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January 7, 2005
Lights Out: Jon Stewart by TKO!
Okay, this might be a little presumptious but CNN has announced that Tucker Carlson will not be returning to Crossfire and that the future of the show is in doubt.
If you didn't see it, Jon Stewart gave the Crossfire crew a verbal beat-down prior to last fall's presidential election. Stewart claimed that program's like Crossfire were "hurting America" by passing off "theatre" as political debate. Now this was must see tv!
The Jon Stewart v. Crossfire throw down demonstrated two powerful realities:
1) The power of media training. The way Stewart handled the hosts of Crossfire was amazing. He was asking them the questions! The hosts tried vainly to regain control of the interview, but Stewart deftly brought them back on his message and continued to hammer away. I wasn't sure if I was watching The Daily Show or Crossfire. Brilliant stuff!
2) The power of calling people out. Jon Stewart called hosts, Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala out. Up until that point, no one else had. Up until that point the Crossfire policy had been you scratch our backs and we'll scratch yours. Of course, politicians were more than happy to oblige as the business of securing media spots can be quite expensive. Why not play ball and grab a freebee if you can hammer home your message?
By going off-script and refusing to be Crossfire's "monkey", Stewart single-handedly removed the veil of illusion and revealed Crossfire for what it truly was -- entertainment posing as journalism. Of course, the impact of Stewart's stand was bolstered by his superstar status BUT the result is clear: voicing your opinion in the face of opposition still carries weight even in our jaded prepackaged society. Arguably, John Kerry might have faired better in the election had he done the same and stepped up for what he believed in when it came to the war in Iraq. I guess we'll never know.
I think CNN-US President Jonathan Klein put in best when describing Crossfire (and imho our current political state) by saying,"People screaming at each other adds a lot of heat but not much light." This reminds me of a Nirvana lyric:
With the lights out it’s less dangerous
Here we are now
Entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now
Entertain us
Comedy is entertainment. News is not. Jon Stewart reminded us that confusing the two can have catastrophic results. It's time to turn on the lights. It's time to stop feeling stupid. It's time to hold our news media to higher journalistic standards.
8...9...10...you're out! Stewart by TKO!
Posted by Jason at January 7, 2005 11:25 AM
Comments
"John Kerry might have faired better in the election had he done the same and stepped up for what he believed in when it came to the war in Iraq"
Yes, I believe this too.
And on the topic of education:
I am inspired by Nelson Mandella speaking about the recent death of his son from AIDS.
I am overwhelmed that individual Canadians donated over 63 million for the Tsunami relief.
I am hopeful that this generosity continues and we always help to support nations that are not as fortunate as our own. It is something I can and will do.
Excellent blog.
Posted by: Benchley at January 7, 2005 2:24 PM