arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050106-4509.html
From the beginning of the discussion, S tewart took aim at Crossfire and other media shows, saying (at first wit h a smile) that they "hurt America" by making politicians' lives easier by failing to "hold their feet to the fire." The gist of Stewart's compl aint was that shows that were purportedly "hard" and "cutting" were real ly only theatrical performances of talking points and sensationalism. Th e incident is now famous, and little needs to be said about it. I'm foll owing up that story because it was so popular when we ran it before. Today CNN announced that they are nixing Crossfire, and dropping their re lationship with one of the show's "commentators" (I use that word lightl y), Tucker Carlson (who claims that he actually quit months ago). CNN's new President, Jonathan Klein, said that he agreed with much of Stewart' s indictments against the media.
sayeth the New York Times: Mr Klein specifically cited the criticism that the comedian Jon Stewart leveled at "Crossfire" when he was a guest on the program during the p residential campaign. Mr Stewart said that ranting partisan political shows on cable were "hurting America." Mr Klein said last night, "I ag ree wholeheartedly with Jon Stewart's overall premise." He said he beli eved that especially after the terror attacks on 9/11, viewers are inte rested in information, not opinion. Now, few would think that Stewart is the cause for the demise of Crossfir e, but his complaints are most certainly a symptom of the media's unwill ingness to throw punches. Whether it's Swift Boat Veterans for Truth or forged National Guard documents, too much time is spent discussing discu ssions about "news." Then, what becomes news are the discussions themsel ves, and the journalists don't spend enough time asking whether or not a ny of this garbage is actually correct, or engaging in real debate. I co mmend CNN for dumping the likes of Crossfire, but they, like most major media outlets, have a long way to go before the thinking public truly re spects them again.
|