Carlson
on Monday fanned embers still hot from their "Crossfire" confrontation,
saying Stewart looked ridiculous during his CNN appearance and was a
sellout for publicly backing Democrat John Kerry for president.
Carlson Should be Apologizing Stewart obviously wanted to have a serious discussion about the news. Carlson thought he could take on Stewart.
Most people have mentioned the
"dick" comment by Stewart, but nobody's bringing up the fact that
discourse went from professional-related to personal well before that,
when Carlson called Stewart Kerry's "butt-boy."
Carlson
& Begala clearly are under the impression that Jon Stewart is just
in the business of making fun of politicians. Apparently they haven't
noticed that Stewart is mostly making fun of the media.
Absolutely! The Daily Show's most biting critique is consistently of
the media's ineffectiveness contrasted with their self-aggrandizing. I
read an interview with Jon Stewart in which he was asked the following:
(paraphrasing) Aren't you also being dishonest with the so-called field
corespondent reports, which are taped in front of a blue screen?
It's so ironic it makes my insides hurt.
Yes, Stewart has an impact on politics, but that is an unintended
consequence of his fake news comedy show. He's saying journalists
should remember the public service role of their craft, which seems to
have been lost as journalism lowers itself to mere entertainment like
Crossfire. I agree that Stewart is an important pop culture figure, but
I can't believe people would try to argue that Stewart and CNN are
fighting the same fight. There is a place for satire, and it can be
enlightening as well as entertaining. But we live in a complex world
and our democracy NEEDS journalists to recognize their obligation to
serve something more than just ratings and personal ambition.
