32:45,267 --> 00:32:48,009 and returned home on Air Force One. 827 00:32:48,053 --> 00:32:51,882 It was to be his last work for the Nixon White House. 828 00:32:51,926 --> 00:32:54,102 ROGER: So the Apollo 13, the moon shot, 829 00:32:54,146 --> 00:32:57,758 and so, they would call me in, but they didn't wanna go 830 00:32:57,801 --> 00:32:59,978 into the next campaign with me. 831 00:33:01,196 --> 00:33:03,677 And I felt that vibe. 832 00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:06,201 I later heard that there was a meeting 833 00:33:06,245 --> 00:33:08,899 about who would do TV for the second campaign, 834 00:33:08,943 --> 00:33:10,989 and there's an assumption they'll win it, 835 00:33:11,032 --> 00:33:12,991 and they don't need a crazy guy. 836 00:33:13,034 --> 00:33:15,167 The very outside-the-parameters 837 00:33:15,210 --> 00:33:18,213 thinking that it required doing the man in the arena 838 00:33:18,257 --> 00:33:21,129 and doing those--the very things that got you there, 839 00:33:21,173 --> 00:33:23,088 they abandoned once they're in there 840 00:33:23,131 --> 00:33:25,916 because they're trying to run it as a corporate campaign 841 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:28,745 from inside the White House. 842 00:33:28,789 --> 00:33:32,053 I didn't have, by then, a good, great relationship 843 00:33:32,097 --> 00:33:33,620 with Haldeman. 844 00:33:33,663 --> 00:33:38,059 I think the Joe McGinniss book pissed off Haldeman. 845 00:33:38,103 --> 00:33:41,802 It is the fruit of a great deception, 846 00:33:41,845 --> 00:33:43,673 that is to say, one cannot suppose 847 00:33:43,717 --> 00:33:45,893 that competent people would have confided 848 00:33:45,936 --> 00:33:50,289 to Mr. McGinniss or permitted him to observe their efforts, 849 00:33:50,332 --> 00:33:52,987 if they had known that he intended to write 850 00:33:53,031 --> 00:33:55,642 such a book as he has written... 851 00:33:55,685 --> 00:33:57,426 ROGER: They were also up to no good. 852 00:33:57,470 --> 00:33:59,211 And then I'm told, it may have been Mitchell 853 00:33:59,254 --> 00:34:02,083 and it may have been Ehrlichman, but one of the two. 854 00:34:02,127 --> 00:34:04,868 Said, "Well, you don't want Ailes, you're not gonna get him 855 00:34:04,912 --> 00:34:07,132 to do the things we're doing. 856 00:34:07,175 --> 00:34:09,264 Ailes is a boy scout. 857 00:34:09,308 --> 00:34:12,528 He's not necessarily going to follow orders." 858 00:34:12,572 --> 00:34:14,791 [DRAMATIC THEME PLAYING] 859 00:34:19,796 --> 00:34:23,322 Good evening. The biggest White House scandal in a century, 860 00:34:23,365 --> 00:34:26,499 the Watergate scandal broke wide open today. 861 00:34:26,542 --> 00:34:28,588 ROGER: Then I watched Nixon do Watergate, 862 00:34:28,631 --> 00:34:30,024 which was stupid. 863 00:34:30,068 --> 00:34:32,722 The news has caused a storm in Washington, 864 00:34:32,766 --> 00:34:34,681 and some of Mr. Nixon's most loyal supporters 865 00:34:34,724 --> 00:34:36,596 are calling for his resignation. 866 00:34:36,639 --> 00:34:38,685 ROGER: But he at least was called to account, 867 00:34:38,728 --> 00:34:40,121 forced to resign. 868 00:34:40,165 --> 00:34:41,557 I shall resign the presidency 869 00:34:41,601 --> 00:34:43,037 effective at noon tomorrow. 870 00:34:43,081 --> 00:34:44,734 ROGER: But, you know, he gets no credit 871 00:34:44,778 --> 00:34:47,607 in the history books, or anywhere else. 872 00:34:47,650 --> 00:34:49,609 Nixon, he got us out of the war. 873 00:34:49,652 --> 00:34:54,222 We, today, have concluded in agreement to end the war, 874 00:34:54,266 --> 00:34:56,703 and bring peace with honor in Vietnam. 875 00:34:56,746 --> 00:34:58,792 ROGER: Jack never gets credit for starting it. 876 00:34:58,835 --> 00:35:01,664 Johnson never gets credit for escalating it. 877 00:35:01,708 --> 00:35:04,145 But Nixon gets no credit for any of it. 878 00:35:04,189 --> 00:35:08,367 That's the way the history in America is taught. 879 00:35:08,410 --> 00:35:11,413 And that's why I am who I am today, 880 00:35:11,457 --> 00:35:12,936 because I lived through that period. 881 00:35:12,980 --> 00:35:14,460 My best friend was killed, 882 00:35:14,503 --> 00:35:16,853 and I watched where the credit went. 883 00:35:16,897 --> 00:35:19,900 So I was essentially 28 years old, 884 00:35:19,943 --> 00:35:23,425 presidential campaign behind me, 885 00:35:23,469 --> 00:35:25,601 and out of work. 886 00:35:25,645 --> 00:35:28,430 The only thing that is irreversible is death. 887 00:35:28,474 --> 00:35:31,216 Everything else, you got a chance. 888 00:35:31,259 --> 00:35:34,436 Most people get a fairly minor setback, 889 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:36,917 and see it as a much larger disaster. 890 00:35:38,136 --> 00:35:40,312 [DRAMATIC THEME PLAYING] 891 00:35:40,355 --> 00:35:44,359 JON: Roger Ailes spent the post White House years rebuilding. 892 00:35:47,014 --> 00:35:49,016 ROGER: Anyway, I started my own company 893 00:35:49,059 --> 00:35:51,497 in a small apartment on 8th Avenue in New York. 894 00:35:51,540 --> 00:35:53,063 Just started making calls, 895 00:35:53,107 --> 00:35:55,370 anybody need any film or anything produced. 896 00:35:55,414 --> 00:35:58,243 It was rough in there for a while, 897 00:35:58,286 --> 00:36:00,027 didn't have much income. 898 00:36:00,070 --> 00:36:02,160 So I began to call some of the people I worked with 899 00:36:02,203 --> 00:36:03,726 who, of course, kissed my ass 900 00:36:03,770 --> 00:36:05,424 when I was executive producer for Mike Douglas 901 00:36:05,467 --> 00:36:07,382 because I could put 'em on the air. 902 00:36:07,426 --> 00:36:08,731 They wouldn't take my calls. 903 00:36:08,775 --> 00:36:11,125 I didn't have that power anymore. 904 00:36:11,169 --> 00:36:13,910 And that's the first time I realized, they don't love me. 905 00:36:13,954 --> 00:36:16,913 They're talking to me because of the power I had. 906 00:36:16,957 --> 00:36:18,524 WOMAN [ON RECORDING]: I'm sorry, the number you have reached 907 00:36:18,567 --> 00:36:21,048 is not in service at this time. 908 00:36:21,091 --> 00:36:24,051 ROGER: And what you have to realize is... that it's a wheel. 909 00:36:24,094 --> 00:36:26,184 Sometimes you're on the top. Sometimes you're on the bottom. 910 00:36:26,227 --> 00:36:28,447 It keeps going around. But you can't get off when you're 911 00:36:28,490 --> 00:36:32,407 on the bottom... and think, 'Well my life is over.' 912 00:36:32,451 --> 00:36:35,715 ROGER: Well, I began producing theatrical shows, 913 00:36:35,758 --> 00:36:38,065 television shows and winning awards. 914 00:36:38,108 --> 00:36:39,849 MALE TV HOST: He's produced award-winning television, 915 00:36:39,893 --> 00:36:41,286 his name is Roger Ailes. 916 00:36:41,329 --> 00:36:43,244 Roger has something this coming on here 917 00:36:43,288 --> 00:36:46,595 on Channel 5 called Wizards, Clowns, and Honest Liars, 918 00:36:46,639 --> 00:36:48,728 which he produced, as well as directed, and it's about Fellini. 919 00:36:48,771 --> 00:36:50,556 -ROGER: Yes. -Why Fellini? 920 00:36:50,599 --> 00:36:52,949 Something very artistic, like, how much are you gonna pay me? 921 00:36:52,993 --> 00:36:55,125 MALE TV HOST: He's quick to point out that in 1972, 922 00:36:55,169 --> 00:36:57,302 he was in Africa with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 923 00:36:57,345 --> 00:36:59,129 when Nixon was running, but he did... 924 00:36:59,173 --> 00:37:00,653 Well, that's when all the Nixon guys were going to jail. 925 00:37:00,696 --> 00:37:02,307 MALE TV HOST: I know. And you were in Africa. 926 00:37:02,350 --> 00:37:04,004 ROGER: If you have any doubts about his interest 927 00:37:04,047 --> 00:37:05,571 in the environment, you're gonna see a clip 928 00:37:05,614 --> 00:37:07,312 from a film we did together 20 years ago. 929 00:37:07,355 --> 00:37:09,705 Roger and I spent six weeks in a tent together. 930 00:37:09,749 --> 00:37:11,533 ROGER: That's right. We spent six weeks, 931 00:37:11,577 --> 00:37:13,361 -and people don't realize... -ROBERT: I've been trying 932 00:37:13,405 --> 00:37:14,884 to live that down for the last 30 years. 933 00:37:14,928 --> 00:37:16,582 You took a lot of heat for that, I think. 934 00:37:16,625 --> 00:37:18,148 What people couldn't see right out of that scene 935 00:37:18,192 --> 00:37:20,020 is that you almost killed me that day, 936 00:37:20,063 --> 00:37:23,023 because I was with the film crew right behind you, 937 00:37:23,066 --> 00:37:24,285 trying to get that shot, 938 00:37:24,329 --> 00:37:26,069 and when that rhinoceros caught up 939 00:37:26,113 --> 00:37:28,420 and started running, you turned around, 940 00:37:28,463 --> 00:37:30,944 and ran right over the top of about four guys, 941 00:37:30,987 --> 00:37:32,989 -including me. Yeah. -ROBERT: It's the thing about-- 942 00:37:33,033 --> 00:37:35,688 You can't outrun a rhinoceros, but I could run faster than you. 943 00:37:35,731 --> 00:37:37,472 Well, I don't know. In those days, 944 00:37:37,516 --> 00:37:39,996 it would have been close, but it's changed a little. 945 00:37:41,389 --> 00:37:44,262 My daughter is worried about my lapel, Jesus. 946 00:37:45,567 --> 00:37:46,960 Anyway, when you look like me, 947 00:37:47,003 --> 00:37:49,092 it doesn't matter much, you know what I mean? 948 00:37:49,136 --> 00:37:51,094 When I mentioned my daughter... 949 00:37:51,138 --> 00:37:53,183 You know, I can talk about marriages. 950 00:37:53,227 --> 00:37:55,185 I had one, the college sweetheart, 951 00:37:55,229 --> 00:37:57,144 and we just drifted apart, and I-- 952 00:37:57,187 --> 00:37:58,754 my career took over my life, 953 00:37:58,798 --> 00:38:02,192 and there was never a fight or never a problem. 954 00:38:02,236 --> 00:38:04,194 My second wife, I met her in Florida 955 00:38:04,238 --> 00:38:06,893 when I was working on a documentary on Fellini. 956 00:38:06,936 --> 00:38:08,590 She had a daughter. 957 00:38:09,852 --> 00:38:11,419 GRETCHEN WHITE: It was 1977 958 00:38:11,463 --> 00:38:13,639 when Roger came into my life. 959 00:38:13,682 --> 00:38:15,554 And my mom and I were a package deal, 960 00:38:15,597 --> 00:38:18,470 and right from the start, he was there for me. 961 00:38:18,513 --> 00:38:20,733 He could have just been nice, but instead, 962 00:38:20,776 --> 00:38:23,344 he really went above and beyond. 963 00:38:23,388 --> 00:38:26,042 I always knew that there was nothing 964 00:38:26,086 --> 00:38:27,522 he wouldn't do for me. 965 00:38:27,566 --> 00:38:29,394 He loved taking me to work events, 966 00:38:29,437 --> 00:38:31,613 and always introduced me as his daughter, 967 00:38:31,657 --> 00:38:33,702 and he would get the biggest smile on his face 968 00:38:33,746 --> 00:38:36,052 when people told us that we looked alike. 969 00:38:36,096 --> 00:38:38,794 And that love, kindness, and support for me, 970 00:38:38,838 --> 00:38:42,842 and all my dreams and goals continued until his death. 971 00:38:42,885 --> 00:38:44,713 ROGER: If I raised her in that marriage 972 00:38:44,757 --> 00:38:47,977 and stayed in the marriage until she get into college, 973 00:38:48,021 --> 00:38:49,501 and out of college. 974 00:38:49,544 --> 00:38:51,633 GRETCHEN: But the two of us remained close. 975 00:38:51,677 --> 00:38:53,026 He told me that he was my dad, 976 00:38:53,069 --> 00:38:54,984 and nothing would ever change that, 977 00:38:55,028 --> 00:38:56,377 and nothing did. 978 00:38:56,421 --> 00:38:58,031 ROGER: Why do these things break up? 979 00:38:58,074 --> 00:39:02,688 Again, probably work, probably my overwork. 980 00:39:02,731 --> 00:39:05,604 I didn't have a real career path. 981 00:39:06,866 --> 00:39:10,522 So, I start pulling myself together. 982 00:39:10,565 --> 00:39:12,175 You know, I did mostly corporate work, 983 00:39:12,219 --> 00:39:14,003 occasionally, I did political work, 984 00:39:14,047 --> 00:39:16,092 but I got well-known. 985 00:39:16,136 --> 00:39:18,573 LARRY McCARTHY: Roger was like nothing else I'd ever seen. 986 00:39:18,617 --> 00:39:21,141 Part Don Rickles, part psychiatrist, 987 00:39:21,184 --> 00:39:23,186 part motivational football coach. 988 00:39:23,230 --> 00:39:25,101 You got to say it louder. You got to say it quicker. 989 00:39:25,145 --> 00:39:27,016 You got to say it shorter. You got to say it better. 990 00:39:27,060 --> 00:39:29,062 MALE TV HOST: Controversial media consultant 991 00:39:29,105 --> 00:39:32,021 who has been described as the dark prince of advertising. 992 00:39:32,065 --> 00:39:34,894 MIKE WALLACE: So, is he the pit bull of American politics? 993 00:39:34,937 --> 00:39:37,113 ROGER: And it was Charles Manson, and I was staring 994 00:39:37,157 --> 00:39:38,811 right into his eyes. 995 00:39:38,854 --> 00:39:40,682 MALE REPORTER: Roger Ailes came here to New York City 996 00:39:40,726 --> 00:39:43,032 back in 1969, where he founded 997 00:39:43,076 --> 00:39:45,687 a small communications consulting firm. 998 00:39:45,731 --> 00:39:47,428 -Ailes Communications. -LARRY: Those skills, 999 00:39:47,472 --> 00:39:49,822 he took it to corporate CEOs in the '70s, 1000 00:39:49,865 --> 00:39:51,476 and he took it through Republican candidates 1001 00:39:51,519 --> 00:39:52,738 for senate, governor, 1002 00:39:52,781 --> 00:39:54,479 and president in the '80s and beyond. 1003 00:39:54,522 --> 00:39:56,002 I traveled around the country. 1004 00:39:56,045 --> 00:39:59,832 I've probably worked in 35 different states. 1005 00:39:59,875 --> 00:40:01,616 -WOMAN 1: Senator Humphrey-- -MAN 1: Malcolm Wallop. 1006 00:40:01,660 --> 00:40:03,401 -MAN 2: Mitch McConnell-- -MAN 1: A strong believer 1007 00:40:03,444 --> 00:40:05,881 -in traditional family values.-MAN 3: Simple values. 1008 00:40:05,925 --> 00:40:07,970 MAN 4: New Hampshire values and philosophy-- 1009 00:40:08,014 --> 00:40:09,450 MAN 5: Minnesota's unique rural values. 1010 00:40:09,494 --> 00:40:11,452 WOMAN 2: Bob and I share a lot of values. 1011 00:40:11,496 --> 00:40:15,108 MAN 5: And the people who share this special place with me. 1012 00:40:15,151 --> 00:40:17,110 Cut. Goddamn it. 1013 00:40:18,372 --> 00:40:20,461 MAN: Lew, walk a little bit slower. 1014 00:40:20,505 --> 00:40:22,855 -I'm Lew Lehrman. -I'm Lew Lehrman. 1015 00:40:22,898 --> 00:40:24,465 ROGER: The hardest thing for people to do 1016 00:40:24,509 --> 00:40:26,032 is to treat the cameras as if it's just 1017 00:40:26,075 --> 00:40:27,599 another person in the room. 1018 00:40:27,642 --> 00:40:29,296 I always saw the camera as my grandmother. 1019 00:40:29,339 --> 00:40:31,385 My grandmother is just a sweet little old lady. 1020 00:40:31,429 --> 00:40:32,995 WOMAN: And all of us older people 1021 00:40:33,039 --> 00:40:34,997 just don't feel safe on the streets anymore. 1022 00:40:35,041 --> 00:40:37,304 LARRY: Roger came up with a commercial 1023 00:40:37,347 --> 00:40:39,001 called Mama D'Amato. 1024 00:40:39,045 --> 00:40:41,874 I hope you'll vote for him so he can do something better. 1025 00:40:41,917 --> 00:40:43,528 His name is Al D'Amato. 1026 00:40:43,571 --> 00:40:45,965 LARRY: Nobody thought Al D'Amato could win 1027 00:40:46,008 --> 00:40:47,967 because he was not very smooth, 1028 00:40:48,010 --> 00:40:49,272 he was not very Manhattan, 1029 00:40:49,316 --> 00:40:51,623 he was classic Long Island Italian. 1030 00:40:51,666 --> 00:40:53,102 I'm very optimistic, Roger. 1031 00:40:53,146 --> 00:40:55,365 LARRY: But she was so real and so genuine 1032 00:40:55,409 --> 00:40:57,585 and so effective, that commercial helped 1033 00:40:57,629 --> 00:41:00,153 get Al D'Amato elected against very long odds. 1034 00:41:00,196 --> 00:41:03,417 JON: Roger Ailes's reputation caught Hollywood's attention. 1035 00:41:03,461 --> 00:41:06,028 Prominent actor Richard Gere shadowed Ailes 1036 00:41:06,072 --> 00:41:10,642 to prepare for his 1986 film,Power. 1037 00:41:10,685 --> 00:41:14,515 You will pay me to make you a new life. 1038 00:41:14,559 --> 00:41:15,908 Politics. 1039 00:41:15,951 --> 00:41:18,737 Well, I'll tell you, Roger, I just left you, 1040 00:41:18,780 --> 00:41:21,566 actually, and this was the top secret note 1041 00:41:21,609 --> 00:41:25,918 that I was given while we were having our top secret meeting. 1042 00:41:25,961 --> 00:41:27,354 MAN: Rudy Giuliani is fighting 1043 00:41:27,397 --> 00:41:29,878 for his still adolescent political life. 1044 00:41:29,922 --> 00:41:32,272 ROGER: It's the thing I teach politicians about-- 1045 00:41:32,315 --> 00:41:34,143 there are heart issues and head issues. 1046 00:41:34,187 --> 00:41:35,667 Whatever your point of view, 1047 00:41:35,710 --> 00:41:37,843 if there's no emotion in the communication, 1048 00:41:37,886 --> 00:41:41,411 people will get this very cold feeling about you. 1049 00:41:41,455 --> 00:41:42,978 During that era, 1050 00:41:43,022 --> 00:41:45,459 he gave me the single best lesson in communication. 1051 00:41:45,503 --> 00:41:47,679 The biggest problem I had when I ran for mayor 1052 00:41:47,722 --> 00:41:49,158 was I talked like a lawyer. 1053 00:41:49,202 --> 00:41:50,551 But he says to me, 1054 00:41:50,595 --> 00:41:53,249 "What's your program for education?" 1055 00:41:53,293 --> 00:41:55,600 And I said, "My program for education is 1056 00:41:55,643 --> 00:41:57,036 a five-point program. 1057 00:41:57,079 --> 00:41:59,473 First, I would support choice in schools. 1058 00:41:59,517 --> 00:42:01,388 Number two, charter students. Accountability. 1059 00:42:01,431 --> 00:42:03,521 I would set up charter schools, public schools, seniority." 1060 00:42:03,564 --> 00:42:05,958 So he just stopped. He stopped the camera. 1061 00:42:09,135 --> 00:42:11,790 A-plus in Education 101. 1062 00:42:11,833 --> 00:42:13,922 F in Politics 101. 1063 00:42:13,966 --> 00:42:17,273 He said, "Every time you hear the word education, 1064 00:42:17,317 --> 00:42:19,537 from now until the end of the campaign, 1065 00:42:19,580 --> 00:42:20,755 here's what you say." 1066 00:42:20,799 --> 00:42:22,975 And he sat in the chair and he said, 1067 00:42:23,018 --> 00:42:24,498 "I'm glad you mentioned education." 1068 00:42:24,542 --> 00:42:27,327 I have two young children, Andrew and Caroline, 1069 00:42:27,370 --> 00:42:29,329 and I want them to grow up in a New York City 1070 00:42:29,372 --> 00:42:32,114 that is better than the New York City in 1989. 1071 00:42:32,158 --> 00:42:35,335 So, when I'm mayor, the education of your children 1072 00:42:35,378 --> 00:42:36,771 will be as important to me. 1073 00:42:36,815 --> 00:42:38,425 He said, "Then I don't give a damn what you say. 1074 00:42:38,468 --> 00:42:41,210 You can have the greatest program on education, 1075 00:42:41,254 --> 00:42:43,386 and if they don't trust you to take care of their children, 1076 00:42:43,430 --> 00:42:45,345 they're not going to vote for you, Rudy. 1077 00:42:45,388 --> 00:42:48,348 Use it as an opportunity to explain yourself emotionally." 1078 00:42:48,391 --> 00:42:51,133 Because when I see children, I see my own children. 1079 00:42:51,177 --> 00:42:54,659 Then, if you got time, the rational stuff will fall in. 1080 00:42:54,702 --> 00:42:56,138 [RUDY LAUGHS] 1081 00:42:56,182 --> 00:42:57,618 And then he would always tell me to smile. 1082 00:42:57,662 --> 00:42:59,925 And he actually showed me how to smile. 1083 00:42:59,968 --> 00:43:01,404 In 1984, Mitch McConnell 1084 00:43:01,448 --> 00:43:03,363 was running for Senator in Kentucky. 1085 00:43:03,406 --> 00:43:07,236 Before, we were 44 points behind with 90 days to go. 1086 00:43:07,280 --> 00:43:09,369 And I tell you, any other consultant 1087 00:43:09,412 --> 00:43:10,849 looking at those poll numbers 1088 00:43:10,892 --> 00:43:13,547 in July of 1984 would've said "It's over, 1089 00:43:13,591 --> 00:43:15,375 drop the campaign, and go on to something else." 1090 00:43:15,418 --> 00:43:17,812 That's how bad the situation was. 1091 00:43:17,856 --> 00:43:19,509 And we did a commercial of hound dogs 1092 00:43:19,553 --> 00:43:21,033 trying to get this guy back to work, 1093 00:43:21,076 --> 00:43:22,382 search for him in Kentucky. 1094 00:43:22,425 --> 00:43:24,471 MAN: My job was to find Dee Huddleston 1095 00:43:24,514 --> 00:43:26,255 and get him back to work. 1096 00:43:26,299 --> 00:43:28,040 MITCH: What happened as a result of the bloodhound ads 1097 00:43:28,083 --> 00:43:30,520 is that people started paying attention to the race. 1098 00:43:30,564 --> 00:43:32,610 It woke it up. As long as it stayed asleep, 1099 00:43:32,653 --> 00:43:35,787 Huddleston was gonna win. And the humor is what did it. 1100 00:43:35,830 --> 00:43:37,484 And it was funny. 1101 00:43:37,527 --> 00:43:39,051 It was funny. 1102 00:43:39,094 --> 00:43:41,706 LARRY: Bloodhounds moved us 17 points in 10 days. 1103 00:43:41,749 --> 00:43:43,533 One of the big reasons why Mitch McConnell 1104 00:43:43,577 --> 00:43:46,275 is a U.S. senator and the senate majority leader today. 1105 00:43:46,319 --> 00:43:48,364 MITCH: Reagan's poor performance 1106 00:43:48,408 --> 00:43:50,671 in one of his debates happened to be in Louisville, 1107 00:43:50,715 --> 00:43:53,413 which was the debate where he looked old and out of it. 1108 00:43:53,456 --> 00:43:57,286 With regard to, um, 1109 00:43:57,330 --> 00:43:59,288 the, uh... 1110 00:43:59,332 --> 00:44:00,812 With regard to the, uh-- 1111 00:44:00,855 --> 00:44:02,814 MITCH: Roger and his camera crew were there. 1112 00:44:02,857 --> 00:44:05,251 Our campaign had been begging for some kind of interaction. 1113 00:44:05,294 --> 00:44:06,687 Well, this is my big night. 1114 00:44:06,731 --> 00:44:08,515 [AUDIENCE CHEERING] 1115 00:44:08,558 --> 00:44:10,125 So, the president pulled out his cue cards, 1116 00:44:10,169 --> 00:44:12,040 and he said, "I'm so happy to be here tonight 1117 00:44:12,084 --> 00:44:13,955 with my good friend Mitch O'Donnell." 1118 00:44:13,999 --> 00:44:15,740 To the man we need in the Senate, 1119 00:44:15,783 --> 00:44:18,743 please send him there, Mitch O'Donnell. 1120 00:44:18,786 --> 00:44:20,222 Ha! 1121 00:44:20,266 --> 00:44:22,703 I said O'Connell. McConnell. 1122 00:44:22,747 --> 00:44:24,836 That footage was wasted, 1123 00:44:24,879 --> 00:44:26,533 and as luck would have it, 1124 00:44:26,576 --> 00:44:28,927 I had my one debate with my opponent the next night. 1125 00:44:28,970 --> 00:44:31,277 And, uh, you know, I said, "Roger, he's gonna-- 1126 00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:32,539 He's gonna ridicule me 1127 00:44:32,582 --> 00:44:34,280 that Reagan doesn't even know who I am." 1128 00:44:34,323 --> 00:44:36,935 And Roger snapped back, he said, "Well, just say, 1129 00:44:36,978 --> 00:44:38,719 'Yeah, he doesn't know me very well, 1130 00:44:38,763 --> 00:44:40,286 but he knows you and that's why he's for me.'" 1131 00:44:40,329 --> 00:44:43,419 So Roger was also really good at debate prep. 1132 00:44:43,463 --> 00:44:46,161 You already are the oldest president in history 1133 00:44:46,205 --> 00:44:47,946 and some of your staff say you were tired 1134 00:44:47,989 --> 00:44:51,340 after your most recent encounter with Mr. Mondale. 1135 00:44:51,384 --> 00:44:54,996 So, after that very bad Reagan debate performance in '84, 1136 00:44:55,040 --> 00:44:57,129 Roger was asked to be the debate coach 1137 00:44:57,172 --> 00:44:58,565 for the second debate. 1138 00:44:58,608 --> 00:45:01,437 BILL: Roger Ailes knew that Ronald Reagan 1139 00:45:01,481 --> 00:45:03,744 could not absorb 1140 00:45:03,788 --> 00:45:06,704 all the information that his 15 advisors 1141 00:45:06,747 --> 00:45:09,054 were giving him every hour on the hour, 1142 00:45:09,097 --> 00:45:11,143 that it had to be funneled through one, 1143 00:45:11,186 --> 00:45:13,362 him, Ailes. 1144 00:45:13,406 --> 00:45:16,148 Or Reagan's gonna look discombobulated. 1145 00:45:16,191 --> 00:45:18,063 Remember, he was shot. 1146 00:45:18,106 --> 00:45:19,934 MALE REPORTER: I don't know whether we can hear this or not... 1147 00:45:19,978 --> 00:45:22,850 -[GUNSHOTS] -REPORTER: There-- There's...shots. 1148 00:45:22,894 --> 00:45:24,243 BILL: He was almost killed, 1149 00:45:24,286 --> 00:45:26,767 so you had to make it simple, all right? 1150 00:45:26,811 --> 00:45:29,030 You had to say, "This is it, Mr. President. 1151 00:45:29,074 --> 00:45:31,250 This is the message for tonight." 1152 00:45:31,293 --> 00:45:32,773 Not 15 other things. 1153 00:45:32,817 --> 00:45:36,559 The man, Reagan, was a brilliant performer, 1154 00:45:36,603 --> 00:45:38,083 but he needed a script. 1155 00:45:38,126 --> 00:45:39,911 MAN: That's the problem with you actors, Ronnie, 1156 00:45:39,954 --> 00:45:41,347 no appreciation for what we directors do 1157 00:45:41,390 --> 00:45:42,827 to make you look good. 1158 00:45:42,870 --> 00:45:44,219 LARRY: President Reagan's inner circle, 1159 00:45:44,263 --> 00:45:46,482 I think they were leery of Roger 1160 00:45:46,526 --> 00:45:48,615 being disrespectful to President Reagan 1161 00:45:48,658 --> 00:45:50,008 or being too much in his face. 1162 00:45:50,051 --> 00:45:51,879 They put some real restrictions on. 1163 00:45:51,923 --> 00:45:54,055 They said, "We don't want any interruptions 1164 00:45:54,099 --> 00:45:55,709 and don't upset the president." 1165 00:45:55,753 --> 00:45:58,059 So, of course, Roger broke all those rules. 1166 00:45:58,103 --> 00:46:00,845 ROGER: And they said, "Do not bring up the age issue 1167 00:46:00,888 --> 00:46:02,411 in the rehearsal today." 1168 00:46:02,455 --> 00:46:03,804 I was violating flagrantly 1169 00:46:03,848 --> 00:46:05,588 in front of the people giving them to me 1170 00:46:05,632 --> 00:46:07,416 and I knew that I'd be a dead man. 1171 00:46:07,460 --> 00:46:08,809 And I stopped and I said, 1172 00:46:08,853 --> 00:46:10,898 "Mr. President, what are you gonna say 1173 00:46:10,942 --> 00:46:13,161 if somebody says you're too old for this job?" 1174 00:46:13,205 --> 00:46:16,469 And there was an intake of breath around. 1175 00:46:16,512 --> 00:46:18,819 And Reagan looks at me, he said, "What? Why would--?" 1176 00:46:18,863 --> 00:46:21,604 I said, "Well, uh, it's all over television. 1177 00:46:21,648 --> 00:46:24,216 And they thought you kinda lost your way, sir. 1178 00:46:24,259 --> 00:46:26,871 And so, I think it's gonna come up in the debate, 1179 00:46:26,914 --> 00:46:29,090 one way or the other, about your age 1180 00:46:29,134 --> 00:46:31,832 and whether you got everything under control." 1181 00:46:31,876 --> 00:46:33,094 And he looked at me, he said, 1182 00:46:33,138 --> 00:46:34,704 "I did an act in Vegas once, 1183 00:46:34,748 --> 00:46:36,968 and there was a line in it about, uh, 1184 00:46:37,011 --> 00:46:38,621 youth and inexperience." 1185 00:46:38,665 --> 00:46:40,667 And I said, "I got it. What if you said..." 1186 00:46:40,710 --> 00:46:44,236 I will not make age an issue of this campaign. 1187 00:46:44,279 --> 00:46:46,325 I am not going to exploit, 1188 00:46:46,368 --> 00:46:48,414 for political purposes, 1189 00:46:48,457 --> 00:46:51,069 my opponent's youth and inexperience. 1190 00:46:51,112 --> 00:46:52,853 [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] 1191 00:46:52,897 --> 00:46:54,550 ROGER: And I said, "That's perfect. 1192 00:46:54,594 --> 00:46:56,030 Don't move on your punch line." 1193 00:46:56,074 --> 00:46:57,510 I said, "You can reach down, 1194 00:46:57,553 --> 00:46:58,946 get a drink of water, 1195 00:46:58,990 --> 00:47:00,426 look totally confident." 1196 00:47:00,469 --> 00:47:02,732 The champagne corks start 1197 00:47:02,776 --> 00:47:04,691 popping here in Washington. 1198 00:47:04,734 --> 00:47:07,259 I was watching and I go, "Campaign's over. 1199 00:47:07,302 --> 00:47:08,869 Get out the champagne. 1200 00:47:08,913 --> 00:47:10,653 Reagan's gonna get re-elected." 1201 00:47:10,697 --> 00:47:12,568 MALE ANCHOR: CBS News now estimates that Ronald Reagan 1202 00:47:12,612 --> 00:47:15,310 has been re-elected President of our United States. 1203 00:47:15,354 --> 00:47:17,791 ROGER: And if there were ever a case for optimistic leadership... 1204 00:47:17,835 --> 00:47:19,837 America missed me. 1205 00:47:19,880 --> 00:47:22,752 ROGER: you would have to say it was the Ronald Reagan years. 1206 00:47:22,796 --> 00:47:25,146 Democrats are furious over Mr. Reagan's claims. 1207 00:47:25,190 --> 00:47:30,238 ROGER: The newscasters appeared to be near suicidal every night. 1208 00:47:30,282 --> 00:47:35,853 But he never let the power of the media dampen his optimism. 1209 00:47:35,896 --> 00:47:39,465 Seven or eight years later, when George Bush ran for office, 1210 00:47:39,508 --> 00:47:42,555 they were still hunting for the negative. 1211 00:47:42,598 --> 00:47:45,688 MIKE WALLACE: "George Bush: Fighting the 'Wimp Factor'", said Newsweek. 1212 00:47:45,732 --> 00:47:47,168 Problem for his handlers? 1213 00:47:47,212 --> 00:47:49,344 H ow to make the wimp into the winner. 1214 00:47:49,388 --> 00:47:51,216 They basically did the wimp factor 1215 00:47:51,259 --> 00:47:55,655 because George Bush was a very loyal vice president. 1216 00:47:55,698 --> 00:47:58,701 And they thought being loyal to Ronald Reagan, 1217 00:47:58,745 --> 00:48:00,790 who they didn't practically care for 1218 00:48:00,834 --> 00:48:04,359 because Ronald Reagan was conservative, was wrong. 1219 00:48:04,403 --> 00:48:06,535 And therefore, if you're loyal to Ronald Reagan, 1220 00:48:06,579 --> 00:48:08,102 you have to be weak. 1221 00:48:08,146 --> 00:48:09,712 I think, I think loyalty is... 1222 00:48:09,756 --> 00:48:11,323 As I said a while back, 1223 00:48:11,366 --> 00:48:13,325 I've never considered it a character flaw. 1224 00:48:13,368 --> 00:48:15,980 DAN: This was out there, that George Bush, you know, 1225 00:48:16,023 --> 00:48:18,939 he didn't think for himself, that he wasn't strong, 1226 00:48:18,983 --> 00:48:20,636 that he didn't have courage. 1227 00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:22,725 Therefore, Roger Aisles very smartly said, 1228 00:48:22,769 --> 00:48:27,600 "Okay, let's go back and put a little history in context." 1229 00:48:28,688 --> 00:48:29,994 We went into the convention 1230 00:48:30,037 --> 00:48:32,735 down 15 points, something like that. 1231 00:48:32,779 --> 00:48:36,739 And you start with the movie that Roger Aisles produced 1232 00:48:36,783 --> 00:48:38,654 at that convention. 1233 00:48:38,698 --> 00:48:40,961 DAN RATHER: This is the new thing in, 1234 00:48:41,005 --> 00:48:43,921 of course, at national political conventions. 1235 00:48:43,964 --> 00:48:46,532 This is a film prepared by the Bush campaign 1236 00:48:46,575 --> 00:48:49,056 to introduce him. 1237 00:48:49,100 --> 00:48:50,840 DAN: And they start with him 1238 00:48:50,884 --> 00:48:55,106 being one of the youngest naval aviators of all time, 1239 00:48:55,149 --> 00:48:58,370 not going to college, joining the Navy, 1240 00:48:58,413 --> 00:49:00,894 going over there being a fighter pilot, 1241 00:49:00,938 --> 00:49:03,027 getting shot down, getting saved. 1242 00:49:03,070 --> 00:49:04,811 He just focused on that and I said, "You know how everyone talked 1243 00:49:04,854 --> 00:49:08,728 about the Wimp Factor and not being strong? 1244 00:49:08,771 --> 00:49:10,295 Here's George--here's the real George Bush," 1245 00:49:10,338 --> 00:49:12,253 and it did a lot to move the needle. 1246 00:49:12,297 --> 00:49:14,777 MIKE WALLACE: Now his own man, out from under Reagan's shadow, 1247 00:49:14,821 --> 00:49:18,477 Bush began to erase the Dukakis 17-point lead. 1248 00:49:18,520 --> 00:49:19,782 Suddenly, in New Orleans, 1249 00:49:19,826 --> 00:49:22,611 he sounded virtually presidential. 1250 00:49:22,655 --> 00:49:24,570 - ROGER: We didn't do a thing. -Aw... 1251 00:49:24,613 --> 00:49:26,398 And Mike, let me tell you, 1252 00:49:26,441 --> 00:49:29,183 when the time came for him to be himself 1253 00:49:29,227 --> 00:49:31,229 and do his own thing as leader, 1254 00:49:31,272 --> 00:49:33,840 he stepped up to the plate and hit the ball. 1255 00:49:33,883 --> 00:49:36,190 And who should sit at that desk? 1256 00:49:36,234 --> 00:49:38,801 My friends, I am that man. 1257 00:49:38,845 --> 00:49:41,239 [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] 1258 00:49:41,282 --> 00:49:43,154 [NETWORK NEWS SHOW ORCHESTRAL FLOURISH] 1259 00:49:43,197 --> 00:49:45,330 DAN RATHER: This is the CBS Evening News. 1260 00:49:45,373 --> 00:49:46,722 Dan Rather reporting. 1261 00:49:46,766 --> 00:49:49,116 RUSH LIMBAUGH: I'm sure people remember 1262 00:49:49,160 --> 00:49:52,598 George H. W. Bush's interview with Dan Rather. 1263 00:49:52,641 --> 00:49:54,687 Now, let's set that up because this is classic, 1264 00:49:54,730 --> 00:49:57,559 because this is an instrumental factor 1265 00:49:57,603 --> 00:49:59,909 in why they had such... 1266 00:49:59,953 --> 00:50:03,261 I don't think I'm being too descriptive 1267 00:50:03,304 --> 00:50:05,263 when I say hatred for Ailes-- 1268 00:50:05,306 --> 00:50:07,830 dislike, anger, what have you. 1269 00:50:07,874 --> 00:50:10,877 DAN RATHER: In July 1986, we were trading arms 1270 00:50:10,920 --> 00:50:14,620 for hostages with the most radical elements in Iran. 1271 00:50:14,663 --> 00:50:16,361 RUSH: The media is trying to destroy Reagan 1272 00:50:16,404 --> 00:50:19,755 and trying to destroy the administration. 1273 00:50:19,799 --> 00:50:22,758 Fast forward to Bush 1274 00:50:22,802 --> 00:50:24,847 as a presidential candidate. 1275 00:50:24,891 --> 00:50:26,240 And Dan Rather is going to interview him. 1276 00:50:26,284 --> 00:50:27,937 Please check this out. 1277 00:50:27,981 --> 00:50:30,244 You have been warning Bush this guy is gonna get tough. 1278 00:50:30,288 --> 00:50:32,072 Uh, I said--I warned Bush 1279 00:50:32,116 --> 00:50:34,422 because I got tipped off from somebody at CBS 1280 00:50:34,466 --> 00:50:35,641 that they were planning to take Bush 1281 00:50:35,684 --> 00:50:36,990 out of the race that night. 1282 00:50:37,034 --> 00:50:39,036 ROGER: When Bush went on to Dan Rather, 1283 00:50:39,079 --> 00:50:41,212 they spent the weekend ahead of time 1284 00:50:41,255 --> 00:50:42,865 hiring a political operative, 1285 00:50:42,909 --> 00:50:45,868 Tom Donlan, to coach Dan Rather 1286 00:50:45,912 --> 00:50:47,783 on how to get George Bush. 1287 00:50:47,827 --> 00:50:50,656 This is not a normal press interview. 1288 00:50:50,699 --> 00:50:54,051 This is a political operation between the network 1289 00:50:54,094 --> 00:50:56,575 and the democrats to get Bush. 1290 00:50:56,618 --> 00:50:58,968 And that's when I got a hold of Bush, 1291 00:50:59,012 --> 00:51:01,232 and I said, "Let's go over this Rather interview. 1292 00:51:01,275 --> 00:51:04,322 These guys are going for blood here tonight." Bush said... 1293 00:51:04,365 --> 00:51:07,107 GEORGE: I have never ever had a discussion with him 1294 00:51:07,151 --> 00:51:10,893 about the Contras and Contra support of any kind. 1295 00:51:10,937 --> 00:51:13,113 The question about arms for hostages 1296 00:51:13,157 --> 00:51:16,073 has been answered over and over again. 1297 00:51:16,116 --> 00:51:17,813 As far as I'm concerned that all questions 1298 00:51:17,857 --> 00:51:19,293 have been answered. 1299 00:51:19,337 --> 00:51:22,035 JON: Two decades after using live television 1300 00:51:22,079 --> 00:51:23,819 for candidate Richard Nixon, 1301 00:51:23,863 --> 00:51:26,779 Roger Ailes again realized that live television 1302 00:51:26,822 --> 00:51:30,957 might level the playing field against a hostile press. 1303 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:34,178 But could it work against an ambush? 1304 00:51:34,221 --> 00:51:35,744 ROGER: They wanted to do this on tape 1305 00:51:35,788 --> 00:51:37,268 so they could chop it up. 1306 00:51:37,311 --> 00:51:39,444 I refused. I threatened to quit the campaign. 1307 00:51:39,487 --> 00:51:42,360 I said, "We want you on live so you can fight back." 1308 00:51:42,403 --> 00:51:46,015 Bush said, "Now, we don't wanna do anything ugly." 1309 00:51:46,059 --> 00:51:48,148 And I said, "I didn't pick this fight 1310 00:51:48,192 --> 00:51:49,845 and I didn't pick this alley. 1311 00:51:49,889 --> 00:51:51,760 If you get into an alley fight it's gonna get ugly." 1312 00:51:51,804 --> 00:51:53,632 DAN RATHER: He agreed to respond this evening 1313 00:51:53,675 --> 00:51:57,157 on the condition that he speak live and unedited. 1314 00:51:57,201 --> 00:52:00,160 RUSH: Prior to this, Dan Rather had been very miffed 1315 00:52:00,204 --> 00:52:03,337 because CBS tennis coverage went long 1316 00:52:03,381 --> 00:52:05,513 and Rather walked off the set. 1317 00:52:05,557 --> 00:52:07,167 He walks off the set. 1318 00:52:07,211 --> 00:52:08,995 MAN: And one thing you know in broadcasting is that 1319 00:52:09,038 --> 00:52:12,433 the most, the most unprofessional thing you can do 1320 00:52:12,477 --> 00:52:15,523 is leave dead air or black air or walk off the air, 1321 00:52:15,567 --> 00:52:19,136 or anything else, but we knew that incident. 1322 00:52:19,179 --> 00:52:22,051 And the vice president was somewhat reluctant to use that. 1323 00:52:22,095 --> 00:52:24,053 BUSH: Well, Dan, let's be careful here 1324 00:52:24,097 --> 00:52:25,838 because you're saying a political profile-- 1325 00:52:25,881 --> 00:52:27,187 DAN RATHER: I want you to be careful, Mr. Vice President... 1326 00:52:27,231 --> 00:52:29,058 I will be careful, but I wanna get... 1327 00:52:29,102 --> 00:52:30,843 -...my side of this out. -The problem here is... 1328 00:52:30,886 --> 00:52:33,019 ROGER: I walked over and grabbed the clipboard and I scribbled, 1329 00:52:33,062 --> 00:52:36,022 "Walked off air," and held it up for him to see. 1330 00:52:36,065 --> 00:52:39,634 And I pointed to it, to Bush, and I went, "Do this." 1331 00:52:39,678 --> 00:52:41,114 So he uses the line. 1332 00:52:41,158 --> 00:52:43,247 It's not fair to judge my whole career 1333 00:52:43,290 --> 00:52:44,683 by a rehash on Iran. 1334 00:52:44,726 --> 00:52:46,946 How would you like it if I judge your career 1335 00:52:46,989 --> 00:52:50,863 by those seven minutes when you walked off the set in New York? 1336 00:52:50,906 --> 00:52:53,082 ROGER: Rather, looks like he's been punched. 1337 00:52:53,126 --> 00:52:56,390 He goes-- If you slow it down in slow motion, he goes down. 1338 00:52:56,434 --> 00:52:58,349 He looks like a fighter in a fight. 1339 00:52:58,392 --> 00:53:00,829 He comes back up and he's obviously 1340 00:53:00,873 --> 00:53:03,049 completely off his game now. 1341 00:53:03,092 --> 00:53:04,616 BUSH: For what you're doing here tonight. 1342 00:53:04,659 --> 00:53:07,053 RUSH: And it discombobulated Rather. 1343 00:53:07,096 --> 00:53:08,620 It sent him into orbit. 1344 00:53:08,663 --> 00:53:11,144 MALE ANCHOR: Sixty-four percent of Iowa Republicans 1345 00:53:11,188 --> 00:53:13,538 think Rather was out of line during the interview. 1346 00:53:13,581 --> 00:53:16,062 And I don't think, honestly, he ever recovered from it 1347 00:53:16,105 --> 00:53:20,153 in terms of never forgetting what Roger Ailes did, 1348 00:53:20,197 --> 00:53:22,895 because he didn't think George H. W. Bush did that. 1349 00:53:22,938 --> 00:53:27,552 He knew Roger Ailes was behind that. 1350 00:53:27,595 --> 00:53:29,945 And quite frankly, you know, it was actually 1351 00:53:29,989 --> 00:53:32,774 Bush's son, where Rather got in trouble 1352 00:53:32,818 --> 00:53:36,038 with making up the story about the National Guard. 1353 00:53:36,082 --> 00:53:38,432 So, that cost him his job. 1354 00:53:38,476 --> 00:53:42,044 So it started with Bush Sr. and it ended with Bush Jr., 1355 00:53:42,088 --> 00:53:44,960 but Roger Ailes was right in the middle of 1988. 1356 00:53:45,004 --> 00:53:47,136 MIKE WALLACE: Hardball: Ailes is proud of it 1357 00:53:47,180 --> 00:53:48,703 and his ads make it stick. 1358 00:53:48,747 --> 00:53:50,488 MALE NARRATOR: His revolving door prison policy 1359 00:53:50,531 --> 00:53:52,141 gave weekend furloughs 1360 00:53:52,185 --> 00:53:54,143 to first-degree murderers not eligible for parole. 1361 00:53:54,187 --> 00:53:55,841 MIKE WALLACE: And it was the same Roger Ailes 1362 00:53:55,884 --> 00:53:57,799 who painted these kinder, gentler, 1363 00:53:57,843 --> 00:54:00,237 more presidential Bush commercials. 1364 00:54:00,280 --> 00:54:02,064 ROGER: And people who complained about George Bush 1365 00:54:02,108 --> 00:54:05,242 wrapping himself in a flag forgot that Michael Dukakis 1366 00:54:05,285 --> 00:54:07,461 wrapped himself in a tank. 1367 00:54:07,505 --> 00:54:09,811 [INDISTINCT CHATTER] 1368 00:54:09,855 --> 00:54:12,074 RUDY: Roger Ailes and President Bush, 41, 1369 00:54:12,118 --> 00:54:15,077 were in a motel somewhere, put the news on. 1370 00:54:15,121 --> 00:54:16,557 He sees Dukakis in the tank. 1371 00:54:16,601 --> 00:54:18,603 He puts his shirt on. He goes next door. 1372 00:54:18,646 --> 00:54:22,215 He knocks on Vice President Bush's door, 1373 00:54:22,259 --> 00:54:26,306 not yet President Bush, and says, "We got it!" 1374 00:54:26,350 --> 00:54:27,742 He said, "I got the commercial. 1375 00:54:27,786 --> 00:54:30,092 I got the commercial." 1376 00:54:30,136 --> 00:54:32,312 MALE NARRATOR: Michael Dukakis has opposed virtually 1377 00:54:32,356 --> 00:54:34,053 every defense system we developed. 1378 00:54:34,096 --> 00:54:36,403 RUDY: If you remember, Dukakis is in the tank 1379 00:54:36,447 --> 00:54:37,883 looking totally silly. 1380 00:54:37,926 --> 00:54:41,321 ROGER: Not only does it look silly, it's phony. 1381 00:54:41,365 --> 00:54:43,671 And then they had-- He never met 1382 00:54:43,715 --> 00:54:45,282 a defense program that he liked. 1383 00:54:45,325 --> 00:54:49,286 And these are the defense programs he's against. 1384 00:54:49,329 --> 00:54:52,289 ROGER: So all politicians wrapped themselves in symbols. 1385 00:54:52,332 --> 00:54:55,030 The question is, is it a symbol that people like 1386 00:54:55,074 --> 00:54:58,817 and believe fits you? That hurt him. 1387 00:54:58,860 --> 00:55:01,559 BUSH: But tonight, I really came to over to thank you 1388 00:55:01,602 --> 00:55:05,302 for one thing you did not ask me to do. 1389 00:55:05,345 --> 00:55:09,349 You never asked me to make a video riding in a tank. 1390 00:55:09,393 --> 00:55:11,177 ROGER: Whoever put Mike Dukakis in a tank, 1391 00:55:11,220 --> 00:55:13,092 that's the first pacifist to be on a piece of military 1392 00:55:13,135 --> 00:55:16,748 equipment since Jane Fonda sat on an anti-aircraft gun 1393 00:55:16,791 --> 00:55:18,271 in Hanoi. 1394 00:55:18,315 --> 00:55:19,794 What has this got to do with becoming president 1395 00:55:19,838 --> 00:55:21,230 -of the United States? -ROGER: Nothing. 1396 00:55:21,274 --> 00:55:22,580 Absolutely nothing. But Mike, you know what 1397 00:55:22,623 --> 00:55:24,321 -the problem is in America? -What? 1398 00:55:24,364 --> 00:55:26,410 The problem is the media is interested in four things-- 1399 00:55:26,453 --> 00:55:28,847 pictures, polls, 1400 00:55:28,890 --> 00:55:31,023 mistakes, and attacks. 1401 00:55:31,066 --> 00:55:33,199 And if I give you one of those four things, 1402 00:55:33,242 --> 00:55:34,766 you'll put it on the air in a minute. 1403 00:55:34,809 --> 00:55:36,420 And if I do anything else, 1404 00:55:36,463 --> 00:55:37,769 I gotta fight for air time. 1405 00:55:37,812 --> 00:55:40,032 LARRY KING: Who was out-dirtying who? 1406 00:55:40,075 --> 00:55:42,034 You two both represented candidates that squared off 1407 00:55:42,077 --> 00:55:44,253 against each other, both of whom bemoan 1408 00:55:44,297 --> 00:55:46,560 the negative campaign, while both were deep-- 1409 00:55:46,604 --> 00:55:48,345 -knee-deep in the mud. -ROGER: The only people 1410 00:55:48,388 --> 00:55:50,434 who are terribly disappointed if there's no mud, 1411 00:55:50,477 --> 00:55:52,000 uh, are reporters. 1412 00:55:52,044 --> 00:55:53,567 They're not interested in substance 1413 00:55:53,611 --> 00:55:55,395 and if you give them substance they won't air it. 1414 00:55:55,439 --> 00:55:57,789 We stopped mentioning the opponent for about four days 1415 00:55:57,832 --> 00:56:01,140 during the Bush campaign and we went off the radar screen. 1416 00:56:01,183 --> 00:56:02,359 We couldn't get the newspapers. 1417 00:56:02,402 --> 00:56:03,708 We couldn't get on the television. 1418 00:56:03,751 --> 00:56:06,928 And so, consequently, we on our side 1419 00:56:06,972 --> 00:56:09,148 tried to give the media what they want, 1420 00:56:09,191 --> 00:56:11,150 so we can get headlines and air time. 1421 00:56:11,193 --> 00:56:13,761 JAMES: Roger, you are-- Face it, I mean, to Democrats, 1422 00:56:13,805 --> 00:56:15,110 you're a good villain. 1423 00:56:15,154 --> 00:56:17,461 You know, one of the great ironies, uh, 1424 00:56:17,504 --> 00:56:20,507 about Roger's career in America 1425 00:56:20,551 --> 00:56:23,336 is that the left was so angry at him 1426 00:56:23,380 --> 00:56:25,077 after Bush beat Dukakis. 1427 00:56:25,120 --> 00:56:27,296 They went-- There was a very methodical, 1428 00:56:27,340 --> 00:56:29,995 very systematic effort to drive Roger out 1429 00:56:30,038 --> 00:56:31,344 of being a consultant. 1430 00:56:31,388 --> 00:56:33,128 And everywhere he went they attacked him. 1431 00:56:33,172 --> 00:56:35,435 MALE NARRATOR: Dukakis not only opposes the death penalty, 1432 00:56:35,479 --> 00:56:37,959 he allowed first-degree murderers to have weekend 1433 00:56:38,003 --> 00:56:39,526 passes from prison. 1434 00:56:39,570 --> 00:56:41,049 One was Willie Horton. 1435 00:56:41,093 --> 00:56:43,095 ROGER: Willie Horton, there was an ad produced 1436 00:56:43,138 --> 00:56:44,705 by an independent expenditure group 1437 00:56:44,749 --> 00:56:47,665 that was not part of the Bush campaign. 1438 00:56:47,708 --> 00:56:49,231 No, I had nothing to do with that ad. 1439 00:56:49,275 --> 00:56:51,190 The Democrats, of course, smeared the Republicans 1440 00:56:51,233 --> 00:56:53,453 by saying it was part of the Bush campaign. 1441 00:56:53,497 --> 00:56:55,455 It aired a few times on cable, 1442 00:56:55,499 --> 00:56:57,588 but every night on the news the media aired it 1443 00:56:57,631 --> 00:56:59,067 and aired it and aired it and said, 1444 00:56:59,111 --> 00:57:00,242 "Isn't this horrible?" 1445 00:57:00,286 --> 00:57:02,419 Hugh Hill erroneous reported 1446 00:57:02,462 --> 00:57:04,377 that the Roger Ailes production company 1447 00:57:04,421 --> 00:57:07,772 created the controversial Willie Horton ad, 1448 00:57:07,815 --> 00:57:09,338 and we regret the error. 1449 00:57:09,382 --> 00:57:12,516 JON: The full smear of racism against Roger Ailes 1450 00:57:12,559 --> 00:57:15,344 coincided with the rise of borking. 1451 00:57:15,388 --> 00:57:20,480 ROGER: Success as a media person is defined as who you can get. 1452 00:57:20,524 --> 00:57:23,396 Not how you can inform the public. 1453 00:57:23,440 --> 00:57:25,442 It is a momentous day in Washington DC. 1454 00:57:25,485 --> 00:57:27,879 MALE REPORTER: Judge Robert Bork began his battle 1455 00:57:27,922 --> 00:57:29,750 for confirmation to the Supreme Court. 1456 00:57:29,794 --> 00:57:31,665 TED KENNEDY: Roberts Bork's America 1457 00:57:31,709 --> 00:57:33,275 is a land in which women 1458 00:57:33,319 --> 00:57:35,887 would be forced into back alley abortions, 1459 00:57:35,930 --> 00:57:39,325 blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, 1460 00:57:39,368 --> 00:57:41,414 rogue police could break down citizens' doors... 1461 00:57:41,458 --> 00:57:43,416 NEWT GINGRICH: I mean borking is a good example. 1462 00:57:43,460 --> 00:57:46,724 Character assassination, smearing people 1463 00:57:46,767 --> 00:57:50,162 making up lies, uh, would be a much more accurate way 1464 00:57:50,205 --> 00:57:51,293 to describe it. 1465 00:57:51,337 --> 00:57:52,599 If you're a conservative, 1466 00:57:52,643 --> 00:57:54,514 any smear that they can get away with, 1467 00:57:54,558 --> 00:57:56,211 any lie that they can tell, 1468 00:57:56,255 --> 00:57:59,911 is designed to eliminate the chance for a debate. 1469 00:58:01,695 --> 00:58:06,439 DAN QUAYLE: It was a vicious attack on Robert Bork 1470 00:58:06,483 --> 00:58:08,528 which, you know, started the borking, 1471 00:58:08,572 --> 00:58:10,748 and then you saw it with Clarence Thomas. 1472 00:58:10,791 --> 00:58:13,446 As senators scrutinize the sexual harassment charges 1473 00:58:13,490 --> 00:58:15,666 against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. 1474 00:58:15,709 --> 00:58:18,886 CLARENCE THOMAS: This is a circus. It's a national disgrace. 1475 00:58:18,930 --> 00:58:20,714 As far as I'm concerned, 1476 00:58:20,758 --> 00:58:22,629 it is a high-tech lynching. 1477 00:58:22,673 --> 00:58:24,370 CAMILLE PAGLIA: Oh, that Anita Hill- Clarence Thomas thing was a... 1478 00:58:24,413 --> 00:58:26,024 -ROGER: Tell me. -...fiasco, a fiasco. 1479 00:58:26,067 --> 00:58:28,548 That case was a crock. And this was--it was absurd. 1480 00:58:28,592 --> 00:58:30,071 The whole thing was absurd from beginning to end-- 1481 00:58:30,115 --> 00:58:32,160 NEWT: Their goal's not to win the argument, 1482 00:58:32,204 --> 00:58:34,119 it's to destroy the arguer. 1483 00:58:34,162 --> 00:58:37,514 And the credulity, the credulity of the East Coast media, 1484 00:58:37,557 --> 00:58:39,385 okay, to the claims of Anita Hill that would-- 1485 00:58:39,428 --> 00:58:41,822 which seem to be increasingly fraudulent, outrageous. 1486 00:58:41,866 --> 00:58:43,955 I think that they spent so much time 1487 00:58:43,998 --> 00:58:46,261 trying to destroy or discredit. 1488 00:58:46,305 --> 00:58:47,915 You know, they don't wanna debate us. 1489 00:58:47,959 --> 00:58:49,656 They don't wanna get in the arena by ideas 1490 00:58:49,700 --> 00:58:51,658 and actually talk about what we believe. 1491 00:58:51,702 --> 00:58:54,922 They really try to discredit us, 1492 00:58:54,966 --> 00:58:56,576 not only with our own audiences 1493 00:58:56,620 --> 00:59:00,188 but with people who haven't begun to listen or watch yet. 1494 00:59:00,232 --> 00:59:01,625 They try to take you out. 1495 00:59:01,668 --> 00:59:03,496 It's not that they want a level playing field. 1496 00:59:03,540 --> 00:59:05,063 They don't even want us on it. 1497 00:59:05,106 --> 00:59:07,152 DAN QUAYLE: I think what Roger saw, 1498 00:59:07,195 --> 00:59:11,591 and he would tell me periodically, and some other Republicans, 1499 00:59:11,635 --> 00:59:14,376 he says, "You know, the press is just so bad 1500 00:59:14,420 --> 00:59:16,248 and so biased on these things 1501 00:59:16,291 --> 00:59:18,032 that there might be a little bit of room 1502 00:59:18,076 --> 00:59:21,558 for another TV news channel." 1503 00:59:21,601 --> 00:59:26,040 In 1988, Roger Ailes was very involved 1504 00:59:26,084 --> 00:59:27,868 in the campaign. 1505 00:59:27,912 --> 00:59:31,437 At 1992, he was not involved. 1506 00:59:31,480 --> 00:59:35,572 We won a decisive victory in 1988. 1507 00:59:35,615 --> 00:59:38,226 We lost in 1992. 1508 00:59:38,270 --> 00:59:40,620 And part of the reason we lost 1509 00:59:40,664 --> 00:59:42,666 was because Roger Ailes was not around. 1510 00:59:42,709 --> 00:59:44,624 ROGER: I quit politics because I hated it. 1511 00:59:44,668 --> 00:59:46,626 -Hated it? -Hated. 1512 00:59:46,670 --> 00:59:48,497 What did you hate about? 1513 00:59:48,541 --> 00:59:50,412 I thought it was getting mean-spirited 1514 00:59:50,456 --> 00:59:52,632 and wasn't about strategy and tactics. 1515 00:59:52,676 --> 00:59:55,374 I just thought that there was something wrong 1516 00:59:55,417 --> 00:59:59,639 with the whole media piece of the business 1517 00:59:59,683 --> 01:00:00,988 and didn't want to do it. 1518 01:00:02,033 --> 01:00:05,166 I could feel the drift away 1519 01:00:05,210 --> 01:00:10,215 from a time when people could talk. 1520 01:00:10,258 --> 01:00:12,347 And I also just was very tired of running 1521 01:00:12,391 --> 01:00:14,959 my own company, because I had to sell 1522 01:00:15,002 --> 01:00:19,224 every piece of business from 1969 to 1989, 1523 01:00:19,267 --> 01:00:21,705 that I had to produce the business, 1524 01:00:21,748 --> 01:00:23,271 and I decided I'd be, you know, 1525 01:00:23,315 --> 01:00:25,752 I'd be a better corporate employee. 1526 01:00:25,796 --> 01:00:28,494 So I was looking for an opportunity to get out. 1527 01:00:28,537 --> 01:00:31,105 JON: After leaving political campaign work, 1528 01:00:31,149 --> 01:00:33,064 Roger published the best-selling 1529 01:00:33,107 --> 01:00:34,718 communications book 1530 01:00:34,761 --> 01:00:37,851 and continued producing television talk shows. 1531 01:00:37,895 --> 01:00:40,419 ROGER: It was the head of NBC-- wanted me to go out 1532 01:00:40,462 --> 01:00:42,247 and help on the Jay Leno Show, 1533 01:00:42,290 --> 01:00:44,510 which was struggling at the time. 1534 01:00:44,553 --> 01:00:46,686 Let's see how you all feel in 30 years. 1535 01:00:46,730 --> 01:00:48,296 [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] 1536 01:00:48,340 --> 01:00:50,124 ROGER: He said, "But I can't get you in out there 1537 01:00:50,168 --> 01:00:52,170 because of the producer doesn't want you." 1538 01:00:52,213 --> 01:00:55,042 He said, "Listen, I have one other thing that's troubling me. 1539 01:00:55,086 --> 01:00:58,698 I've got this channel CNBC over at Fort Lee, New Jersey." 1540 01:00:58,742 --> 01:01:01,483 I thought, "Oh, fuck." But, you know, 1541 01:01:01,527 --> 01:01:03,834 when you, when you need money you do whatever you do. 1542 01:01:03,877 --> 01:01:06,575 He had been told by the corporate people 1543 01:01:06,619 --> 01:01:10,362 at NBC that they didn't have much hope for CNBC, 1544 01:01:10,405 --> 01:01:12,712 that it was really tanking in the ratings, 1545 01:01:12,756 --> 01:01:15,280 the night time was a mishmash. 1546 01:01:15,323 --> 01:01:18,805 ROGER: My job was to go fix CNBC, so that's what I did. 1547 01:01:18,849 --> 01:01:22,330 And when Roger came in, he decided to define 1548 01:01:22,374 --> 01:01:25,507 its programming as business by day 1549 01:01:25,551 --> 01:01:26,857 and talk at night. 1550 01:01:26,900 --> 01:01:29,381 And he created theTalk All Stars. 1551 01:01:29,424 --> 01:01:32,297 LARRY: He learned what middle America is watching, 1552 01:01:32,340 --> 01:01:34,081 the silent majority. 1553 01:01:34,125 --> 01:01:36,388 And Roger was programming to them 1554 01:01:36,431 --> 01:01:37,911 every day of the week. 1555 01:01:37,955 --> 01:01:39,260 ELIZABETH: I had started out 1556 01:01:39,304 --> 01:01:41,523 as the first producer hired, 1557 01:01:41,567 --> 01:01:44,265 and he asked me if I would help him 1558 01:01:44,309 --> 01:01:45,789 turn the ship around. 1559 01:01:45,832 --> 01:01:49,531 I believe that there's going to be a major surge, 1560 01:01:49,575 --> 01:01:51,359 a breakthrough, of women 1561 01:01:51,403 --> 01:01:54,101 in very senior executive positions. 1562 01:01:54,145 --> 01:01:56,538 ELIZABETH: Maria Bartiromo wanted to have 1563 01:01:56,582 --> 01:01:57,757 an on-air opportunity. 1564 01:01:57,801 --> 01:02:00,020 And she came and met with Roger. 1565 01:02:00,064 --> 01:02:01,718 But he saw a talent in her 1566 01:02:01,761 --> 01:02:04,677 and he decided to give her that slot 1567 01:02:04,721 --> 01:02:06,200 on the floor of the Exchange. 1568 01:02:06,244 --> 01:02:08,072 I think I see you down there, Maria. 1569 01:02:08,115 --> 01:02:09,464 MARIA: Hi, there. I am down here 1570 01:02:09,508 --> 01:02:11,815 amongst everyone else. Anyway, we are... 1571 01:02:11,858 --> 01:02:14,034 Maria, you are a path breaker. 1572 01:02:14,078 --> 01:02:16,167 You are a role model to so many people, 1573 01:02:16,210 --> 01:02:17,472 men and women. 1574 01:02:17,516 --> 01:02:18,952 And in her own way, she broke through 1575 01:02:18,996 --> 01:02:20,693 the glass ceiling. 1576 01:02:20,737 --> 01:02:22,869 And I did know Roger because Roger put me on the air at CNBC. 1577 01:02:22,913 --> 01:02:26,786 And the truth is, I really do trust Roger. 1578 01:02:26,830 --> 01:02:28,483 We are 90 minutes into the trading session, take a look... 1579 01:02:28,527 --> 01:02:30,442 ROGER: Because of the instinctive communications 1580 01:02:30,485 --> 01:02:33,140 ability of women, uh, I just personally think 1581 01:02:33,184 --> 01:02:36,056 the floodgates are gonna open for women 1582 01:02:36,100 --> 01:02:38,015 if they're given the opportunity. 1583 01:02:38,058 --> 01:02:40,626 At the time, I didn't know that he was going 1584 01:02:40,669 --> 01:02:42,671 to be charged with launching a second network. 1585 01:02:42,715 --> 01:02:46,240 MALE HOST: America's Talking. It's a new form of news. 1586 01:02:46,284 --> 01:02:49,417 ELIZABETH: He asked me if I would help him 1587 01:02:49,461 --> 01:02:51,593 launch this new network. 1588 01:02:51,637 --> 01:02:56,685 Roger made launching networks look easy. 1589 01:02:56,729 --> 01:02:59,253 And Roger had so many ideas, 1590 01:02:59,297 --> 01:03:02,387 and we decided, I think a few months in, 1591 01:03:02,430 --> 01:03:04,389 to give him his own shows. 1592 01:03:04,432 --> 01:03:06,478 Biggest lesson learned from Vietnam? 1593 01:03:06,521 --> 01:03:08,567 Well, there isn't a single lesson, 1594 01:03:08,610 --> 01:03:10,787 excepting only that I think 1595 01:03:10,830 --> 01:03:13,311 we made a mistake and we should learn from our mistakes. 1596 01:03:13,354 --> 01:03:15,226 ROGER: You've put 16,000 guys in a combat zone, 1597 01:03:15,269 --> 01:03:17,663 -you're gonna have a problem. -You're damn right. 1598 01:03:17,706 --> 01:03:19,665 Absolutely. I-- As a dissident feminist, 1599 01:03:19,708 --> 01:03:22,668 okay, have been harassed and dogged by the feminazis-- 1600 01:03:22,711 --> 01:03:24,365 all kinds of weird psychological things 1601 01:03:24,409 --> 01:03:26,150 under the surface that current feminist rhetoric 1602 01:03:26,193 --> 01:03:27,455 cannot explain. 1603 01:03:27,499 --> 01:03:29,022 You need to study a fellow, 1604 01:03:29,066 --> 01:03:30,850 you just study the art style, the great literature, 1605 01:03:30,894 --> 01:03:33,853 okay, is the key to understanding the human soul. 1606 01:03:33,897 --> 01:03:36,116 Wow. Okay. I'd like to take that course. 1607 01:03:36,160 --> 01:03:37,683 And I think it was a reflection 1608 01:03:37,726 --> 01:03:40,729 of Roger's endless curiosity. 1609 01:03:40,773 --> 01:03:42,949 I have so much to talk with you about, 1610 01:03:42,993 --> 01:03:44,690 so I'm gonna skip around like a guy 1611 01:03:44,733 --> 01:03:47,693 who's had a brain operation on a credit card. 1612 01:03:47,736 --> 01:03:49,347 -ELIZABETH: The arts... -ROGER: Tell me, what was going 1613 01:03:49,390 --> 01:03:51,653 through your mind as you were watching those clips. 1614 01:03:51,697 --> 01:03:53,525 I wonder what his mouth is doing under the mask. 1615 01:03:53,568 --> 01:03:55,919 -ELIZABETH: ...politics... -ROGER: Are we under 1616 01:03:55,962 --> 01:03:58,225 any nuclear threat in America today? 1617 01:03:58,269 --> 01:04:01,446 ELIZABETH: Music. He would ask questions 1618 01:04:01,489 --> 01:04:04,188 -like no one else. -No, I don't mind talking about it. 1619 01:04:04,231 --> 01:04:05,667 -Really? -It's fun, yeah. 1620 01:04:05,711 --> 01:04:07,365 And I've never said this before, 1621 01:04:07,408 --> 01:04:09,106 and I may live to regret it. 1622 01:04:09,149 --> 01:04:11,848 ELIZABETH: And he always listened very carefully. 1623 01:04:11,891 --> 01:04:13,501 You're absolutely right, Roger. 1624 01:04:13,545 --> 01:04:14,894 But that's exactly it, Roger. 1625 01:04:14,938 --> 01:04:16,765 That's very perceptive of you. 1626 01:04:16,809 --> 01:04:20,508 Although we had some significant political differences, 1627 01:04:20,552 --> 01:04:22,162 he never was condescending. 1628 01:04:22,206 --> 01:04:23,598 -Well, it's-- -Well, I grant you that 1629 01:04:23,642 --> 01:04:25,949 we have a problem with the underclass. 1630 01:04:25,992 --> 01:04:28,473 But money doesn't seem to be the issue. 1631 01:04:28,516 --> 01:04:30,779 The war on poverty was working. 1632 01:04:30,823 --> 01:04:34,131 He recognized and respected intelligence 1633 01:04:34,174 --> 01:04:36,176 and advocacy, even if it opposed him. 1634 01:04:36,220 --> 01:04:37,961 And I think the longer we talk, we might find 1635 01:04:38,004 --> 01:04:39,832 a great deal of unity, we'd find. 1636 01:04:39,876 --> 01:04:41,529 Actually, the longer people talk in this country, 1637 01:04:41,573 --> 01:04:43,531 the better chance they have on finding some things. 1638 01:04:43,575 --> 01:04:46,404 And that's how bridges are built, that's how progress is forged. 1639 01:04:46,447 --> 01:04:48,362 And whenever I sat across 1640 01:04:48,406 --> 01:04:52,192 the table from Roger Ailes, we knew that someone could hear 1641 01:04:52,236 --> 01:04:54,412 what we were saying and progress could grow out of that. 1642 01:04:54,455 --> 01:04:57,415 There was a time in America when people 1643 01:04:57,458 --> 01:05:00,505 could disagree about policy 1644 01:05:00,548 --> 01:05:02,768 but they were able to be civilized 1645 01:05:02,811 --> 01:05:05,510 and engage in lively conversation. 1646 01:05:05,553 --> 01:05:06,946 ROGER: How deep are you? You strike me 1647 01:05:06,990 --> 01:05:08,817 as there's a lot more going on underneath. 1648 01:05:08,861 --> 01:05:10,907 I think the thing I enjoy most is conversation. 1649 01:05:10,950 --> 01:05:12,996 You know, I like to talk with intelligent people. 1650 01:05:13,039 --> 01:05:15,433 ROGER: Would you overthrow the government if you could? 1651 01:05:15,476 --> 01:05:17,130 I would, in a flash, absolutely. 1652 01:05:17,174 --> 01:05:20,655 I can shoot my mouth off as irresponsibly as I choose to. 1653 01:05:20,699 --> 01:05:23,136 Those kinds of conversations could be uncomfortable 1654 01:05:23,180 --> 01:05:25,922 for some people, but for Roger it wasn't. 1655 01:05:25,965 --> 01:05:27,401 ROGER: I'm a standup kind of person. 1656 01:05:27,445 --> 01:05:29,447 -CYNDI: Straightforward. -Straightforward person. 1657 01:05:29,490 --> 01:05:31,971 I'm glad you're out of politics. 1658 01:05:32,015 --> 01:05:34,626 You have metamorphosized yourself from-- 1659 01:05:34,669 --> 01:05:36,367 -ROGER: Several times. -Several times. 1660 01:05:36,410 --> 01:05:38,543 Right. A lot of people say, "Is that the same Roger Ailes?" 1661 01:05:38,586 --> 01:05:40,414 Would you ever run for politics? 1662 01:05:40,458 --> 01:05:42,416 I'm not sure that somebody that really calls it 1663 01:05:42,460 --> 01:05:44,723 like it is and says this is what you have to do. 1664 01:05:44,766 --> 01:05:46,551 I'm not sure that kind of a guy gets elected, 1665 01:05:46,594 --> 01:05:48,292 maybe so, maybe not. 1666 01:05:48,335 --> 01:05:51,034 ELIZABETH: And we launched it and it was very successful. 1667 01:05:51,077 --> 01:05:53,993 And I don't think we realized that that experience 1668 01:05:54,037 --> 01:05:56,996 at the time was the perfect preparation 1669 01:05:57,040 --> 01:06:00,913 for the future of Fox News. 1670 01:06:00,957 --> 01:06:02,784 America's talking will transition 1671 01:06:02,828 --> 01:06:06,397 into a 24-hour news and information channel 1672 01:06:06,440 --> 01:06:08,355 called MSNBC. 1673 01:06:08,399 --> 01:06:11,402 ROGER: Jack Welch later described it as Roger was upset 1674 01:06:11,445 --> 01:06:13,970 because they took America's talking away. 1675 01:06:14,013 --> 01:06:17,321 And I was, there's no question about that. 1676 01:06:17,364 --> 01:06:18,975 MAN: He liked it. Yay. 1677 01:06:19,018 --> 01:06:21,760 ELIZABETH: The last meeting was very emotional. 1678 01:06:21,803 --> 01:06:23,544 And there were a lot of tears, 1679 01:06:23,588 --> 01:06:25,416 because he had created 1680 01:06:25,459 --> 01:06:29,898 a very dynamic family feeling to the workplace. 1681 01:06:29,942 --> 01:06:32,292 I've resigned from the company. 1682 01:06:32,336 --> 01:06:35,382 I'm sure I'm gonna see a lot of you people, 1683 01:06:35,426 --> 01:06:36,862 uh, in the future. 1684 01:06:36,905 --> 01:06:39,299 I intend to stay in television someplace. 1685 01:06:39,343 --> 01:06:42,041 I know how to do it, but I have to do it my way. 1686 01:06:42,085 --> 01:06:45,262 So, thank you all. 1687 01:06:45,305 --> 01:06:46,959 I'll stay informed. 1688 01:06:47,003 --> 01:06:50,136 ROGER: And now I'm on my own terms leaving. 1689 01:06:50,180 --> 01:06:52,182 So I had a meeting with Rupert. 1690 01:06:53,357 --> 01:06:55,576 JON: Global media baron Rupert Murdoch 1691 01:06:55,620 --> 01:06:57,535 had bought the 20th Century Fox 1692 01:06:57,578 --> 01:07:00,755 film and television studios in the mid-1980s. 1693 01:07:00,799 --> 01:07:02,583 He had been trying, without success, 1694 01:07:02,627 --> 01:07:05,630 to launch an American cable news channel. 1695 01:07:05,673 --> 01:07:07,719 During the first half of the 1990s, 1696 01:07:07,762 --> 01:07:10,852 the news corporation hired a number 1697 01:07:10,896 --> 01:07:12,724 of executives to head Fox News. 1698 01:07:12,767 --> 01:07:15,422 None of those guys succeeded in doing 1699 01:07:15,466 --> 01:07:17,250 what you were about to do. 1700 01:07:17,294 --> 01:07:20,601 JON: Media mogul Ted Turner had a dominant 17-year 1701 01:07:20,645 --> 01:07:24,431 monopoly with his cable news channel, CNN. 1702 01:07:24,475 --> 01:07:27,086 LARRY KING: Okay, you had competition for a while. 1703 01:07:27,130 --> 01:07:29,828 We, uh, launched Headline News 1704 01:07:29,871 --> 01:07:31,612 and got it on the air before they did, 1705 01:07:31,656 --> 01:07:34,528 and we beat them and they folded their tent. 1706 01:07:34,572 --> 01:07:38,880 JON: Public rivalry between Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch 1707 01:07:38,924 --> 01:07:41,970 was nasty and personal. 1708 01:07:42,014 --> 01:07:44,799 Rupert Murdoch trusted Roger Ailes 1709 01:07:44,843 --> 01:07:47,498 to launch a network from scratch. 1710 01:07:47,541 --> 01:07:49,761 -MALE HOST: What was going on? -Well, I think part of it 1711 01:07:49,804 --> 01:07:52,111 is the meeting of Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes. 1712 01:07:52,155 --> 01:07:54,287 Rupert, uh, gives you the budget, gives you the time 1713 01:07:54,331 --> 01:07:56,289 and says get it done. And if you don't, 1714 01:07:56,333 --> 01:07:57,943 uh, then of course you fail. 1715 01:07:57,986 --> 01:08:00,554 But, uh, I operate better 1716 01:08:00,598 --> 01:08:02,121 in that kind of a climate. 1717 01:08:02,165 --> 01:08:04,689 Roger has a combination of qualities not often found. 1718 01:08:04,732 --> 01:08:06,169 First of all, Roger can manage. 1719 01:08:06,212 --> 01:08:08,562 That talent alone will take you into the top 1720 01:08:08,606 --> 01:08:10,129 of a corporate hierarchy. 1721 01:08:10,173 --> 01:08:13,001 But to find that talent plus the ability to produce, 1722 01:08:13,045 --> 01:08:15,830 plus the ability to build, plus the ability to inspire, 1723 01:08:15,874 --> 01:08:18,790 plus the ability to create shows, in one person, 1724 01:08:18,833 --> 01:08:20,487 is a very rare thing indeed 1725 01:08:20,531 --> 01:08:22,924 and I've never seen it all in one person 1726 01:08:22,968 --> 01:08:24,317 except for Roger Ailes. 1727 01:08:24,361 --> 01:08:26,667 JON: Ted Turner's battle with Rupert Murdoch 1728 01:08:26,711 --> 01:08:28,278 entered a new phase. 1729 01:08:28,321 --> 01:08:32,978 Turner would now have to fight Roger Ailes. 1730 01:08:33,021 --> 01:08:34,849 ROGER: Look, I'm gonna get criticism 1731 01:08:34,893 --> 01:08:36,590 for not being a so-called cap-- 1732 01:08:36,634 --> 01:08:38,244 what they call "capital J journalist" 1733 01:08:38,288 --> 01:08:40,333 because I've been in the entertainment business. 1734 01:08:40,377 --> 01:08:42,205 So I decided I'd just do it better 1735 01:08:42,248 --> 01:08:43,684 than anybody else ever did it 1736 01:08:43,728 --> 01:08:45,947 and make sure people find it compelling. 1737 01:08:45,991 --> 01:08:49,777 So we just expect to do fine, balanced journalism. 1738 01:08:49,821 --> 01:08:51,997 ROGER: Rupert, at that time, was looking for somebody 1739 01:08:52,040 --> 01:08:56,306 who could create a cable news channel from scratch, 1740 01:08:56,349 --> 01:08:59,091 take on a 17-year leader, CNN, 1741 01:08:59,135 --> 01:09:00,875 crush MSNBC, 1742 01:09:00,919 --> 01:09:02,616 and appeal to the majority 1743 01:09:02,660 --> 01:09:05,184 of news viewers in America. 1744 01:09:05,228 --> 01:09:07,230 It was, uh, not a small task. 1745 01:09:07,273 --> 01:09:11,451 JON: Rupert Murdoch agreed to fund the startup Fox News. 1746 01:09:11,495 --> 01:09:14,324 Ailes insisted upon complete autonomy 1747 01:09:14,367 --> 01:09:16,108 in running the channel. 1748 01:09:16,152 --> 01:09:19,503 The Fox News concept was deceptively simple. 1749 01:09:19,546 --> 01:09:22,984 There was a growing market for 24-hour cable news, 1750 01:09:23,028 --> 01:09:25,465 and the market had only one monopoly player 1751 01:09:25,509 --> 01:09:28,164 in 17 years-- CNN. 1752 01:09:28,207 --> 01:09:30,862 ROGER: I was so bored, watch-- I watched CNN for a week 1753 01:09:30,905 --> 01:09:32,777 and I kept having to wake myself up. 1754 01:09:32,820 --> 01:09:34,866 JON: The growing demand for 24-hour news 1755 01:09:34,909 --> 01:09:37,347 plus the audience dissatisfaction 1756 01:09:37,390 --> 01:09:39,784 with the perceived bias of CNN 1757 01:09:39,827 --> 01:09:42,613 left a vast commercial opportunity. 1758 01:09:42,656 --> 01:09:46,834 Fox News would service the middle American viewers 1759 01:09:46,878 --> 01:09:49,141 who were taken for granted. 1760 01:09:50,534 --> 01:09:53,885 It would cost a billion dollars to launch. 1761 01:09:53,928 --> 01:09:55,539 [DRAMATIC THEME PLAYING] 1762 01:09:56,583 --> 01:09:58,150 ROGER: So I always saw a pattern. 1763 01:09:58,194 --> 01:09:59,673 I've been training to do this all my life. 1764 01:09:59,717 --> 01:10:02,110 I could see what Fox would look like. 1765 01:10:02,154 --> 01:10:05,026 This was, of course, because the majority of people 1766 01:10:05,070 --> 01:10:08,813 in the United States thought the media tipped to the left. 1767 01:10:08,856 --> 01:10:10,249 The reason they thought that 1768 01:10:10,293 --> 01:10:12,251 is because the media tipped to the left. 1769 01:10:12,295 --> 01:10:14,035 MALE INTERVIEWER: Because it did. 1770 01:10:14,079 --> 01:10:15,994 JACQUES: And what was America like before Roger Ailes 1771 01:10:16,037 --> 01:10:18,823 and the mass media before Fox News? 1772 01:10:18,866 --> 01:10:21,042 And, uh, if you look at, uh, 1773 01:10:21,086 --> 01:10:22,435 old clips of the news 1774 01:10:22,479 --> 01:10:24,829 and compare channel to channel to channel, 1775 01:10:24,872 --> 01:10:27,048 it's the same news. 1776 01:10:27,092 --> 01:10:30,138 The idea of Fox News is that there were some folks 1777 01:10:30,182 --> 01:10:32,489 whose views are not being represented. 1778 01:10:32,532 --> 01:10:35,187 ROGER: This was proven time after time 1779 01:10:35,231 --> 01:10:36,928 in poll after poll. 1780 01:10:36,971 --> 01:10:41,106 And I thought if I created a more centrist news channel 1781 01:10:41,149 --> 01:10:43,195 that we would have open ground. 1782 01:10:43,239 --> 01:10:44,805 The tilt was pretty obvious 1783 01:10:44,849 --> 01:10:46,416 and 50% of the American people 1784 01:10:46,459 --> 01:10:49,070 knew the tilt was there and Roger had the genius 1785 01:10:49,114 --> 01:10:51,638 to think that there was another 50% out there 1786 01:10:51,682 --> 01:10:54,380 who kind of felt like they were being hoodwinked 1787 01:10:54,424 --> 01:10:57,035 and would recognize something different. 1788 01:10:57,078 --> 01:10:59,864 Most of the people thought the news was either biased 1789 01:10:59,907 --> 01:11:02,301 or boring or both. 1790 01:11:02,345 --> 01:11:04,434 And they generally thought 1791 01:11:04,477 --> 01:11:05,826 it was biased in one direction. 1792 01:11:05,870 --> 01:11:07,698 But what my view was, 1793 01:11:07,741 --> 01:11:10,875 if the American people truly believe this, 1794 01:11:10,918 --> 01:11:14,531 then it's very important for us to be fair 1795 01:11:14,574 --> 01:11:17,098 and trying not to be boring. 1796 01:11:17,142 --> 01:11:19,318 And that's the promise of Fox News. 1797 01:11:19,362 --> 01:11:21,929 -Do you believe that the others do... -ROGER: Yes, absolutely. 1798 01:11:21,973 --> 01:11:23,888 -...eliminate points of view? -ROGER: Yes. 1799 01:11:23,931 --> 01:11:26,325 And do you believe it's primarily the conservative point of view 1800 01:11:26,369 --> 01:11:27,457 -that they're eliminating? -ROGER: Yes. 1801 01:11:27,500 --> 01:11:28,936 TIM GROSECLOSE: By and large, 1802 01:11:28,980 --> 01:11:30,634 the conservatives were right on this issue, 1803 01:11:30,677 --> 01:11:33,376 that we found, of all the media outlets we looked at, 1804 01:11:33,419 --> 01:11:34,638 the vast majority, 1805 01:11:34,681 --> 01:11:36,857 almost of the mainstream media outlets 1806 01:11:36,901 --> 01:11:38,294 at least leaned left. 1807 01:11:38,337 --> 01:11:40,165 Well, in 2011, I published a book 1808 01:11:40,208 --> 01:11:41,427 calledLeft Turn, 1809 01:11:41,471 --> 01:11:43,473 and the objective ofLeft Turn 1810 01:11:43,516 --> 01:11:45,083 was to study media bias 1811 01:11:45,126 --> 01:11:46,998 quantitatively and objectively. 1812 01:11:47,041 --> 01:11:48,434 I wanted to give an actual number 1813 01:11:48,478 --> 01:11:51,437 that would you say how left or right 1814 01:11:51,481 --> 01:11:52,960 various news outlets are. 1815 01:11:53,004 --> 01:11:55,354 So if you wanna use a football field analogy 1816 01:11:55,398 --> 01:11:58,792 and you say the 50-yard line is perfectly is centrist, 1817 01:11:58,836 --> 01:12:00,272 here's basically what we found, 1818 01:12:00,316 --> 01:12:03,406 is that Fox News was not completely centrist, 1819 01:12:03,449 --> 01:12:05,886 but Fox News was a little bit to the right. 1820 01:12:05,930 --> 01:12:07,323 The rest of the media, 1821 01:12:07,366 --> 01:12:09,325 especially, like, the network news shows, 1822 01:12:09,368 --> 01:12:12,328 they were something like on the 35-yard line 1823 01:12:12,371 --> 01:12:14,373 on the left side of the field. 1824 01:12:14,417 --> 01:12:18,116 But if anything, Fox News was a little more centrist 1825 01:12:18,159 --> 01:12:19,813 than the mainstream media was. 1826 01:12:19,857 --> 01:12:22,207 But when you were laying out in your mission statement 1827 01:12:22,250 --> 01:12:23,861 to be fair and balanced, 1828 01:12:23,904 --> 01:12:25,732 you were obviously setting yourself up 1829 01:12:25,776 --> 01:12:28,735 against other elements in the media 1830 01:12:28,779 --> 01:12:31,216 that in your judgment would be unfair and unbalanced. 1831 01:12:31,259 --> 01:12:32,870 When Roger brought to me the idea 1832 01:12:32,913 --> 01:12:36,003 that Rupert Murdoch was gonna support a cable station 1833 01:12:36,047 --> 01:12:38,832 that would be fair to the conservative viewpoint, 1834 01:12:38,876 --> 01:12:42,140 I said, "My God, Roger, I wish I thought of that. 1835 01:12:42,183 --> 01:12:43,533 That's ingenious. 1836 01:12:43,576 --> 01:12:44,795 America's dying for that." 1837 01:12:44,838 --> 01:12:46,666 And I remember Roger coming to me 1838 01:12:46,710 --> 01:12:48,451 when they first got started and saying, 1839 01:12:48,494 --> 01:12:50,366 "We're gonna launch, but they're not gonna put us on 1840 01:12:50,409 --> 01:12:52,498 in Los Angeles and they're not putting us on in New York." 1841 01:12:52,542 --> 01:12:54,021 And I said, "What is it, a monopoly?" 1842 01:12:54,065 --> 01:12:55,719 He said, "Yeah, that's what it is. 1843 01:12:55,762 --> 01:12:57,111 It's an illegal monopoly." 1844 01:12:57,155 --> 01:12:58,722 He said, "But, you know, 1845 01:12:58,765 --> 01:13:02,073 you have four cable stations for New York City." 1846 01:13:02,116 --> 01:13:05,032 For the first four months of Fox, 1847 01:13:05,076 --> 01:13:06,730 the owner of the station it was on, 1848 01:13:06,773 --> 01:13:09,341 was the city of New York and I was their landlord, 1849 01:13:09,385 --> 01:13:12,431 and Turner sued us. 1850 01:13:12,475 --> 01:13:15,391 And then they finally settled the lawsuit. 1851 01:13:15,434 --> 01:13:17,784 But, uh, Time Warner put them on-- 1852 01:13:17,828 --> 01:13:20,439 we had 'em like on channel 73, 1853 01:13:20,483 --> 01:13:21,745 from like 90 something, 1854 01:13:21,788 --> 01:13:23,573 so nobody could find them. 1855 01:13:23,616 --> 01:13:25,662 ROGER: When we started and Rupert had to make the gamble 1856 01:13:25,705 --> 01:13:29,143 to go with Fox News, we had no studios, 1857 01:13:29,187 --> 01:13:30,754 no offices, no equipment, 1858 01:13:30,797 --> 01:13:32,364 no programs, no distribution, 1859 01:13:32,408 --> 01:13:34,845 no stars, and no staff. 1860 01:13:34,888 --> 01:13:36,586 -It didn't look good. -[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] 1861 01:13:36,629 --> 01:13:38,588 BRIT HUME: He had a non-existent news division. 1862 01:13:38,631 --> 01:13:40,198 There was nothing. 1863 01:13:40,241 --> 01:13:41,852 And he had to make it 1864 01:13:41,895 --> 01:13:43,854 come into being in less than a year. 1865 01:13:43,897 --> 01:13:45,464 I remember he said to me in March of 1996, 1866 01:13:45,508 --> 01:13:46,987 "We're gonna go on air on October." 1867 01:13:47,031 --> 01:13:48,859 And I thought to myself, "No, you're not, 1868 01:13:48,902 --> 01:13:51,339 but I'm sure you'll come close." 1869 01:13:51,383 --> 01:13:52,863 Boy, was I wrong. 1870 01:13:52,906 --> 01:13:55,169 ROGER: About two or three weeks before the launch, 1871 01:13:55,213 --> 01:13:56,736 our engineers came to us and said, 1872 01:13:56,780 --> 01:13:59,522 "We think we can launch with one control room, 1873 01:13:59,565 --> 01:14:01,480 one studio, no graphics, 1874 01:14:01,524 --> 01:14:04,744 or we'll have to push the launch back." 1875 01:14:04,788 --> 01:14:07,747 And I remember calling a 4:00 a.m. meeting 1876 01:14:07,791 --> 01:14:10,358 and explaining to them that we were going to launch 1877 01:14:10,402 --> 01:14:13,492 with all the studios, all the control rooms, 1878 01:14:13,536 --> 01:14:14,885 and all the graphics. 1879 01:14:14,928 --> 01:14:17,017 And everybody started sleeping on the floors 1880 01:14:17,061 --> 01:14:19,280 in their offices and we went in to a crash mode 1881 01:14:19,324 --> 01:14:21,761 for the last two to three weeks, 1882 01:14:21,805 --> 01:14:23,502 but I wasn't doubting we could do it. 1883 01:14:23,546 --> 01:14:25,199 MALE HOST: Good morning. Welcome to Fox News Channel. 1884 01:14:25,243 --> 01:14:27,288 ...held a one-man debate of his own... 1885 01:14:27,332 --> 01:14:29,682 ROGER: So far so good. They're on. 1886 01:14:29,726 --> 01:14:31,205 MALE HOST: Was anyone watching 1887 01:14:31,249 --> 01:14:32,946 -in October of 1996? -BILL HEMMER: No. No. 1888 01:14:32,990 --> 01:14:35,340 It was like doing television in a vacuum. 1889 01:14:35,383 --> 01:14:39,649 LARA LOGAN: When Fox are started, it was like, "What is this?" 1890 01:14:39,692 --> 01:14:42,695 Are these people nuts, a conservative network? 1891 01:14:42,739 --> 01:14:44,567 Like, nobody took it seriously. 1892 01:14:44,610 --> 01:14:46,830 ROGER: I'll bet they're watching over at NBC this morning. 1893 01:14:46,873 --> 01:14:49,702 I'll bet they're sitting there saying, 1894 01:14:49,746 --> 01:14:52,313 they're probably saying "Look at that, it looks terrible." 1895 01:14:52,357 --> 01:14:54,011 [LAUGHTER] 1896 01:14:54,054 --> 01:14:56,927 It was, it was definitely a kind of joke. 1897 01:14:56,970 --> 01:14:59,016 -BILL: Hello? -WOMAN: ...Fox adman Greg Stevenson... 1898 01:14:59,059 --> 01:15:01,235 We've got some incorrect audio coming across. 1899 01:15:01,279 --> 01:15:03,324 Due to, uh, technical difficulties, 1900 01:15:03,368 --> 01:15:04,891 we did not hear Stan-- 1901 01:15:04,935 --> 01:15:07,328 SHEPARD: We weren't very good at television yet. 1902 01:15:07,372 --> 01:15:08,634 Everything didn't work. 1903 01:15:08,678 --> 01:15:10,331 There's literally something on fire. 1904 01:15:10,375 --> 01:15:12,638 All right. Well, we'll get a commercial break 1905 01:15:12,682 --> 01:15:14,248 and we'll be right back. 1906 01:15:14,292 --> 01:15:18,252 Literally they were just this idiotic startup, right? 1907 01:15:18,296 --> 01:15:19,427 Nobody cared, 1908 01:15:19,471 --> 01:15:20,951 nobody thought they were gonna be: 1909 01:15:20,994 --> 01:15:22,692 "This is CNN." 1910 01:15:22,735 --> 01:15:24,694 The secret is to get number one people 1911 01:15:24,737 --> 01:15:26,173 who will pick number one people. 1912 01:15:26,217 --> 01:15:29,263 So 80 people decided to come to work for him 1913 01:15:29,307 --> 01:15:31,352 at Fox News and he hired them 1914 01:15:31,396 --> 01:15:34,138 because they knew how to launch a network. 1915 01:15:34,181 --> 01:15:36,575 I know when I left NBC, five vice presidents, 1916 01:15:36,619 --> 01:15:38,925 nine managers, eighty-two employees in all 1917 01:15:38,969 --> 01:15:40,492 from the NBC system joined me. 1918 01:15:40,536 --> 01:15:42,886 And Bob Wright, he was running NBC at that time, 1919 01:15:42,929 --> 01:15:44,627 Wright had a lawyer call me and tell me, 1920 01:15:44,670 --> 01:15:47,891 "Roger, there are consequences to recruiting our people." 1921 01:15:47,934 --> 01:15:49,980 And I said, "Your problem is you don't know the difference 1922 01:15:50,023 --> 01:15:52,330 between recruiting and a freaking jailbreak." 1923 01:15:52,373 --> 01:15:55,028 [AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] 1924 01:15:55,072 --> 01:15:57,378 He knew he needed recognizable names. 1925 01:15:57,422 --> 01:16:01,600 ROGER: So we hired 14 conservative contributors, 1926 01:16:01,644 --> 01:16:03,254 14 liberal contributors. 1927 01:16:03,297 --> 01:16:05,865 CNN has 4,000 people and Bob Novak. 1928 01:16:05,909 --> 01:16:07,432 They think that's balanced and... 1929 01:16:07,475 --> 01:16:08,694 MALE HOST: Roger Ailes told me 1930 01:16:08,738 --> 01:16:12,002 that it was a big deal to get you. 1931 01:16:12,045 --> 01:16:13,656 Well, it was a big deal for me to get here. 1932 01:16:13,699 --> 01:16:15,309 You know, I was excited about it. 1933 01:16:15,353 --> 01:16:17,747 And in the meantime, more news is on the way, 1934 01:16:17,790 --> 01:16:20,097 fair, balanced, and unafraid. 1935 01:16:20,140 --> 01:16:22,752 Well, we're going to try to be different, 1936 01:16:22,795 --> 01:16:24,318 stimulating, and a bit daring. 1937 01:16:24,362 --> 01:16:27,452 He wanted good people who could drive a program. 1938 01:16:27,495 --> 01:16:29,802 But you would see great potential. 1939 01:16:29,846 --> 01:16:31,587 ROGER: Somebody asked me how I pick talent. 1940 01:16:31,630 --> 01:16:34,546 So I sat down and wrote a list and I had 26 items. 1941 01:16:34,590 --> 01:16:36,896 Well, first, I was the only man who put a woman in primetime. 1942 01:16:36,940 --> 01:16:39,029 GRETA: Welcome, I'm Greta Van Susteren, tonight-- 1943 01:16:39,072 --> 01:16:41,118 ROGER: Seventeen-year head start on CNN, 1944 01:16:41,161 --> 01:16:43,424 they never had a woman host a show on primetime. 1945 01:16:43,468 --> 01:16:46,079 At least I tried and I broke the glass ceiling 1946 01:16:46,123 --> 01:16:47,690 primetime host for women 1947 01:16:47,733 --> 01:16:49,169 and, of course, there was never-- 1948 01:16:49,213 --> 01:16:51,041 has never been mentioned in the press. 1949 01:16:51,084 --> 01:16:53,739 MALE HOST: That was a pretty big deal when you went to Fox. 1950 01:16:53,783 --> 01:16:55,654 Yeah. They told me at CNN I was gonna ruin my career. 1951 01:16:55,698 --> 01:16:57,134 Did you know that? That's what they told me, 1952 01:16:57,177 --> 01:16:58,918 they said "I'll ruin my career." 1953 01:16:58,962 --> 01:17:01,747 You owe me an apology, your readers an apology, 1954 01:17:01,791 --> 01:17:03,183 it was a dishonest column. 1955 01:17:03,227 --> 01:17:05,621 But I think that I interested him 1956 01:17:05,664 --> 01:17:08,841 because he likes provocative people on television. 1957 01:17:08,885 --> 01:17:10,364 And that's the way it is. 1958 01:17:10,408 --> 01:17:11,670 ROGER: In the old days, it used to be, 1959 01:17:11,714 --> 01:17:13,977 "I'm the anchorman, I know the news, 1960 01:17:14,020 --> 01:17:16,109 you don't, and please be quiet." 1961 01:17:16,153 --> 01:17:18,285 "This is CNN Breaking News." 1962 01:17:18,329 --> 01:17:21,201 ROGER: The idea that you are both interesting, attractive, 1963 01:17:21,245 --> 01:17:23,508 and have pacing, and understand what you're doing 1964 01:17:23,551 --> 01:17:26,772 doesn't detract one bit from whatever the story is. 1965 01:17:26,816 --> 01:17:28,339 It enhances the story. 1966 01:17:28,382 --> 01:17:29,906 I'm just observing it because that's what we do. 1967 01:17:29,949 --> 01:17:31,472 We're journalists, we observe, 1968 01:17:31,516 --> 01:17:32,778 I observe that Mitt Romney's wearing mom jeans. 1969 01:17:32,822 --> 01:17:34,475 ROGER: So I don't get it 1970 01:17:34,519 --> 01:17:37,522 when people say, "Oh, well, you guys 1971 01:17:37,565 --> 01:17:40,438 are more entertaining than most." 1972 01:17:40,481 --> 01:17:42,919 Well, fuck you. Yes, of course. 1973 01:17:42,962 --> 01:17:45,356 And the problem is what exactly? 1974 01:17:45,399 --> 01:17:47,401 We keep kicking their ass every day in the ratings. 1975 01:17:47,445 --> 01:17:50,361 ROGER: The news is really about ratings and money. 1976 01:17:50,404 --> 01:17:52,668 Everything's about results, not activity. 1977 01:17:52,711 --> 01:17:54,887 The only thing anybody pays you for is results. 1978 01:17:54,931 --> 01:17:57,716 Journalists don't like to admit that-- they pretend 1979 01:17:57,760 --> 01:17:59,283 they're the piano player in the whorehouse. 1980 01:17:59,326 --> 01:18:01,067 They don't know what's going on upstairs. 1981 01:18:01,111 --> 01:18:03,722 And we're in a business today, when you went into journalism 1982 01:18:03,766 --> 01:18:06,290 and the great journalism of Murrow, and you, 1983 01:18:06,333 --> 01:18:08,771 and many others, Marvin, 1984 01:18:08,814 --> 01:18:11,295 it was a public service, it was a lost leader. 1985 01:18:11,338 --> 01:18:13,863 But today, it is a business. I didn't create that. 1986 01:18:13,906 --> 01:18:15,560 I didn't start it, but you-- 1987 01:18:15,603 --> 01:18:17,257 if you don't run it as a business, 1988 01:18:17,301 --> 01:18:19,346 you will go belly up 1989 01:18:19,390 --> 01:18:21,522 and nobody will work. 1990 01:18:21,566 --> 01:18:24,874 Roger wanted ratings. He wanted high ratings. 1991 01:18:24,917 --> 01:18:27,050 ROGER: I had to beat 'em. I was to beat them. 1992 01:18:27,093 --> 01:18:28,399 And you have to create ratings. 1993 01:18:28,442 --> 01:18:30,009 I mean, in the end, it's about ratings, 1994 01:18:30,053 --> 01:18:32,229 and if you can't get ratings, you don't survive. 1995 01:18:32,272 --> 01:18:35,580 He had this tremendous fierce competitiveness. 1996 01:18:35,623 --> 01:18:37,756 JON: Roger put a Fox News billboard 1997 01:18:37,800 --> 01:18:39,932 across from CNN's headquarters. 1998 01:18:39,976 --> 01:18:44,676 ROGER: It was a cheesy trick that worked. 1999 01:18:44,720 --> 01:18:47,592 JON: When a Fox show beat a CNN show, 2000 01:18:47,635 --> 01:18:50,856 Roger posted updated ratings on the billboard. 2001 01:18:50,900 --> 01:18:54,860 -ROGER: And the--and the-- -MAN: Just a psywar? I mean, just-- 2002 01:18:54,904 --> 01:18:56,775 ROGER: Yeah, it was just to fuck with them. 2003 01:18:56,819 --> 01:18:59,473 And let 'em know that we weren't going away. 2004 01:18:59,517 --> 01:19:00,997 That's the kind of thing Roger did. 2005 01:19:01,040 --> 01:19:04,043 He loved to sort of be the agitator, 2006 01:19:04,087 --> 01:19:05,349 and that's what he was, 2007 01:19:05,392 --> 01:19:06,742 that's why he called it fair and balanced. 2008 01:19:06,785 --> 01:19:09,657 He knew he's never gonna be accepted 2009 01:19:09,701 --> 01:19:12,922 supposedly in his mind in the mainstream press, 2010 01:19:12,965 --> 01:19:14,924 but he felt, "I love it, 2011 01:19:14,967 --> 01:19:16,882 I like having a rogue group of people 2012 01:19:16,926 --> 01:19:20,320 that are probably smarter, funnier, more engaging." 2013 01:19:20,364 --> 01:19:23,584 Fox were kind of like me, they were a little bit rogue. 2014 01:19:23,628 --> 01:19:25,804 I ended up living 2015 01:19:25,848 --> 01:19:28,589 on the frontline of the war in Afghanistan 2016 01:19:28,633 --> 01:19:31,157 right after 9/11 and the only-- 2017 01:19:31,201 --> 01:19:32,942 there was only one other journalist 2018 01:19:32,985 --> 01:19:34,247 on that frontline, 2019 01:19:34,291 --> 01:19:35,640 and it was Steve Harrigan 2020 01:19:35,683 --> 01:19:37,816 and his cameraman Joel from Fox News, 2021 01:19:37,860 --> 01:19:39,949 that was just the best journalism, 2022 01:19:39,992 --> 01:19:41,689 in some respects, of that war. 2023 01:19:41,733 --> 01:19:44,127 People started coming to Fox News 2024 01:19:44,170 --> 01:19:45,215 and they have to say, 2025 01:19:45,258 --> 01:19:46,782 "They're not the same 2026 01:19:46,825 --> 01:19:48,305 as all the others," 2027 01:19:48,348 --> 01:19:49,523 and we weren't. 2028 01:19:49,567 --> 01:19:51,134 I mean, it was Roger Ailes's game plan. 2029 01:19:51,177 --> 01:19:52,570 "Don't be the same." 2030 01:19:52,613 --> 01:19:55,007 What I told people when Fox News started is, 2031 01:19:55,051 --> 01:19:57,531 "Don't watch the competitors, 2032 01:19:57,575 --> 01:19:59,751 make them watch us 2033 01:19:59,795 --> 01:20:02,449 because your job is to create something 2034 01:20:02,493 --> 01:20:05,496 on that screen that makes them wanna copy it." 2035 01:20:05,539 --> 01:20:07,498 We put a "Live" bug up in the corner 2036 01:20:07,541 --> 01:20:10,980 and MSNBC put a "Live" bug up in the corner, 2037 01:20:11,023 --> 01:20:13,286 and so I called the control room and I said, 2038 01:20:13,330 --> 01:20:14,984 "Make ours a little bigger, I wanna watch." 2039 01:20:15,027 --> 01:20:16,550 About 20 minutes later, 2040 01:20:16,594 --> 01:20:18,074 -theirs got a little bigger. -[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] 2041 01:20:18,117 --> 01:20:19,553 ROGER: Ours was red. 2042 01:20:19,597 --> 01:20:22,861 So I said, "Put a gold rim around ours," 2043 01:20:22,905 --> 01:20:24,994 and they put a blue rim around theirs. 2044 01:20:25,037 --> 01:20:27,823 And then I said, "Make that son of a bitch 2045 01:20:27,866 --> 01:20:29,650 as big on the screen as you can make it 2046 01:20:29,694 --> 01:20:31,957 without people laughing, so no matter what they do, 2047 01:20:32,001 --> 01:20:35,308 -they can't get bigger." -[AUDIENCE LAUGHTER] 2048 01:20:35,352 --> 01:20:36,962 We did and they stopped, 2049 01:20:37,006 --> 01:20:38,529 and I later talked to a friend of mine 2050 01:20:38,572 --> 01:20:40,226 who worked there and he said, "Geez, Ailes, 2051 01:20:40,270 --> 01:20:41,880 we're all in this control room, saying, 'Ailes is nuts. 2052 01:20:41,924 --> 01:20:44,230 Look at this, the guy's got it half the screen.'" 2053 01:20:44,274 --> 01:20:47,146 [LAUGHTER] 2054 01:20:47,190 --> 01:20:49,148 So we knew we were forcing 'em to watch us. 2055 01:20:49,192 --> 01:20:51,542 You know, we get attacked and we get copied, 2056 01:20:51,585 --> 01:20:55,763 usually at the same time by the same people, 2057 01:20:55,807 --> 01:20:58,157 and basically, it's fear 2058 01:20:58,201 --> 01:20:59,855 that we're doing something they're not doing. 2059 01:20:59,898 --> 01:21:02,248 I knew a competition-- 24-hour competition 2060 01:21:02,292 --> 01:21:03,989 would come at some point. 2061 01:21:04,033 --> 01:21:06,731 So in the beginning, we didn't get a lot of viewers 2062 01:21:06,774 --> 01:21:09,821 because nobody knew what the Fox News Channel was 2063 01:21:09,865 --> 01:21:12,041 and it wasn't on in a lot-- 2064 01:21:12,084 --> 01:21:14,130 a lot of parts of the United States, 2065 01:21:14,173 --> 01:21:15,566 so there was a gradual roll out. 2066 01:21:15,609 --> 01:21:18,917 JON: The 2000 election and the 9/11 attacks 2067 01:21:18,961 --> 01:21:21,746 caused viewers to swarm to cable news. 2068 01:21:21,789 --> 01:21:25,445 Fox News audience doubled, and then doubled again. 2069 01:21:25,489 --> 01:21:28,405 When those viewers found Fox, 2070 01:21:28,448 --> 01:21:30,842 they stayed with Fox. 2071 01:21:30,886 --> 01:21:33,279 That's the last time. December 2001 2072 01:21:33,323 --> 01:21:34,890 was the last time CNN was number one. 2073 01:21:34,933 --> 01:21:38,067 JON: Roger Ailes not only launched Fox News, 2074 01:21:38,110 --> 01:21:40,112 he managed it so successfully 2075 01:21:40,156 --> 01:21:43,681 that it was profitable after just five years. 2076 01:21:43,724 --> 01:21:46,379 Rupert Murdoch recouped his entire investment 2077 01:21:46,423 --> 01:21:47,946 in Fox News 2078 01:21:47,990 --> 01:21:50,296 and was receiving hundreds of millions of dollars 2079 01:21:50,340 --> 01:21:51,776 of annual profit. 2080 01:21:51,819 --> 01:21:53,212 ROGER: We're doing very well 2081 01:21:53,256 --> 01:21:54,953 and we're north of-- probably this year, 2082 01:21:54,997 --> 01:21:57,956 north of 200 and some million dollars 2083 01:21:58,000 --> 01:22:00,132 in terms of EBIT, uh, profit. 2084 01:22:00,176 --> 01:22:03,483 -MALE HOST: Of profit? -Profit. 2085 01:22:03,527 --> 01:22:07,748 Fox News is believed to make more money than CNN, 2086 01:22:07,792 --> 01:22:08,967 MSNBC, 2087 01:22:09,011 --> 01:22:11,970 and the evening newscasts of NBC, 2088 01:22:12,014 --> 01:22:14,538 ABC, and CBS combined. 2089 01:22:14,581 --> 01:22:17,715 JON: And the Fox News cash gusher continued. 2090 01:22:17,758 --> 01:22:19,064 Profits rose 2091 01:22:19,108 --> 01:22:21,980 to one billion dollars per year. 2092 01:22:22,024 --> 01:22:23,982 ROGER: Something that's probably asset value, 2093 01:22:24,026 --> 01:22:25,375 twenty to twenty-five billion, 2094 01:22:25,418 --> 01:22:27,638 turning out a million-- billion and a half 2095 01:22:27,681 --> 01:22:28,726 to two billion a year? 2096 01:22:28,769 --> 01:22:30,075 But you think that they would 2097 01:22:30,119 --> 01:22:31,729 imitate that success, right? 2098 01:22:31,772 --> 01:22:32,991 But Roger would famously say, 2099 01:22:33,035 --> 01:22:34,688 it wasn't in their DNA to do that. 2100 01:22:34,732 --> 01:22:36,690 ROGER: The real reason is, they're liberals, 2101 01:22:36,734 --> 01:22:38,649 and they don't think anyone else 2102 01:22:38,692 --> 01:22:40,042 has a legitimate point of view. 2103 01:22:40,085 --> 01:22:43,001 It's mind-boggling when I still think 2104 01:22:43,045 --> 01:22:45,003 about the obstacles he overcame, 2105 01:22:45,047 --> 01:22:46,787 the culture that he established, 2106 01:22:46,831 --> 01:22:48,789 the fact that it's a dominant 2107 01:22:48,833 --> 01:22:51,575 number one in its arena. 2108 01:22:51,618 --> 01:22:55,535 Never gonna be anything like it again. 2109 01:22:55,579 --> 01:22:57,711 Many people who praise diversity, of course, 2110 01:22:57,755 --> 01:23:00,714 really mean diversity in everything but thought. 2111 01:23:00,758 --> 01:23:03,021 Some people say they regret the fact 2112 01:23:03,065 --> 01:23:06,807 that the old journalistic oligopoly has been broken. 2113 01:23:06,851 --> 01:23:10,202 But the third recipient of a 2013 Bradley Prize 2114 01:23:10,246 --> 01:23:14,380 is not among those who regret the end of the oligopoly. 2115 01:23:14,424 --> 01:23:18,123 Roger Ailes, more than anyone else, ended it. 2116 01:23:18,167 --> 01:23:21,257 ROGER: Bias is not necessarily what you believe in 2117 01:23:21,300 --> 01:23:23,259 but it can be leaving out 2118 01:23:23,302 --> 01:23:26,218 other people's valid beliefs. 2119 01:23:26,262 --> 01:23:29,134 There are smart, 2120 01:23:29,178 --> 01:23:31,006 reasonable people 2121 01:23:31,049 --> 01:23:33,573 on both sides of these debates, 2122 01:23:33,617 --> 01:23:36,228 and what I try to instruct my journalist to do 2123 01:23:36,272 --> 01:23:38,143 is to reach out to a point of view 2124 01:23:38,187 --> 01:23:40,667 that you don't necessarily agree with 2125 01:23:40,711 --> 01:23:42,800 and make sure that gets in the story 2126 01:23:42,843 --> 01:23:44,019 so that people have the sense 2127 01:23:44,062 --> 01:23:46,630 of where the conflict lies. 2128 01:23:46,673 --> 01:23:50,025 NEWT: Roger Ailes understood in a depth 2129 01:23:50,068 --> 01:23:51,678 that very few people do. 2130 01:23:51,722 --> 01:23:53,637 Freedom of speech requires that you speak. 2131 01:23:53,680 --> 01:23:56,814 Unless you did that, the First Amendment's dead. 2132 01:23:56,857 --> 01:23:59,469 ROGER: Freedom of the press did not invent democracy, 2133 01:23:59,512 --> 01:24:01,775 democracy invented freedom of the press. 2134 01:24:01,819 --> 01:24:03,734 LARA: Imagine if Roger Ailes 2135 01:24:03,777 --> 01:24:06,215 hadn't made that happen. 2136 01:24:06,258 --> 01:24:09,609 Fox has made an extraordinary difference 2137 01:24:09,653 --> 01:24:11,046 to the national discourse. 2138 01:24:11,089 --> 01:24:13,831 The different points of view I use today 2139 01:24:13,874 --> 01:24:15,833 is a symbol of how divided we are, 2140 01:24:15,876 --> 01:24:17,704 but maybe the different points of view 2141 01:24:17,748 --> 01:24:20,272 are a symbol of how free we are. 2142 01:24:20,316 --> 01:24:24,842 You can't change the fact that in a free society, 2143 01:24:24,885 --> 01:24:27,105 it's better to get more than one point of view. 2144 01:24:27,149 --> 01:24:29,238 Roger has saved, I think, 2145 01:24:29,281 --> 01:24:31,066 the First Amendment in America 2146 01:24:31,109 --> 01:24:32,937 in terms of its real meaning, which is, 2147 01:24:32,980 --> 01:24:35,418 "No one viewpoint can predominate." 2148 01:24:35,461 --> 01:24:36,767 [DRAMATIC THEME PLAYING] 2149 01:24:43,078 --> 01:24:45,993 I think a main reason that people follow Roger 2150 01:24:46,037 --> 01:24:48,213 is really that they sense that he's-- 2151 01:24:48,257 --> 01:24:51,477 that losing with Roger is simply not an option. 2152 01:24:51,521 --> 01:24:53,610 The other thing is, he shoots straight, 2153 01:24:53,653 --> 01:24:55,351 you know, he tells you the truth, 2154 01:24:55,394 --> 01:24:57,614 you know, and you put the combination of somebody 2155 01:24:57,657 --> 01:25:00,051 who won't lose, and shoots straight, 2156 01:25:00,095 --> 01:25:02,009 and is a very kind man, 2157 01:25:02,053 --> 01:25:03,315 you'd follow that guy anywhere. 2158 01:25:03,359 --> 01:25:06,536 When Roger Ailes is on your team, you win, 2159 01:25:06,579 --> 01:25:09,060 and there's nothing like that kind of confidence. 2160 01:25:09,104 --> 01:25:11,149 It sort of like having that coach 2161 01:25:11,193 --> 01:25:13,499 that you just trust and believe in 2162 01:25:13,543 --> 01:25:14,935 and then you had a winning season, 2163 01:25:14,979 --> 01:25:16,459 and then it's like, "Yes," 2164 01:25:16,502 --> 01:25:18,156 and then you had another winning season, 2165 01:25:18,200 --> 01:25:19,592 another winning season, 2166 01:25:19,636 --> 01:25:21,899 and it's fun to win, and he won. 2167 01:25:21,942 --> 01:25:24,162 He said it, "I know it's fun to win, guys, 2168 01:25:24,206 --> 01:25:25,424 but it could just end tomorrow." 2169 01:25:25,468 --> 01:25:27,252 We work not for Fox News 2170 01:25:27,296 --> 01:25:28,732 but for Roger Ailes. 2171 01:25:28,775 --> 01:25:30,647 And he was with us in the bunker, 2172 01:25:30,690 --> 01:25:33,084 fighting for respect, and fighting for viewers, 2173 01:25:33,128 --> 01:25:34,694 fighting to win, and as we fought, 2174 01:25:34,738 --> 01:25:36,522 he would protect us from all comers. 2175 01:25:36,566 --> 01:25:38,350 BRIT: You don't wanna-- you don't want to get Roger 2176 01:25:38,394 --> 01:25:40,483 in the same room with somebody who's down on his luck, 2177 01:25:40,526 --> 01:25:42,267 because the next thing you know, Roger will have moved out 2178 01:25:42,311 --> 01:25:43,703 of his house to make room for the person 2179 01:25:43,747 --> 01:25:45,401 or give them the clothes off his back. 2180 01:25:45,444 --> 01:25:47,490 RUSH: A lot of people use charitable giving 2181 01:25:47,533 --> 01:25:49,796 and publicity to try to dull 2182 01:25:49,840 --> 01:25:52,495 a negative public image. 2183 01:25:52,538 --> 01:25:54,236 Uh, that wasn't Roger. 2184 01:25:54,279 --> 01:25:58,022 Ailes said that "The greatest test 2185 01:25:58,065 --> 01:26:00,851 of a person or a man's character 2186 01:26:00,894 --> 01:26:03,767 is to watch how they treat people 2187 01:26:03,810 --> 01:26:07,379 who can't do anything for them," 2188 01:26:07,423 --> 01:26:09,076 and boy, is that right. 2189 01:26:09,120 --> 01:26:11,557 And I would see him clipping articles 2190 01:26:11,601 --> 01:26:13,994 out of the Daily News and the New York Post, 2191 01:26:14,038 --> 01:26:17,259 and invariably, they were hard luck stories, 2192 01:26:17,302 --> 01:26:21,176 and I later realized that Roger was clipping them out, 2193 01:26:21,219 --> 01:26:24,135 so he'd anonymously send them hundred dollar bills 2194 01:26:24,179 --> 01:26:27,051 in the mail because he saw that was a very powerful 2195 01:26:27,094 --> 01:26:29,532 and moving story of a real life person who needed help. 2196 01:26:29,575 --> 01:26:31,447 There's that old expression that you don't really know 2197 01:26:31,490 --> 01:26:33,666 who your friends are until you're in a crisis 2198 01:26:33,710 --> 01:26:35,059 and I think that's really true. 2199 01:26:35,102 --> 01:26:36,321 I found that out last year when my son 2200 01:26:36,365 --> 01:26:38,062 needed a liver transplant. 2201 01:26:38,105 --> 01:26:40,020 It's only when you're really down in the depths like that 2202 01:26:40,064 --> 01:26:41,283 that you find out what people are made of, 2203 01:26:41,326 --> 01:26:43,328 and what I found out in those moments 2204 01:26:43,372 --> 01:26:45,896 is that Roger is like the real stuff. 2205 01:26:45,939 --> 01:26:48,464 And he fought with us. 2206 01:26:48,507 --> 01:26:52,642 Our enemies were MSNBC and CNN. 2207 01:26:52,685 --> 01:26:54,121 We would conquer them 2208 01:26:54,165 --> 01:26:56,689 and become the most powerful name in news. 2209 01:26:58,952 --> 01:27:02,260 RUDY: Roger, will you have Elizabeth to be your wife? 2210 01:27:02,304 --> 01:27:06,003 JON: While building Fox News, Roger also built a family. 2211 01:27:06,046 --> 01:27:09,311 He married Elizabeth Tilson in 1998, 2212 01:27:09,354 --> 01:27:11,313 and they had a son, Zachary, 2213 01:27:11,356 --> 01:27:13,271 a few years later. 2214 01:27:13,315 --> 01:27:17,232 ZACHARY: My dad was the kindest person I ever met. 2215 01:27:18,189 --> 01:27:19,495 He was my hero 2216 01:27:19,538 --> 01:27:21,801 and I knew that he always had my back. 2217 01:27:21,845 --> 01:27:25,152 His father loved him 2218 01:27:25,196 --> 01:27:27,416 more than life itself 2219 01:27:27,459 --> 01:27:29,244 and would take him everywhere. 2220 01:27:29,287 --> 01:27:31,855 Not every kid has met 2221 01:27:31,898 --> 01:27:33,857 every living president. 2222 01:27:33,900 --> 01:27:37,295 But they had a very close relationship. 2223 01:27:37,339 --> 01:27:39,732 Roger taught him how to swim, 2224 01:27:39,776 --> 01:27:42,866 Roger taught him how to throw a baseball, 2225 01:27:42,909 --> 01:27:44,868 they were inseparable. 2226 01:27:44,911 --> 01:27:46,435 He was an older dad, 2227 01:27:46,478 --> 01:27:48,437 he couldn't get out there and play football 2228 01:27:48,480 --> 01:27:49,916 on Sunday afternoon, 2229 01:27:49,960 --> 01:27:52,441 but they did a lot of fun things together. 2230 01:27:52,484 --> 01:27:54,443 He would take a phone call from me or my mom 2231 01:27:54,486 --> 01:27:56,227 no matter who he had in the office. 2232 01:27:56,271 --> 01:27:59,709 If it was his family, his family came first. 2233 01:28:03,016 --> 01:28:06,106 Well, Roger, uh, took diversity seriously 2234 01:28:06,150 --> 01:28:10,154 and had already been doing internally, within Fox News, 2235 01:28:10,197 --> 01:28:11,721 his domain, 2236 01:28:11,764 --> 01:28:14,593 he had been opening doors and creating opportunities 2237 01:28:14,637 --> 01:28:16,465 that really, the story was not known. 2238 01:28:16,508 --> 01:28:18,249 FEMALE HOST: We all know the story, we all know-- 2239 01:28:18,293 --> 01:28:20,425 she was emptying his trash, she said, 2240 01:28:20,469 --> 01:28:22,340 "This is my dream job. I want to be a makeup artist." 2241 01:28:22,384 --> 01:28:23,950 Now she's one of our makeup artists. 2242 01:28:23,994 --> 01:28:26,910 And from that little exchange they had, 2243 01:28:26,953 --> 01:28:29,347 he created the Ailes Apprentice Program. 2244 01:28:29,391 --> 01:28:31,871 ROGER: I set up an apprentice program at Fox 2245 01:28:31,915 --> 01:28:33,264 for minorities because I found 2246 01:28:33,308 --> 01:28:35,658 they didn't have access to the system. 2247 01:28:35,701 --> 01:28:37,660 WOMAN: You decided to make diversity 2248 01:28:37,703 --> 01:28:38,922 more than just a trend. 2249 01:28:38,965 --> 01:28:40,793 You decided to make it the standard. 2250 01:28:40,837 --> 01:28:42,839 JACQUES: There's an unknown connection 2251 01:28:42,882 --> 01:28:45,015 between Roger Ailes and the black community. 2252 01:28:45,058 --> 01:28:47,060 Uh, on 125th Street, uptown, 2253 01:28:47,104 --> 01:28:49,236 we say that Roger Ailes was the real deal. 2254 01:28:49,280 --> 01:28:52,414 This apprenticeship program was the gold standard 2255 01:28:52,457 --> 01:28:55,068 of the industry because it was unsolicited, 2256 01:28:55,112 --> 01:28:57,332 it was at his initiative, and it created 2257 01:28:57,375 --> 01:28:59,812 real and lasting opportunities within Fox. 2258 01:28:59,856 --> 01:29:01,988 ROGER: Many of them have become executives 2259 01:29:02,032 --> 01:29:04,469 in the company and we guarantee 'em a job 2260 01:29:04,513 --> 01:29:05,775 if they get through the year. 2261 01:29:05,818 --> 01:29:07,516 The American Dream is there. 2262 01:29:07,559 --> 01:29:10,345 But we have to reclaim it generation after generation. 2263 01:29:10,388 --> 01:29:13,478 The door that may have been shut for so long 2264 01:29:13,522 --> 01:29:15,306 now becomes open. 2265 01:29:15,350 --> 01:29:17,830 I'm like, "Wow. Someone has faith in me." 2266 01:29:21,312 --> 01:29:25,447 About that time, then you saw the George Soros 2267 01:29:25,490 --> 01:29:27,623 money start to come in. 2268 01:29:27,666 --> 01:29:30,060 It was in mid-2000s. 2269 01:29:30,103 --> 01:29:33,455 Media Matters, Move On, 2270 01:29:33,498 --> 01:29:35,457 Bonner Group, 2271 01:29:35,500 --> 01:29:36,806 and they exist today. 2272 01:29:37,807 --> 01:29:41,245 Surge of money coming in 2273 01:29:41,288 --> 01:29:42,942 and they were in business 2274 01:29:42,986 --> 01:29:45,597 to put Fox News out of business. 2275 01:29:45,641 --> 01:29:47,207 They tried to destroy him. 2276 01:29:47,251 --> 01:29:48,774 They tried to destroy it. 2277 01:29:48,818 --> 01:29:50,646 They discredited it or tried to. 2278 01:29:50,689 --> 01:29:52,212 They say it's not news. 2279 01:29:52,256 --> 01:29:53,475 It's--whatever it is. 2280 01:29:53,518 --> 01:29:56,434 It's like some disease over here 2281 01:29:56,478 --> 01:29:58,697 that's outside the mainstream. 2282 01:29:58,741 --> 01:29:59,655 You shouldn't trust it. 2283 01:29:59,698 --> 01:30:00,873 So, what do you do? 2284 01:30:00,917 --> 01:30:02,440 You kill the messenger, right? 2285 01:30:02,484 --> 01:30:03,789 You go after Roger Ailes 2286 01:30:03,833 --> 01:30:06,183 because maybe if you can destroy Roger Ailes, 2287 01:30:06,226 --> 01:30:09,665 maybe Fox doesn't survive beyond him. 2288 01:30:11,188 --> 01:30:12,929 NEWSCASTER: Roger Ailes, why do some people 2289 01:30:12,972 --> 01:30:17,194 in the news business hate you and hate Fox News? 2290 01:30:17,237 --> 01:30:19,065 ROGER: Well, I think they teach people to divide 2291 01:30:19,109 --> 01:30:20,545 and dislike each other. 2292 01:30:20,589 --> 01:30:22,678 Hate is something that you have to get over 2293 01:30:22,721 --> 01:30:26,377 in your life and some people haven't gotten over it. 2294 01:30:26,421 --> 01:30:30,512 MAN: I've got your current address, I'm gonna come over there soon. 2295 01:30:30,555 --> 01:30:32,470 ELIZABETH: "The first time I remember there being a threat 2296 01:30:32,514 --> 01:30:34,516 against my dad is when he was running 2297 01:30:34,559 --> 01:30:36,300 George Bush's campaign, 2298 01:30:36,343 --> 01:30:37,867 but it wasn't until Fox News 2299 01:30:37,910 --> 01:30:41,000 that they became extremely serious and scary." 2300 01:30:41,044 --> 01:30:42,741 MAN: I'm at your door and I found you. 2301 01:30:42,785 --> 01:30:44,526 ELIZABETH: "But he wasn't afraid. 2302 01:30:44,569 --> 01:30:47,006 His only concern was for his family, not himself." 2303 01:30:47,050 --> 01:30:49,269 MAN: Do you wanna put me on the news? 2304 01:30:49,313 --> 01:30:52,359 ROGER: I'll put you on the news, cause we always report dead bodies. 2305 01:30:52,403 --> 01:30:54,405 ELIZABETH: I think growing up as a hemophiliac, 2306 01:30:54,449 --> 01:30:56,929 he just had a very practical view of death 2307 01:30:56,973 --> 01:30:59,105 and never seemed worried about it. 2308 01:30:59,149 --> 01:31:03,675 ROGER: What happened to you when you were a kid that caused you to... 2309 01:31:03,719 --> 01:31:05,285 ROGER: You're a coward. 2310 01:31:05,329 --> 01:31:07,549 ELIZABETH: We had many threats against the family. 2311 01:31:07,592 --> 01:31:09,768 We had a swatting incident 2312 01:31:09,812 --> 01:31:14,294 and I arrived to find 20 armed police 2313 01:31:14,338 --> 01:31:15,905 coming out of my house. 2314 01:31:15,948 --> 01:31:18,864 Dealing with personal attacks yourself, 2315 01:31:18,908 --> 01:31:22,825 uh, watching your friends be attacked-- 2316 01:31:22,868 --> 01:31:25,480 I mean, the frustrating thing is, how do you deal with this? 2317 01:31:25,523 --> 01:31:27,525 Rush Limbaugh's politics are quite different from mine, 2318 01:31:27,569 --> 01:31:29,309 but I respect him as a principal thinker 2319 01:31:29,353 --> 01:31:31,181 who has had enormous impact on this culture. 2320 01:31:31,224 --> 01:31:33,705 They kind of push their political point of view, uh, 2321 01:31:33,749 --> 01:31:35,011 to try to shut it down. 2322 01:31:35,054 --> 01:31:36,491 They've demonized him. 2323 01:31:36,534 --> 01:31:39,581 This is how the media deals with conservatives 2324 01:31:39,624 --> 01:31:41,191 who are effective. 2325 01:31:41,234 --> 01:31:43,410 It's part of the discrediting 2326 01:31:43,454 --> 01:31:45,543 that they engage in. 2327 01:31:45,587 --> 01:31:46,892 So, I would ask, 2328 01:31:46,936 --> 01:31:48,503 Roger, what's the way to deal with this? 2329 01:31:48,546 --> 01:31:50,679 Do you--do you respond to this criticism 2330 01:31:50,722 --> 01:31:51,984 or do you just let it go?" 2331 01:31:52,028 --> 01:31:53,986 He said, "Well, it's gonna be 2332 01:31:54,030 --> 01:31:57,599 a psychological challenge, which you have got to learn 2333 01:31:57,642 --> 01:32:00,776 to accept that 20% or 30% 2334 01:32:00,819 --> 01:32:02,908 of the country hating you 2335 01:32:02,952 --> 01:32:06,521 is a sign you are succeeding. 2336 01:32:06,564 --> 01:32:08,435 And recognize that people saying it 2337 01:32:08,479 --> 01:32:10,437 don't know what they're talking about 2338 01:32:10,481 --> 01:32:12,265 and don't know you. 2339 01:32:12,309 --> 01:32:15,181 The people who do know you, know who you are. 2340 01:32:15,225 --> 01:32:18,141 That's all you can do and that's all that matters." 2341 01:32:21,666 --> 01:32:24,930 JON: Fox News profits helped support Rupert Murdoch's 2342 01:32:24,974 --> 01:32:26,889 vast media empire. 2343 01:32:26,932 --> 01:32:29,718 When Roger Ailes launched Fox News, 2344 01:32:29,761 --> 01:32:32,503 Murdoch's children were in their 20s. 2345 01:32:32,547 --> 01:32:35,245 Ailes' complete management control over Fox News 2346 01:32:35,288 --> 01:32:37,552 did not present any immediate issues 2347 01:32:37,595 --> 01:32:39,597 within the Murdoch family. 2348 01:32:39,641 --> 01:32:41,904 But that family dynamic shifted 2349 01:32:41,947 --> 01:32:43,514 with Murdoch's bitter divorce 2350 01:32:43,558 --> 01:32:45,603 from the children's mother. 2351 01:32:45,647 --> 01:32:48,258 As Fox News became a powerful platform, 2352 01:32:48,301 --> 01:32:52,392 the Murdoch heirs wanted to be involved in management, 2353 01:32:52,436 --> 01:32:54,351 and as Rupert Murdoch aged, 2354 01:32:54,394 --> 01:32:58,573 a succession battle loomed large. 2355 01:32:59,530 --> 01:33:00,966 You control your own destiny. 2356 01:33:01,010 --> 01:33:03,621 You have to be able to have control 2357 01:33:03,665 --> 01:33:06,276 as much as possible of the company. 2358 01:33:06,319 --> 01:33:09,584 Therefore, it is very important that the family 2359 01:33:09,627 --> 01:33:11,498 maintain their position in the company. 2360 01:33:11,542 --> 01:33:13,805 JON: But Rupert needed Roger Ailes, 2361 01:33:13,849 --> 01:33:15,285 because without him, 2362 01:33:15,328 --> 01:33:18,810 the Fox News cash juggernaut might end. 2363 01:33:18,854 --> 01:33:21,160 MAN: And the reflection and example of Ailes' power 2364 01:33:21,204 --> 01:33:23,902 is that, through the years, Ailes has feuded 2365 01:33:23,946 --> 01:33:25,512 with Murdoch's children, 2366 01:33:25,556 --> 01:33:27,950 and each time, Ailes has gone to Murdoch 2367 01:33:27,993 --> 01:33:29,429 to speak up to basically say, 2368 01:33:29,473 --> 01:33:31,997 "You got to choose your children or me." 2369 01:33:32,041 --> 01:33:34,783 Murdoch blinked and chose Ailes. 2370 01:33:34,826 --> 01:33:36,959 So that tells you a lot, if you're willing to put 2371 01:33:37,002 --> 01:33:38,700 Roger Ailes, your corporate executive, 2372 01:33:38,743 --> 01:33:40,310 ahead of your own blood. 2373 01:33:42,138 --> 01:33:45,358 JON: In 2011, Roger Ailes quietly explored 2374 01:33:45,402 --> 01:33:46,838 leaving Fox News. 2375 01:33:46,882 --> 01:33:48,492 -ROGER [ON RECORDING]: I would retire today. 2376 01:33:48,535 --> 01:33:49,841 -INTERVIEWER: Uh-huh. -ROGER: I'm-- You know, 2377 01:33:49,885 --> 01:33:51,451 since my brother had the stroke, 2378 01:33:51,495 --> 01:33:53,410 I have a slightly different view of it. 2379 01:33:53,453 --> 01:33:56,718 I got to keep Fox going, so regardless of how I do it, 2380 01:33:56,761 --> 01:33:59,155 it'll take a year or two to keep that going. 2381 01:33:59,198 --> 01:34:01,853 JON: Now over 70 years old, 2382 01:34:01,897 --> 01:34:03,594 he had a family to think of. 2383 01:34:03,638 --> 01:34:06,205 ROGER: I did become fearful again when Zach was born. 2384 01:34:06,249 --> 01:34:09,078 I could run into the center of the situation 2385 01:34:09,121 --> 01:34:12,255 and do what I've always done, but that kid needs a father, 2386 01:34:12,298 --> 01:34:13,865 so I'm gonna shut my mouth. 2387 01:34:13,909 --> 01:34:17,129 JON: In 2012, Rupert Murdoch offered Roger Ailes 2388 01:34:17,173 --> 01:34:19,654 the first of several lucrative extensions 2389 01:34:19,697 --> 01:34:22,178 to stay at the helm of Fox News. 2390 01:34:22,221 --> 01:34:24,136 Murdoch enticed Ailes to stay through 2391 01:34:24,180 --> 01:34:26,704 the upcoming 2016 election cycle, 2392 01:34:26,748 --> 01:34:29,707 a critical ratings and financial event. 2393 01:34:29,751 --> 01:34:32,797 Both men knew it would be Ailes' final term 2394 01:34:32,841 --> 01:34:34,712 with Fox News. 2395 01:34:34,756 --> 01:34:36,583 And Murdoch took the opportunity 2396 01:34:36,627 --> 01:34:40,544 to install both his sons as senior Fox executives. 2397 01:34:40,587 --> 01:34:42,502 Technically, the Murdoch children 2398 01:34:42,546 --> 01:34:47,029 as well as Rupert Murdoch were now Roger Ailes' bosses, 2399 01:34:47,072 --> 01:34:49,379 on paper anyway. 2400 01:34:49,422 --> 01:34:52,251 MICHAEL WOLFF: The other mission that Murdoch has always been 2401 01:34:52,295 --> 01:34:55,733 devoted to is making his children 2402 01:34:55,777 --> 01:34:58,475 the people who will run this company 2403 01:34:58,518 --> 01:35:00,216 for the foreseeable future. 2404 01:35:00,259 --> 01:35:02,348 So, this is all part of a plan 2405 01:35:02,392 --> 01:35:04,263 for nobody to get in the way 2406 01:35:04,307 --> 01:35:06,570 of his children's destiny. 2407 01:35:06,613 --> 01:35:08,311 -He always felt... -MAN: Yeah. 2408 01:35:08,354 --> 01:35:10,574 ...if he died and somebody else 2409 01:35:10,617 --> 01:35:12,576 was the CEO of the company, 2410 01:35:12,619 --> 01:35:14,578 that would be a problem 2411 01:35:14,621 --> 01:35:17,276 and a problem for his children to take over. 2412 01:35:17,320 --> 01:35:21,585 So, this is all part of a concerted long-term 2413 01:35:21,628 --> 01:35:24,501 and I might say masterful plan on Murdoch's part. 2414 01:35:24,544 --> 01:35:26,111 To keep the Murdoch name? 2415 01:35:26,155 --> 01:35:28,418 JON: The Murdoch sons began preparing for the day 2416 01:35:28,461 --> 01:35:31,247 when Roger was no longer running Fox. 2417 01:35:31,290 --> 01:35:33,684 They jockeyed for media coverage, 2418 01:35:33,728 --> 01:35:36,339 a magazine focused on Roger Ailes 2419 01:35:36,382 --> 01:35:38,167 was quickly matched by a magazine 2420 01:35:38,210 --> 01:35:40,082 featuring the Murdoch heirs' plans 2421 01:35:40,125 --> 01:35:42,606 for their inherited company. 2422 01:35:43,912 --> 01:35:46,871 ROGER: Each of you has a personal ego pit 2423 01:35:46,915 --> 01:35:50,788 out there in the dark waiting for you, someplace, sometime. 2424 01:35:50,832 --> 01:35:54,226 If you fall in it, the sides are steep, 2425 01:35:54,270 --> 01:35:57,664 they are slippery, and you may never get out. 2426 01:35:57,708 --> 01:35:59,666 A media and political bombshell. 2427 01:35:59,710 --> 01:36:01,973 GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Those sexual harassment allegations, 2428 01:36:02,017 --> 01:36:04,802 against one of the most powerful men in television news. 2429 01:36:18,468 --> 01:36:19,948 MALE NEWSCASTER: New York magazine, 2430 01:36:19,991 --> 01:36:21,776 citing unnamed sources, 2431 01:36:21,819 --> 01:36:24,561 reported today that Fox Anchor Megyn Kelly 2432 01:36:24,604 --> 01:36:27,085 told the outside law firm conducting a review 2433 01:36:27,129 --> 01:36:29,479 that Ailes had sexually harassed her 2434 01:36:29,522 --> 01:36:32,395 when she was a Fox reporter about a decade ago. 2435 01:36:32,438 --> 01:36:34,136 He called me up to New York, 2436 01:36:34,179 --> 01:36:36,791 sat me down, gave me a bunch of great advice, 2437 01:36:36,834 --> 01:36:39,358 and the untold part of that meeting, 2438 01:36:39,402 --> 01:36:42,274 and others like it, was it would be coupled 2439 01:36:42,318 --> 01:36:45,190 with highly inappropriate sexual references. 2440 01:36:50,108 --> 01:36:52,937 Ailes' lawyer, Susan Estrich, responded with this statement, 2441 01:36:52,981 --> 01:36:54,591 and I will quote, 2442 01:36:54,634 --> 01:36:56,506 "Roger Ailes has never sexually harassed Megyn Kelly. 2443 01:36:56,549 --> 01:36:59,378 In fact, he has spent much of the last decade promoting 2444 01:36:59,422 --> 01:37:02,817 and helping her to achieve the stardom she earned 2445 01:37:02,860 --> 01:37:06,255 for what she has repeatedly and publicly thanked him." 2446 01:37:06,298 --> 01:37:08,126 ROGER [ON RECORDING]: I'm not gonna inveigh anybody by name, 2447 01:37:08,170 --> 01:37:10,128 but I believe somebody talked to Megyn... 2448 01:37:10,172 --> 01:37:13,871 outside of the investigation group... 2449 01:37:13,915 --> 01:37:15,438 and made a deal with her... 2450 01:37:15,481 --> 01:37:17,396 and said, 'You got anything on Ailes?' 2451 01:37:17,440 --> 01:37:19,572 And she says, 2452 01:37:19,616 --> 01:37:23,098 'For 10 years he's done nothing but help me. I dunno. Let me see....' 2453 01:37:23,141 --> 01:37:28,625 'Y'know, when I first walked in one day, he inappropriately hugged me.' 2454 01:37:28,668 --> 01:37:34,761 Nobody believes that because I awkwardly, as she put it, hugged her 10 years ago... 2455 01:37:34,805 --> 01:37:37,286 ...that I'm guilty of sexual harassment. 2456 01:37:37,329 --> 01:37:42,813 Well, you may have said something that made her uncomfortable.' Ten years ago? 2457 01:37:42,857 --> 01:37:44,467 Ten years after the fact, 2458 01:37:44,510 --> 01:37:46,817 a woman can haul you up in front of a public committee 2459 01:37:46,861 --> 01:37:49,907 and make you reconstruct lunchtime conversations you had. 2460 01:37:49,951 --> 01:37:52,170 What is this? You know, Stalinism? 2461 01:37:52,214 --> 01:37:55,521 ROGER [ON RECORDING]: I've never done anything that would rise to this level. 2462 01:37:55,565 --> 01:37:58,176 I am not guilty of the charges. 2463 01:37:58,220 --> 01:38:00,048 GEORGE: As you know, Roger Ailes put out a statement, quote, 2464 01:38:00,091 --> 01:38:02,093 "I categorically deny the allegations Megyn Kelly 2465 01:38:02,137 --> 01:38:05,662 makes about me, as Megyn herself admitted to Charlie Rose. 2466 01:38:05,705 --> 01:38:07,882 Watch that interview and decide for yourself." 2467 01:38:07,925 --> 01:38:09,274 MEGYN: I really care about Roger. 2468 01:38:09,318 --> 01:38:12,408 And he's been nothing but good to me. 2469 01:38:12,451 --> 01:38:15,280 And he's been very loyal and he's had my back. 2470 01:38:15,324 --> 01:38:17,761 ELIZABETH: Roger went to bat for Megyn Kelly 2471 01:38:17,804 --> 01:38:21,634 when she and Donald Trump got into a tweet war. 2472 01:38:21,678 --> 01:38:23,810 Donald, as you might recall, was not happy 2473 01:38:23,854 --> 01:38:26,074 with her questions at the debate, 2474 01:38:26,117 --> 01:38:28,380 and Roger said famously, 2475 01:38:28,424 --> 01:38:31,427 "The United States is at war with various countries 2476 01:38:31,470 --> 01:38:33,603 but Donald Trump is at war with Megyn Kelly." 2477 01:38:33,646 --> 01:38:35,387 He stood up for her. 2478 01:38:35,431 --> 01:38:37,912 So, how do you square that with what you're writing now? 2479 01:38:37,955 --> 01:38:40,436 He said, "Look, the viewers can smell a phony 2480 01:38:40,479 --> 01:38:42,177 from a mile away." 2481 01:38:42,220 --> 01:38:45,136 ELIZABETH: Megyn Kelly was on the cover of a magazine, 2482 01:38:45,180 --> 01:38:46,659 and in the story, 2483 01:38:46,703 --> 01:38:50,750 she negotiated her contract in the press. 2484 01:38:52,100 --> 01:38:53,579 JON: Network contracts limit 2485 01:38:53,623 --> 01:38:56,147 when talent can solicit competing offers, 2486 01:38:56,191 --> 01:38:59,281 violations are cause for termination. 2487 01:38:59,324 --> 01:39:01,761 ELIZABETH: Roger called her into his office 2488 01:39:01,805 --> 01:39:05,287 and he told me that night what happened. 2489 01:39:05,330 --> 01:39:06,984 He said to her, 2490 01:39:07,028 --> 01:39:11,380 "You shouldn't negotiate your contract in the press, 2491 01:39:11,423 --> 01:39:13,164 and you're forgetting, Megyn, 2492 01:39:13,208 --> 01:39:16,428 you're not the only one who gets to decide 2493 01:39:16,472 --> 01:39:17,952 if you stay at Fox." 2494 01:39:17,995 --> 01:39:21,738 When he told her that, Roger said, 2495 01:39:21,781 --> 01:39:23,435 "Her face changed." 2496 01:39:23,479 --> 01:39:26,438 She turned on him in that very moment. 2497 01:39:26,482 --> 01:39:30,355 And he suspected that she was leapfrogging him 2498 01:39:30,399 --> 01:39:33,010 and going directly to the Murdochs 2499 01:39:33,054 --> 01:39:35,926 to talk about her contract. 2500 01:39:38,624 --> 01:39:41,453 Let's be honest, in the media world, 2501 01:39:41,497 --> 01:39:46,284 be it acting or journalism, radio or TV, 2502 01:39:46,328 --> 01:39:49,984 the central dominating factor 2503 01:39:50,027 --> 01:39:52,421 is the ego, and I think it's at that point 2504 01:39:52,464 --> 01:39:57,295 that all considerations of loyalty and gratitude vanish. 2505 01:39:57,339 --> 01:40:00,211 They end up being replaced by anger 2506 01:40:00,255 --> 01:40:03,910 and a need for revenge. 2507 01:40:03,954 --> 01:40:05,956 What I wanted was for it 2508 01:40:06,000 --> 01:40:08,611 to be an open and honest investigation into him. 2509 01:40:08,654 --> 01:40:10,352 That's all I really wanted. 2510 01:40:10,395 --> 01:40:14,660 This investigation, such as it was, 2511 01:40:14,704 --> 01:40:16,923 was over in the blink of an eye. 2512 01:40:16,967 --> 01:40:20,014 Nobody ever came to us and said, 2513 01:40:20,057 --> 01:40:22,451 "We want to interview Roger and hear his side of the story." 2514 01:40:22,494 --> 01:40:25,671 No one ever came to Roger and asked him 2515 01:40:25,715 --> 01:40:27,412 for his side of the story. 2516 01:40:27,456 --> 01:40:30,415 He steadfastly denied 2517 01:40:30,459 --> 01:40:33,027 any accusations that were made, 2518 01:40:33,070 --> 01:40:37,074 but his exit contract prohibited him 2519 01:40:37,118 --> 01:40:41,557 from responding to anything that was said. 2520 01:40:41,600 --> 01:40:45,952 ROGER [ON RECORDING]: I've had no opportunity to present my side on this, 2521 01:40:45,996 --> 01:40:49,043 I never sexually abused anybody. 2522 01:40:50,435 --> 01:40:54,222 It was almost a perfect storm for Roger. 2523 01:40:54,265 --> 01:40:56,006 People thought Hillary Clinton 2524 01:40:56,050 --> 01:41:00,097 was gonna be the next president. 2525 01:41:01,446 --> 01:41:03,927 I don't think it's any coincidence 2526 01:41:03,970 --> 01:41:08,062 that Roger's departure 2527 01:41:08,105 --> 01:41:09,933 from Fox News 2528 01:41:09,976 --> 01:41:13,937 was announced on the evening 2529 01:41:13,980 --> 01:41:16,548 of the Republican National Convention opening. 2530 01:41:18,246 --> 01:41:20,291 JON: A law firm with strong ties 2531 01:41:20,335 --> 01:41:21,901 to candidate Hillary Clinton 2532 01:41:21,945 --> 01:41:24,817 conducted a brief investigation. 2533 01:41:24,861 --> 01:41:27,037 MAN: I think there was something more 2534 01:41:27,081 --> 01:41:29,387 that led to the demise of Roger 2535 01:41:29,431 --> 01:41:34,088 than simply the allegations that were made. 2536 01:41:34,131 --> 01:41:38,222 JON: The inquiry was criticized as being a rubber stamp. 2537 01:41:40,920 --> 01:41:43,923 ROGER [ON RECORDING]: The other thing is that nine years ago, 2538 01:41:43,967 --> 01:41:46,143 I had radical prostatectomy. 2539 01:41:46,187 --> 01:41:47,840 ELIZABETH: He had a hip replacement, 2540 01:41:47,884 --> 01:41:49,407 he had prostate cancer. 2541 01:41:49,451 --> 01:41:53,846 He was getting... 2542 01:41:53,890 --> 01:41:56,066 progressively more frail. 2543 01:41:56,110 --> 01:41:58,764 He was physically incapable 2544 01:41:58,808 --> 01:42:02,028 of the things that he was accused of. 2545 01:42:02,072 --> 01:42:04,857 ROGER [ON RECORDING]: One of the people being interviewed, after they said, 2546 01:42:04,901 --> 01:42:07,208 'Look, I love Ailes. I've been with him a lot privately.' 2547 01:42:07,251 --> 01:42:09,949 'He's never done anything. The guy's like a father to me.' 2548 01:42:09,993 --> 01:42:13,866 And they said, 'Aw, c'mon, you've got something on Ailes.' 2549 01:42:13,910 --> 01:42:15,346 I was in Roger's office, 2550 01:42:15,390 --> 01:42:19,307 I will say easily more than two dozen times, 2551 01:42:19,350 --> 01:42:22,658 never once, once, 2552 01:42:22,701 --> 01:42:25,791 did he ever either hit on me, 2553 01:42:25,835 --> 01:42:29,969 make me feel like he was trying to, 2554 01:42:30,013 --> 01:42:32,102 never, never, never, and never. 2555 01:42:32,146 --> 01:42:34,365 There was a lot of support for Roger, 2556 01:42:34,409 --> 01:42:35,671 but it got nipped in the bud. 2557 01:42:35,714 --> 01:42:38,630 Many women offered to write letters 2558 01:42:38,674 --> 01:42:41,546 or even speak on camera 2559 01:42:41,590 --> 01:42:45,071 about their interactions with Roger. 2560 01:42:45,115 --> 01:42:48,074 These women were all treated professionally 2561 01:42:48,118 --> 01:42:51,600 and they all wanted to say so publicly. 2562 01:42:53,906 --> 01:42:58,172 But the powers that be did not want anyone 2563 01:42:58,215 --> 01:43:01,566 who had a positive experience to speak out, 2564 01:43:01,610 --> 01:43:05,614 they were told never to say anything positive. 2565 01:43:05,657 --> 01:43:09,270 In fact, some were told, "Don't even go to the funeral." 2566 01:43:09,313 --> 01:43:12,490 ROGER: So this has looked like, from the beginning, 2567 01:43:12,534 --> 01:43:16,190 a march to a reputational destruction. 2568 01:43:17,843 --> 01:43:20,977 JON: With his two sons now inserted at Fox News, 2569 01:43:21,020 --> 01:43:22,413 Rupert Murdoch decided 2570 01:43:22,457 --> 01:43:25,808 he no longer needed Roger Ailes. 2571 01:43:25,851 --> 01:43:27,201 Roger Ailes resigned 2572 01:43:27,244 --> 01:43:29,159 as CEO of Fox News. 2573 01:43:29,203 --> 01:43:32,075 CEO Roger Ailes has handed in his resignation. 2574 01:43:32,989 --> 01:43:34,599 [DRAMATIC THEME PLAYING] 2575 01:43:39,735 --> 01:43:41,476 [APPLAUSE] 2576 01:43:41,519 --> 01:43:44,696 ELIZABETH: All the people that had stood so close 2577 01:43:44,740 --> 01:43:46,655 through the 20-year rise, 2578 01:43:46,698 --> 01:43:50,267 we quickly found out within two weeks of his stepping down 2579 01:43:50,311 --> 01:43:53,139 how many false friends he had. 2580 01:43:53,183 --> 01:43:55,272 That was a real shock. 2581 01:43:55,316 --> 01:43:59,407 I don't--I don't understand some people 2582 01:43:59,450 --> 01:44:04,499 who so apparently were able 2583 01:44:04,542 --> 01:44:07,066 to throw Roger Ailes overboard. 2584 01:44:07,110 --> 01:44:09,504 ROGER [ON RECORDING]: They don't love me, they're talking to me 2585 01:44:09,547 --> 01:44:11,984 because of the power I had. 2586 01:44:12,028 --> 01:44:15,336 ELIZABETH: When Roger Ailes left Fox News, 2587 01:44:15,379 --> 01:44:17,599 the attacks were stepped up. 2588 01:44:17,642 --> 01:44:20,428 He was not allowed to defend himself. 2589 01:44:20,471 --> 01:44:23,169 That was an impossible situation 2590 01:44:23,213 --> 01:44:25,868 for a guy who had done the impossible. 2591 01:44:25,911 --> 01:44:30,307 And it seemed to come to a crescendo 2592 01:44:30,351 --> 01:44:33,005 in November of 2016. 2593 01:44:33,049 --> 01:44:37,009 Roger was married twice before he married me. 2594 01:44:37,053 --> 01:44:39,969 In fact, I think at the end of his second marriage 2595 01:44:40,012 --> 01:44:42,406 in the late '80s, early '90s, 2596 01:44:42,450 --> 01:44:44,539 he had a girlfriend, 2597 01:44:44,582 --> 01:44:47,150 someone that I did not know about, 2598 01:44:47,193 --> 01:44:50,327 and I learned... 2599 01:44:50,371 --> 01:44:52,373 just after he stepped down 2600 01:44:52,416 --> 01:44:55,550 that he had taken up with this girlfriend 2601 01:44:55,593 --> 01:44:58,509 again during our marriage. 2602 01:45:00,206 --> 01:45:04,167 I was blindsided, I was very angry, 2603 01:45:04,210 --> 01:45:08,084 I was hurt, it was painful, um... 2604 01:45:11,000 --> 01:45:13,132 He was sorrowful 2605 01:45:13,176 --> 01:45:15,657 and sought forgiveness. 2606 01:45:17,093 --> 01:45:19,487 Those were dark days, 2607 01:45:19,530 --> 01:45:21,140 very dark days. 2608 01:45:21,184 --> 01:45:25,101 And then, as I do when I'm upset, 2609 01:45:25,144 --> 01:45:27,930 I try to rearrange the sock drawer 2610 01:45:27,973 --> 01:45:29,061 or something like that. 2611 01:45:29,105 --> 01:45:30,715 And so I went out into the garage 2612 01:45:30,759 --> 01:45:32,674 and I was going through some papers 2613 01:45:32,717 --> 01:45:36,025 and I came across the Robert Frost poem, 2614 01:45:36,068 --> 01:45:38,375 "The Road Less Traveled." 2615 01:45:41,596 --> 01:45:45,034 And so I took the road less traveled by, 2616 01:45:45,077 --> 01:45:47,079 and for me, that made the difference 2617 01:45:47,123 --> 01:45:49,734 because I kept my marriage together, 2618 01:45:49,778 --> 01:45:51,519 I believe in forgiveness. 2619 01:45:51,562 --> 01:45:55,044 And I think that the world has forgotten 2620 01:45:55,087 --> 01:45:58,090 how to be compassionate, 2621 01:45:58,134 --> 01:46:01,398 and loving, and forgive. 2622 01:46:03,008 --> 01:46:06,098 I was with him the day that he fell. 2623 01:46:06,142 --> 01:46:07,970 [DRAMATIC THEME PLAYING] 2624 01:46:11,539 --> 01:46:14,411 ROBERT AILES: What killed him was, he fell in the bathroom, 2625 01:46:14,455 --> 01:46:16,587 hit his head on the tile, 2626 01:46:16,631 --> 01:46:19,721 created an intracranial hemorrhage 2627 01:46:19,764 --> 01:46:23,202 and, um, we couldn't get the bleeding stopped. 2628 01:46:23,246 --> 01:46:25,291 ELIZABETH: The paramedics were here... 2629 01:46:25,335 --> 01:46:27,859 -...and they got him on the gurney... -[AMBULANCE SIREN BLARING] 2630 01:46:27,903 --> 01:46:29,557 ...and they said, "Do you know your name?" 2631 01:46:29,600 --> 01:46:31,820 And he said, "Roger Ailes." 2632 01:46:31,863 --> 01:46:35,389 And then they said, "Do you know who the president is?" 2633 01:46:35,432 --> 01:46:39,393 And he said, "No, I don't know." 2634 01:46:39,436 --> 01:46:42,352 And I started to cry because I realized 2635 01:46:42,396 --> 01:46:45,224 that was a very bad sign. 2636 01:46:45,268 --> 01:46:47,662 A man who had elected three presidents 2637 01:46:47,705 --> 01:46:51,448 wasn't remembering who was currently the president. 2638 01:46:51,492 --> 01:46:55,278 But he took a turn for the worse one afternoon, 2639 01:46:55,321 --> 01:46:57,498 and they said, "You can go in and speak to him 2640 01:46:57,541 --> 01:47:00,109 before he's wheeled into surgery." 2641 01:47:01,589 --> 01:47:04,287 When I went into the room, they said, 2642 01:47:04,330 --> 01:47:07,159 "Remember, he can hear everything you're saying." 2643 01:47:08,291 --> 01:47:09,945 And I-- So I-- 2644 01:47:09,988 --> 01:47:12,208 They said, "Try to sound positive," 2645 01:47:12,251 --> 01:47:16,299 which is not easy to do under those circumstances. 2646 01:47:16,342 --> 01:47:20,172 But I held his hand and I remember I placed my hands 2647 01:47:20,216 --> 01:47:22,566 on his chest and I said, 2648 01:47:22,610 --> 01:47:25,482 "Roger, we need you. 2649 01:47:25,526 --> 01:47:28,050 Please come back to us. 2650 01:47:28,093 --> 01:47:29,443 Please come back. 2651 01:47:29,486 --> 01:47:31,357 I forgive you."[SOBS] 2652 01:47:31,401 --> 01:47:34,143 [DRAMATIC THEME PLAYING] 2653 01:47:34,186 --> 01:47:38,321 ELIZABETH: And a big tear rolled right down his cheek, 2654 01:47:38,364 --> 01:47:40,454 so I know he heard me. 2655 01:47:49,811 --> 01:47:51,334 ROGER [ON RECORDING]: I didn't have a perfect life, 2656 01:47:51,377 --> 01:47:55,120 but I've had a good life like everybody. 2657 01:47:55,164 --> 01:47:58,036 I veered off course from time to time. 2658 01:47:58,080 --> 01:48:00,299 And to anybody I hurt, I apologize. 2659 01:48:00,343 --> 01:48:03,302 As for anybody who hurt me, I'm still looking for you. 2660 01:48:03,346 --> 01:48:05,174 I've done it all. 2661 01:48:05,217 --> 01:48:07,481 I entertained, I've attacked, 2662 01:48:07,524 --> 01:48:10,048 defended, offended, 2663 01:48:10,092 --> 01:48:12,486 defined, informed. 2664 01:48:12,529 --> 01:48:15,967 Sometimes I was right, sometimes wrong, 2665 01:48:16,011 --> 01:48:18,753 I lived, I learned, 2666 01:48:18,796 --> 01:48:22,670 and most of all, I succeeded. 2667 01:48:22,713 --> 01:48:24,933 I think that if he had lived 2668 01:48:24,976 --> 01:48:26,804 through that last fall, 2669 01:48:26,848 --> 01:48:30,852 he probably would've had more wonderful time with Zachary. 2670 01:48:30,895 --> 01:48:34,508 He toyed with the idea of doing something 2671 01:48:34,551 --> 01:48:36,814 to compete with Fox News. 2672 01:48:36,858 --> 01:48:39,034 He had that street fire mentality. 2673 01:48:39,077 --> 01:48:41,645 He was not one to give up. 2674 01:48:41,689 --> 01:48:44,213 So he was gonna come back. 2675 01:48:46,084 --> 01:48:49,261 ROGER [ON RECORDING]: It's the uncompleted mission of my life. 2676 01:48:53,918 --> 01:48:56,225 DONALD TRUMP: What Roger Ailes did was create 2677 01:48:56,268 --> 01:48:58,053 somewhat of a miracle. 2678 01:48:58,096 --> 01:49:01,317 Roger really opened up a world 2679 01:49:01,360 --> 01:49:04,668 that nobody else was able to capture. 2680 01:49:04,712 --> 01:49:09,717 He understood the people that weren't able to, 2681 01:49:09,760 --> 01:49:10,979 not only express their views, 2682 01:49:11,022 --> 01:49:12,763 but hear the views of other people 2683 01:49:12,807 --> 01:49:14,765 that they wanted to hear. 2684 01:49:14,809 --> 01:49:17,376 So I'm not sure that I ever would have been 2685 01:49:17,420 --> 01:49:20,684 standing at this very powerful, 2686 01:49:20,728 --> 01:49:23,252 important, even sacred spot, 2687 01:49:23,295 --> 01:49:25,950 the Rose Garden, in front of the Oval Office, 2688 01:49:25,994 --> 01:49:29,693 at the White House, if it weren't for Roger. 2689 01:49:29,737 --> 01:49:34,698 Roger Ailes was a true American patriot. 2690 01:49:34,742 --> 01:49:37,396 People should remember Roger Ailes 2691 01:49:37,440 --> 01:49:40,225 as a champion of America, 2692 01:49:40,269 --> 01:49:43,228 and part of being a champion of America 2693 01:49:43,272 --> 01:49:47,145 was creating a First Amendment platform 2694 01:49:47,189 --> 01:49:51,541 for people really from all sides of the aisle to be heard. 2695 01:49:51,585 --> 01:49:54,675 I think that he deserves to be remembered 2696 01:49:54,718 --> 01:49:58,200 a little bit more than salacious gossip. 2697 01:49:58,243 --> 01:50:01,159 But he was literally a pioneer 2698 01:50:01,203 --> 01:50:05,599 and made broadcasting in television better 2699 01:50:05,642 --> 01:50:09,211 because of his sheer will. 2700 01:50:09,254 --> 01:50:12,040 If I were to pick the three most consequential conservatives 2701 01:50:12,083 --> 01:50:14,564 of the modern era, 2702 01:50:14,608 --> 01:50:16,958 it would be Ronald Reagan, 2703 01:50:17,001 --> 01:50:19,395 Charles Krauthammer, 2704 01:50:19,438 --> 01:50:20,657 and Roger Ailes. 2705 01:50:20,701 --> 01:50:22,224 It changed the landscape. 2706 01:50:22,267 --> 01:50:25,444 Roger Ailes changed the game, 2707 01:50:25,488 --> 01:50:29,492 and that does live on, that lives past all of us. 2708 01:50:29,535 --> 01:50:32,669 In his generation, he was one of the most 2709 01:50:32,713 --> 01:50:36,238 creative people anywhere in America in the news business 2710 01:50:36,281 --> 01:50:40,111 and his legacy is unique and institutional 2711 01:50:40,155 --> 01:50:41,983 and I know of no rival 2712 01:50:42,026 --> 01:50:44,986 in that time period during his lifetime, 2713 01:50:45,029 --> 01:50:46,770 in terms of total impact. 2714 01:50:46,814 --> 01:50:49,817 Roger Ailes was special because he did what he said 2715 01:50:49,860 --> 01:50:53,429 he was gonna do and he shined a light in dark places, 2716 01:50:53,472 --> 01:50:56,258 unabashedly, and then held the spotlight there. 2717 01:50:56,301 --> 01:50:58,564 In journalism and in politics, nobody else, 2718 01:50:58,608 --> 01:51:00,305 no other single person contributed 2719 01:51:00,349 --> 01:51:02,568 anywhere near what he contributed. 2720 01:51:02,612 --> 01:51:05,267 It's like the Renaissance. Well, he's a Michelangelo. 2721 01:51:05,310 --> 01:51:09,793 And so he engineers presidencies 2722 01:51:09,837 --> 01:51:11,099 and then he engineers 2723 01:51:11,142 --> 01:51:14,711 the most successful news network ever. 2724 01:51:14,755 --> 01:51:19,585 You got to remember Roger Ailes as the guy 2725 01:51:19,629 --> 01:51:22,850 who made it possible for you to win. 2726 01:51:22,893 --> 01:51:25,591 He was... 2727 01:51:25,635 --> 01:51:27,811 American exceptionalism. 2728 01:51:27,855 --> 01:51:31,119 [DRAMATIC THEME PLAYING] 2729 01:51:44,915 --> 01:51:48,745 ROGER: 2730 01:52:00,801 --> 01:52:04,021 [DRAMATIC THEME PLAYING]