Last week the mainstream media went wild with Kenneth Pollack and Michael O’Hanlon, describing them as anti-war when in fact Pollack wrote a book arguing in favor of invading Iraq and both are on record in favor of the surge. Nobody in the mainstream media seriously challenged this dominant meme:
- Purporting to document Pollack’s evolving views on Iraq, CNN left out his original gung-ho Iraq “tune”
- CBS Evening News falsely described proponent of Iraq “surge” as former opponent of it
- Fox News Sunday is latest program to call Iraq invasion proponents “critics” of the war
But then on Monday night, on what is – theoretically – a “fake” news show hosted by a comedian, conservative pundit Bill Kristol tried to get away with the line about Pollack / O’Hanlon and Jon Stewart did what the mainstream media refuses to do time and time again as they roll over and play complicit lapdog for the Bush administration: He said nuh-uh. Jon Stewart does not have superpowers. In fact he jokes regularly about being silly. Yet, in this instance (and in numerous others) he demonstrated the lost art of journalism that the msm does not practice anymore. Somebody made an assertion and he challenged the assertion with factual information.
Caution, the following video clip may contain journalist-like material.
That’s why the Daily Show has such a large viewership, and why Fox’s attempt to mimic it have failed so badly. Stewart and company actually take people to task using their own words and deeds, regardless of their political affiliation. It’s just much easier against Republicans since they’ve been so damn hypocritical the past few… dozen… years.
I don’t know if I’d go calling it journalism. Stewart has demonstrated that he obviously is tuned into the liberal blogosphere, because he always refutes conservative guests when they say something stupid like that.
However, he never catches his liberal guests that way, which shows that instead of being a journalist, he’s merely good at keeping up with one side of the debate.
I love how Kristol never did give anyone who was a source worth trusting, but kept repeating that things were getting better.
Even with the inducement of Jon Stewart’s participation, I couldn’t get but a few moments into the vid before my head exploded.
Please, can you insert “toxic” warning for this type of thing.
because he always refutes conservative guests when they say something stupid like that.
And well he should. As should the “MSM”.
he never catches his liberal guests that way,
Example?
Note how Kristol rewrites the past three years, saying how badly mismanaged the war was without acknowledging how he’s been cheerleading it and covering up for the administration the entire time, not to mention demanding for “another six months” every day for three years.
Want to make yourself barf?
Listen to the lower than dirt Fox “News” hatemonger John Gibson attack John Stewart. Then at the end he says in the creepiest way possible “we need another 9-11″.
Via ThinkProgress and MediaMatters:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200708140001?f=h_side
Gibson is a fascist.
OxyCon,
Wow, that audio clip is hideous. Absolutely disgusting.
Depressing.
Adam points out very well why no one else in the media would do what Stewart did. Liberals don’t go and repeatedly lie about Iraq, so there’s nothing to “call” them on. If other members of the media did the same thing to the right-wingers dishonestly shilling for the Iraq war, they’d be harassed and condemned for their “liberal bias.” As a consequence, the safest thing for a public media personality to do is to do nothing– just let the conservative brazenly lie and broadcast those lies. There won’t be any charges of bias, then.
“I can’t recall anything” well he got that out of the way fast.
Jon I’m begging you let this be the last time you give this ass bag Kristol a platform.
His incredibly reasoned wrongheadedness is sickening.