{"id":2501275,"date":"2025-10-21T06:18:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T10:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pbss-justice-kennedy-interview-shows-why-nobody-trusts-media\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T06:20:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T10:20:40","slug":"pbss-justice-kennedy-interview-shows-why-nobody-trusts-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pbss-justice-kennedy-interview-shows-why-nobody-trusts-media\/","title":{"rendered":"PBS&#8217;s Justice Kennedy Interview Shows Why Nobody Trusts Media"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpbss-justice-kennedy-interview-shows-why-nobody-trusts-media%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2501275&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article criticizes PBS *Firing Line* host Margaret Hoover&#8217;s recent interview with retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, arguing that Hoover used the conversation not to focus on Kennedy&#8217;s memoir but to unfairly attack the current Supreme Court adn former President Donald Trump. The piece claims Hoover&#8217;s questions were loaded, portraying Trump as an unprecedented threat to the rule of law while ignoring comparable or worse actions by Democrats and the Biden governance. Hoover is accused of dishonestly omitting context about political attacks on the judiciary and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >misrepresenting public trust<\/a> in the Court, which the article says has mainly declined among Democrats following the 2022 Dobbs decision.Despite Hoover&#8217;s antagonistic approach, Kennedy emphasized the importance of civic engagement and respect for government processes. The article concludes that journalists like Hoover contribute to the historic low trust in corporate media by presenting biased narratives under the guise of objectivity.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>If anyone is wondering why Americans&rsquo; trust in corporate media to report the news fairly and accurately is at the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/10\/02\/americans-trust-in-corporate-media-hits-lowest-level-ever\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lowest level in recorded history<\/a>, then watch PBS <em>Firing Line<\/em> host <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/margaret-hoover\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Margaret Hoover<\/a>&rsquo;s interview with retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.<\/p>\n<p>Released last Friday, the roughly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0mmfSYlSUDE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">half-hour-long exchange<\/a> was supposedly intended to focus on Kennedy&rsquo;s recently released memoir about his life and time serving on the nation&rsquo;s highest court. It&rsquo;s very clear after watching the discussion, however, that Hoover had other plans in mind. <\/p>\n<p>From beginning to end, it&rsquo;s glaringly apparent that Hoover&rsquo;s entire goal in speaking with Kennedy was to use the conversation as an opportunity to discredit the current Supreme Court and try and bait the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-restores-protections-for-transgender-patients-after-trump-era-rollback\/\" title=\"Biden Restores Protections For Transgender Patients After Trump-Era Rollback\">retired justice<\/a> into attacking Donald Trump, whose presidency she falsely portrayed as an authoritarian regime with no respect for the rule of law.<\/p>\n<p>In her first query, Hoover asked Kennedy how he sees his &ldquo;role&rdquo; as a retired justice at a moment &ldquo;when the rule of law is being tested and the courts are under attack.&rdquo; The &ldquo;question,&rdquo; of course, isn&rsquo;t really a question, but an accusation dressed up as a question.<\/p>\n<p>Borrowing a trick <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/08\/watch-norah-odonnells-justice-barrett-interview-to-understand-how-the-media-lie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">used by<\/a> fellow media hacks like CBS&rsquo;s Norah O&rsquo;Donnell, Hoover is dishonestly insinuating that it&rsquo;s Trump who is &ldquo;testing&rdquo; the law like no president before him, and that his criticisms of lower courts for issuing overreaching edicts represent an unprecedented attack on the judiciary. It&rsquo;s probably safe to assume that this insinuation doesn&rsquo;t include Democrats like <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/07\/biden-threatens-supreme-court-justices-for-upholding-the-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joe Biden<\/a> and Chuck Schumer <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/16\/while-kbj-enjoys-broadway-her-constitution-loving-supreme-court-colleagues-can-barely-leave-their-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>actually<\/em> threatening<\/a> SCOTUS, left-wing anarchists <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/25\/three-years-too-late-kagan-condemns-leftist-threats-against-scotus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">picketing<\/a> outside Republican-appointed justices&rsquo; homes, or a trans-identifying leftist <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/10\/07\/congress-should-impeach-the-judge-who-gave-would-be-mass-scotus-assassin-just-eight-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attempting<\/a> to assassinate Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.<\/p>\n<p>While this was only the first &ldquo;question,&rdquo; feigning ignorance about Democrats&rsquo; egregious conduct and actions would go on to become a prominent feature of Hoover&rsquo;s style throughout the rest of the interview.<\/p>\n<p>While quoting from Kennedy&rsquo;s book about the need for all branches of government to exercise their powers in accordance with the Constitution, the CNN contributor said matter-of-factly to Kennedy, &ldquo;In recent weeks, we have seen the Department of Justice indict two of the president&rsquo;s political enemies after he publicly demanded it,&rdquo; and &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen National Guard troops be sent to states over governors&rsquo; objections. The president has repeatedly pushed the limits of the law.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Is the executive branch exercising its powers to the extreme?&rdquo; Hoover asked, while completely ignoring how <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/10\/merrick-garland-is-the-worst-attorney-general-in-american-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Biden&rsquo;s Justice Department<\/a> attempted to imprison Trump before the 2024 election, sought (and acquired) jail time for former Trump officials, targeted and arrested Christians and pro-lifers, and much more.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Firing Line<\/em> host similarly lied by omission when she asked Kennedy about what would happen &ldquo;if one of the branches &mdash; for example, the executive branch &mdash; doesn&rsquo;t choose to follow the Supreme Court?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know that we&rsquo;ve ever had this,&rdquo; Hoover said, insinuating that Trump is going to &ldquo;defy&rdquo; SCOTUS if it rules on a case in a way he doesn&rsquo;t like. <\/p>\n<p>Well, as much as it would disappoint Margaret to learn, America actually has &ldquo;had this&rdquo; happen &mdash; under Biden. When the Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/30\/supreme-court-nukes-bidens-unconstitutional-400-billion-student-loan-bailout\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">declared<\/a> the Biden administration&rsquo;s student loan bailout to be unconstitutional, the administration tried <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/28\/supreme-court-nukes-bidens-unlawful-student-loan-bailout-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">time and again<\/a> to sidestep the ruling, disregarding the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-overturns-chevron-doctrine-upends-administrative-state\/\" title=\"SCOTUS Overturns Chevron Doctrine, Upends Administrative State\">high court&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s decision without a second thought. <\/p>\n<p>Yet, for all her supposed newfound respect for the Supreme Court, Hoover tried her best to discredit it. <\/p>\n<p>Throughout her exchange with Kennedy, Hoover &mdash; a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wnet\/firing-line\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">self-styled<\/a> &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-dems-breathlessly-defend-ship-named-after-pederast\/\" title=\"Media, Dems Breathlessly Defend Ship Named After Pederast\">gay rights activist&#038;rdquo<\/a>; &mdash; fomented fears that the current court could cause widespread chaos if it were to overturn <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2014\/14-556\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Obergefell v. Hodges<\/a><\/em>, a 2015 decision authored by Kennedy that paved the way for so-called &ldquo;gay marriage.&rdquo; She also posed a hostile &ldquo;question&rdquo; to the justice about his 2009 decision in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2008\/08-205\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Citizens United v. FEC<\/a><\/em>  regarding campaign finance spending. <\/p>\n<p>Equally notable, Hoover pushed the narrative that the Supreme Court is suffering a crisis of confidence among the American public. Citing a prior <em>Firing Line<\/em> interview with former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Hoover noted that Gonzales &ldquo;said that he believes that the justices know that they&rsquo;re losing public confidence.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Do you think they know and are aware?&rdquo; Hoover asked, later telling Kennedy, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s gone down dramatically since you left the bench.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>Once again, Hoover is being dishonest by omission. It&rsquo;s true that the Supreme Court has suffered a loss in favorability in recent years. What she doesn&rsquo;t tell her viewers, however, is that that decline has been driven almost exclusively by Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents, whose views of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-is-injuring-its-credibility-more-than-journos-ever-could\/\" title=\"SCOTUS Is Injuring Its Credibility More Than Journos Ever Could\">court turned sour<\/a> following its 2022 <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2021\/19-1392\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dobbs<\/a><\/em>  decision overturning <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/1971\/70-18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Roe v. Wade<\/a><\/em>, as The Federalist <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/25\/scotuss-refusal-to-end-leftists-judicial-coup-is-damaging-its-credibility-more-than-the-media-ever-could\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To his credit, Kennedy largely didn&rsquo;t take the bait Hoover was casting. The retired Reagan appointee instead took the time to emphasize the importance of civility and civic engagement in maintaining a free society.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t be uninterested in what your government is doing. You must know about it, and you must insist that your views be respected,&rdquo; Kennedy said. &ldquo;And that comes both from voting and from the ongoing communications you should be having with your political leaders. &hellip; You can&rsquo;t be indifferent.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>There&rsquo;s a reason why the American media&rsquo;s credibility is in the toilet. And it&rsquo;s because of fake journalists like Margaret Hoover, who have spent years pretending to be &ldquo;objective&rdquo; and &ldquo;nonpartisan,&rdquo; all the while acting as mouthpieces for the left. <\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s clear from Hoover&rsquo;s &ldquo;interview&rdquo; with Kennedy that the legacy press has no intention of abandoning the despicable conduct that got them to this low point. Which is why it&rsquo;s all the more important for Americans to continue calling it out until they change course.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Americans distrust corporate media: Hoover&#8217;s biased Kennedy interview<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2501276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Margaret-Hoover.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6234,47968,65596,53890,19567],"class_list":["post-2501275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-interview","tag-journalism-critique","tag-justice-kennedy","tag-media-trust","tag-pbs"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Margaret-Hoover.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2501275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2501275"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2501275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2501279,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2501275\/revisions\/2501279"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2501276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2501275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2501275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2501275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}