Jennifer Rubin on Her New Media Outlet: ‘The Contrarian Is Overtly Pro-Democracy ... We’re Not Going to Let Democracy Die in Darkness’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT Velshi Just ░░░░░░░░ weeks ago our next ░░░░░░░░ Jennifer Rubin who had ░░░░░░░░ at the Washington Post ░░░░░░░░ 14 years resigned from ░░░░░░░░ role as a columnist ░░░░░░░░ has always been ideologically ░░░░░░░░ conservative but she s ░░░░░░░░ been a critic of ░░░░░░░░ including the administration of ░░░░░░░░ Trump In her resignation ░░░░░░░░ she takes the paper ░░░░░░░░ owner to task writing ░░░░░░░░ part quote Jeff Bezos ░░░░░░░░ his cronies accommodate and ░░░░░░░░ the most acute threat ░░░░░░░░ American democracy Donald Trump ░░░░░░░░ Trump has taken a ░░░░░░░░ on the press to ░░░░░░░░ entirely new level softening ░░░░░░░░ ground for an erosion ░░░░░░░░ robust press freedom as ░░░░░░░░ post reported it is ░░░░░░░░ he finds insufficient resistance ░░░░░░░░ owners whose outlets he ░░░░░░░░ quite literally rewarded him ░░░░░░░░ quote But rather than ░░░░░░░░ and retreat rubin is ░░░░░░░░ a new outlet focused ░░░░░░░░ countering authoritarian threats Called ░░░░░░░░ contrarian its slogan not ░░░░░░░░ by anybody Jennifer Rubin ░░░░░░░░ me now She s ░░░░░░░░ co founder and editor ░░░░░░░░ chief of the contrarian ░░░░░░░░ s also an MSNBC ░░░░░░░░ analyst I ve spoken ░░░░░░░░ you a couple of ░░░░░░░░ Jennifer since this has ░░░░░░░░ but we haven t ░░░░░░░░ about this specifically And ░░░░░░░░ reason to speak about ░░░░░░░░ specifically is the same ░░░░░░░░ we have Maria Ressa ░░░░░░░░ our air People have ░░░░░░░░ see examples of what ░░░░░░░░ looks like to hold ░░░░░░░░ line So tell me ░░░░░░░░ you got here RUBIN ░░░░░░░░ Post as you know ░░░░░░░░ a storied outlet owned ░░░░░░░░ the Graham family that ░░░░░░░░ a long tradition of ░░░░░░░░ up to power One ░░░░░░░░ the principles was that ░░░░░░░░ newspaper owner shall not ░░░░░░░░ the newspaper for his ░░░░░░░░ her own financial advantage ░░░░░░░░ that is what is ░░░░░░░░ on when you have ░░░░░░░░ owners including Jeff Bezos ░░░░░░░░ sees his own business ░░░░░░░░ apart from the media ░░░░░░░░ this case his spacex ░░░░░░░░ or Elon Musk s ░░░░░░░░ that is dependent in ░░░░░░░░ part upon the government ░░░░░░░░ seem to think that ░░░░░░░░ own press outlet should ░░░░░░░░ muzzled should be quieted ░░░░░░░░ not upset Donald Trump ░░░░░░░░ much And so you ░░░░░░░░ for example the refusal ░░░░░░░░ endorse Donald Trump which ░░░░░░░░ the editorial position of ░░░░░░░░ the la times owned ░░░░░░░░ another billionaire and the ░░░░░░░░ Post You also see ░░░░░░░░ billionaires giving money to ░░░░░░░░ president of the United ░░░░░░░░ And yucking it up ░░░░░░░░ on the dais That ░░░░░░░░ not how an independent ░░░░░░░░ press behaves Their obligation ░░░░░░░░ to the public not ░░░░░░░░ themselves to advance their ░░░░░░░░ businesses and certainly not ░░░░░░░░ ingratiate themselves with Donald ░░░░░░░░ So what happens Slowly ░░░░░░░░ journalists get the message ░░░░░░░░ their credibility is being ░░░░░░░░ away The public is ░░░░░░░░ necessarily going to see ░░░░░░░░ as the fierce advocates ░░░░░░░░ journalists on our news ░░░░░░░░ And some of my ░░░░░░░░ colleagues on the editorial ░░░░░░░░ have left for other ░░░░░░░░ because they felt they ░░░░░░░░ not do their best ░░░░░░░░ Paul Krugman just had ░░░░░░░░ interview with the Columbia ░░░░░░░░ review explaining that he ░░░░░░░░ told to write less ░░░░░░░░ he was being more ░░░░░░░░ edited This is Paul ░░░░░░░░ a nobel prize winner ░░░░░░░░ a phenomenal voice on ░░░░░░░░ was essentially being muzzled ░░░░░░░░ if journalists allow this ░░░░░░░░ happen if they allow ░░░░░░░░ and large conglomerations to ░░░░░░░░ and suppress what they ░░░░░░░░ to say they are ░░░░░░░░ enabling the authoritarian regime ░░░░░░░░ I together with my ░░░░░░░░ in crime as it ░░░░░░░░ norm eisen decided to ░░░░░░░░ the contrarian And the ░░░░░░░░ is overtly pro democracy ░░░░░░░░ say it We re ░░░░░░░░ going Or in plain ░░░░░░░░ frankly We are going ░░░░░░░░ attack authoritarian moves that ░░░░░░░░ and that destroy democracy ░░░░░░░░ one of the things ░░░░░░░░ re going to do ░░░░░░░░ bring in a lot ░░░░░░░░ voices that maybe the ░░░░░░░░ media has overlooked younger ░░░░░░░░ voices from people of ░░░░░░░░ voices from across the ░░░░░░░░ spectrum And the only ░░░░░░░░ they have to do ░░░░░░░░ be in favor of ░░░░░░░░ have something interesting and ░░░░░░░░ to say And we ░░░░░░░░ also going to talk ░░░░░░░░ culture We re also ░░░░░░░░ to feature We sent ░░░░░░░░ goodie bag home with ░░░░░░░░ subscribers over the weekend ░░░░░░░░ cartoon a cookie recipe ░░░░░░░░ a cat a favorite ░░░░░░░░ of the week Why ░░░░░░░░ we doing that Because ░░░░░░░░ have to maintain joy ░░░░░░░░ cannot let them crush ░░░░░░░░ spirit You cannot let ░░░░░░░░ have you mope around ░░░░░░░░ up hope refuse to ░░░░░░░░ with other people Joy ░░░░░░░░ is one of the ░░░░░░░░ we fight back against ░░░░░░░░ gray, oppressive, thuggish authoritarianism.”