Reason.tv: John Stossel on the Media, Liberty, and Why He Doesn't Miss Working for ABC

"At ABC, it was like, 'This is mainstream. This is correct. And then there are you whackos," said Fox Business host John Stossel.

Stossel made a keynote speech at Reason Weekend 2012, Reason Foundation's annual donor event. He talked about why liberty is counter-intuitive to most people and how being accepted by conservatives more easily than by liberals surprised him. He also shared horror stories from his days working on 20/20 at ABC, where he says anchors like Peter Jennings would regularly look at him with disgust.

About 35 minutes. Filmed by Joshua Swain and Anthony Fisher. Edited by Zach Weissmueller.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

A Stossel post on a Tuesday instead of a Thursday? Give me a break!

And it's bad enough Jennings was down here taking our jobs, the Stoss shouldnn't have to put up with any Canuck skunk-eye to boot.

[If you equate liberty with...]

agricultural city-Statist enforcement of Gambol Lockdown, no wonder Conservatives like liberty so much.

"Slavery is Freedom!"

[Sparky]

I don't care what anyone else says White Indian, you are officially my hero.

My. Fucking. Hero.

[Brother Grimm]

Wouldn't a website called "Godesky in the Classroom" be freakin' awesome!?!

[you mad bro?]

[Brother Grimm]

No. Why?

[Tony]

Liberals value facts and evidence as part of their nature as liberals. Conservatives can actually become more misinformed the more they educate themselves, because they don't place a high value on facts and evidence, but on confirming a comforting preexisting worldview. This is all in the scientific literature by now.

[Tman]

So you didn't watch the video then.

Because Stossel pretty says the complete opposite of what you're saying.

But then I guess I'm the idiot for arguing with you.

[Tony]

John Stossel < science

Read.

[Tman]

You are seriously bringing up that study?

That thing has been debunked so many times it's ridiculous.

Funny that you should use a study that pretty much violates most scientific principles as you example of "science".

No wonder you think you're so smart.

http://ironshrink.com/2010/04/.....-it-is-so/

[Libertarian candidate 4th Dist]

Shawn Smith, Libertarian candidate for 4th District U.S. House of Representatives
shawnsmithlibertarian.blogspot.com

uh huh debunkified it has to be

[Sparky]

Liberal author can't believe someone would challenge his "facts", refuses to engage in debate, is sure Republican is retarded.

[seguin]

Which is why liberals support massive bureaucracies and hyperregulation. Because evidence points to that working.

Yeah. Makes total sense.

(P.S. You're still better than WI)

[sage]

Liberals don't value facts. They value intentions. It doesn't matter that all their top-down central management social engineering doesn't work with a shit. What matters is that They Meant Well.

[Tony]

Liberals are willing to change approaches when their schemes don't work. Libertarians not only want to impose a vast social engineering scheme on everyone, they don't want to give anyone a choice in the matter, and they don't care about whether it ever proves to work. Further I'm not even sure if you Mean Well at all.

[Tman]

Yes, because "leave me the fuck alone"="vast social engineering scheme".

This has to be a spoof. Normal Tony isn't usually this stupid, is he?

[vast social engineering scheme]

that's agricultural city-Statism (civilization) for ya

[Tony]

"Leave me the fuck alone" is the political philosophy of a spoiled brat teenager--which I'm not at all convinced libertarianism isn't just a manifestation of.

But it really does have real-world policy consequences meaning real outcomes for real human beings. It's every bit a social engineering scheme as anything else. There is no default way of life that can claim moral supremacy just by virtue of assertion.

[Sam Grove]

Tony is still clueless.

[Sam Grove]

You're pretty funny.

[Sparky]

I'm not sure even the real Tony would go this far. A decent spoof though, B-.

[Federal Dog]

"This is all in the scientific literature by now."

You'd be surprised by all the stuff that's "in the scientific literature by now."

[I am the logic]

Nothing says science like an Ad hominem attack.

[Warren]

Say what ever happened to the Coulter vs The Jacket smackdown?

[Fist of Etiquette]

You can find it at megaupload.

[reason readin female]

I don't have cable, so I had to look this up.
Are you talking about when they were on some show called the "Red Eye" with an annoying guy named Gutfield?...or something?

Good God what a crappy show.
Although the morning shock jock schtick has never appealed to me.
Unwatchable.

(I'm sure it appeals to somebody out there)

If there is a different smackdown, where would I find it?

[CE]

Liberal disgust with libertarians arises because we are challenging their world view directly. Conservatives tend to share our world view in regards to the value of liberty, they just think they have to make one exception, for national defense, or our moral well being, or to protect the children, or until terrorism is defeated, or whatever.

[We challenge MORE]

Fibertarian disgust with primitivists arises because the primitivist critique of civilization is challenging their world view directly.

Conservitard disgust with primitivists arises because the primitivist critique of civilization is challenging their world view directly.

Liberulz disgust with primitivists arises because the primitivist critique of civilization is challenging their world view directly.

[Still waiting...]

...on you to tell me WHY civilization is worse than barbarism!

Or is that your misanthropy has just made you genocidal?

[air max chaussures]

something..