On October 15,2004, Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" appeared on CNN's now defunct show "Crossfire," ostensibly to hawk his new book, "America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction." In true Stewart form, though, he used the appearance to appeal to the better natures (and I use that term loosely) of the show's hosts, Tucker Carlson and Paul Beglala.
The transcript of his appearance is available here:
Stewart/Crossfire Transcript
From the transcript:
STEWART: Stop, stop, stop, stop hurting America.
I made a special effort to come on the show today, because I have privately, amongst my friends and also in occasional newspapers and television shows, mentioned this show as being bad.
BEGALA: We have noticed.
STEWART: And I wanted to -- I felt that that wasn't fair and I should come here and tell you that I don't -- it's not so much that it's bad, as it's hurting America.
Stewart went on to make his case, amid much interruption and derision from Carlson, that the show was doing a disservice to the American people by reducing politics and governance to a cage match, a shouting contest, a sideshow:
STEWART: See, the thing is, we need your help. Right now, you're helping the politicians and the corporations. And we're left out there to mow our lawns.
BEGALA: By beating up on them? You just said we're too rough on them when they make mistakes.
STEWART: No, no, no, you're not too rough on them. You're part of their strategies. You are partisan, what do you call it, hacks.
There's more in the transcript, and I encourage you to read the whole thing if you need a reminder of what a voice of reason amidst the madness sounds like.
The point I want to make here, though, is that less than three months later, CNN announced that "Crossfire" was being cancelled. The president of CNN, Jonathon Klein, even cited Stewart's criticisms of the show when he announced the cancellation. Stewart's fans and thinking people across America rejoiced, hoping that the announcement signaled a change in the American media's approach to political news coverage. Ah, to be so naive again...
Four years later, it becomes more obvious every day that the demise of "Crossfire" was not a signal that political news coverage was going to improve. It was simply a sign that "Crossfire" as a stand alone show would no longer be necessary. CNN, along with its copy-cat networks MSNBC and FOXNews, would simply become all-Crossfire-all-the-time. Give us a news item, introduce a pundit/strategist/loudmouth from the right, one from the left, and let them talk over each other and scream talking points until the bemused "anchor" intercedes to announce, "Well, that was certainly some fascinating insight, but we're all out of time!"
So, while my older siblings can reminisce about watching Walter Cronkite cover the moon landing in 1969, and my dad talks fondly about huddling around the family radio to listen to news coverage of World War II in which his two older brothers fought, I face the prospect of what I'll share with my children some day. Yes, kids, Mama was around to witness the Crossfire-ification of the American media. And isn't that sad.
[This is my first diary here; please be kind.]