Al Franken is an American comedian, writer, and politician known for his work on "Saturday Night Live," where he gained fame for his satire and sketches. He transitioned into politics, serving as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. Franken's political career was marked by his advocacy for progressive issues and his focus on reforming healthcare and addressing inequality. His contributions to both entertainment and politics have made him a prominent public figure.
"When you encounter seemingly good advice that contradicts other seemingly good advice, ignore them both."
"But in the right-wing media, they do have a right-wing bias. And they also have an agenda. So their agenda is: we're an adjunct of the Republican Party, and we're going push that agenda every day, and, as you say, brand these stories that help further the right-wing cause."
"The biases the media has are much bigger than conservative or liberal. They're about getting ratings, about making money, about doing stories that are easy to cover."
"I also focus on Bush and his administration - who do a lot of lying - and how a right-wing media has allowed them to get away with a lot of stuff that, in a different media environment, they probably wouldn't be able to get away with."
"And I think that being able to make people laugh and write a book that's funny makes the information go down a lot easier and it makes it a lot more fun to read, easier to understand, and often stronger. So there's all kinds of advantages to it."
"The thing that interests me least about the radio business is the radio business. But I've had to learn a little bit about it. It's not rocket science: You get ratings, that's good."
"To make the argument that the media has a left- or right-wing, or a liberal or a conservative bias, is like asking if the problem with Al-Qaeda is do they use too much oil in their hummus."