Jon Stewart upbraids Crossfire
Here's a clip I wish I'd seen sooner. If you have any angst surrounding the American political process this season, Jon Stewart's Crossfire appearance is not to be missed. Delivering a much needed slap to political infotainment, Stewart quickly brings the hosts to task for their characteristic partisan rhetoric.
I'm here to confront you, because we need help from the media and they're hurting us ... you're doing theater, when you should be doing debate ... you have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.
An attack to which a befuddled Tucker Carlson eventually responds: "you're more fun on your show". Apparently, while all else is fair game, Crossfire itself is beyond reproach.
Stewart takes some flak for pulling punches in his Kerry interview, and responds by saying that his role is not that of a rigorous political interviewer. Is their a certain level of journalistic responsibility that should be expected of a program like The Daily Show? Yes. Should Crossfire be held to a higher standard? Absolutely. As Stewart put it, "You're on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls."
October 20, 2004 @ 11:47 AM | Category: Politics
Comments
I found a documentary online about the rift political talk radio shows are putting in our country. I remember when we all used to get along, like in the 1860s. Oh wait.
Posted by: g on November 18, 2004 @ 3:08 PM
I remember watching that live and absolutely enjoying it. It does surprise me that people who are supposed to be journalists - and who have supposedly been to school for this kind of thing - forget the entire point of journalism altogether. Perhaps it's the large paychecks; who knows. I'm a journalism student and we get this pounded into our heads in every single course: journalism has a purpose, journalism has a place. But it seems like we're lacking the lessons for how we fill that purpose and find that place.
My favorite part of that program was when Stewart mocked Tucker for his bowtie. "How old are you?" "Thirty-five." "And you wear a bowtie?"
Oh, and I honestly feel that Stewart's appearance was a large part in the show later being cancelled.
Posted by: Jen on May 30, 2006 @ 7:52 PM