Jon Stewart really took it to Fox News and other News Corp-owned holdings for their continued defense of Rupert Murdoch in the phone hacking scandal, showing how hypocritical they are to pretend it's much ado about nothing, while going apeshit over NPR and the rapper Common being invited to the White House.
All in all, it's a story tailor-made for the 24-hour news culture: big personality, scandal, bribery, hacking, celebrities, death. But one network has been reticent to dumpster dive into any aspect of the story, other than their sheer disappointment at some of their competitors' behavior.
STEVE DOOCY (7/15/2011): We've got some serious problems in this country right now. We are teetering on default. And what do they do? They talk about this!
JON SCOTT (7/16/2011): Virtually every tabloid is guilty of some kind of offense.
7/15/2011:
BOB DILENSCHNEIDER: Why are so many people piling on at this point? We know it's a hacking scandal. Shouldn't we get beyond it?
CAL THOMAS: The left has been out to get News Corp, especially Fox News Channel and the Murdoch family, for years.
BOB DILENSCHNEIDER: Murdoch, who owns it, has apologized, but for some reason, the public media keeps going over this again and again.
STEVE DOOCY: They're piling on.
CAL THOMAS: This is the biggest case of piling on since the last rugby game I saw.
Rugby?? By the way, if you're gonna kiss Rupert Murdoch's ass with a reference, at least call it Aussie rules football. Anyway, I thought you were going to say the biggest case of piling on since Common read a poem at the White House. (audience cheers)
....
Now, I'm not suggesting that you don't have the balls to confront Murdoch on this, I've seen you do it. When this scandal broke in 2009, Fox's Stu Varney yanked Murdoch's sorry Aussie ass out of Sun Valley, and laid the smackdown.
7/9/2009:
STUART VARNEY: The story that is really buzzing all around the country, and certainly here in New York, is that the News of the World, a News Corporation newspaper in Britain, used....
RUPERT MURDOCH: No, I'm not... I'm not talking about that issue at all today. Sorry.
STUART VARNEY: OK. No worries, Mr. Chairman. That's fine with me.
Video and transcript below the fold.
Let's begin tonight with the ongoing News of the World phone hacking scandal. To get you caught up, a seemingly simple story, Ma and Pa owned newspaper hacking into a murdered little girl's phone, and paying the police to cover it up, has unfortunately turned ugly.
As of now, London's two top policemen at Scotland Yard, let's call them Officer Blutton and Chief Constable Inspector Sudsbury, have resigned. Former News of the World editor and Conservative Party press secretary Andrew Coulson has been arrested. And Sunday, tragically, authorities arrested poor Mrs. Weasley. Wait, no, I'm sorry, that's not Mrs. Weasley. I'm sorry. Tragically, authorities arrested the guy from Simply Red. Yeah, that's the guy. No, no, I don't think that's it.
Actually arrested was Rebekah Brooks, the woman who ran News of the World during the worst of, as the British call them, "the troubles". Brooks had already resigned her post Friday, ostensibly to spend more time with her rabbit hairdresser.
That was a deep cut. I appreciate that that was a deep cut.
Honestly, it is hard to imagine this story.... (audience starts laughing uncontrollably)
It is hard to imagine this story getting more out of control.
TAMRON HALL (7/18/2011): Breaking news on the British hacking scandal. Just a short time ago, police say Sean Hoare, that is a reporter who first alleged widespread hacking, at the now-ended News of Nation (sic), well, he's been found dead in his home.
Do you think he died of natural causes? Or was it... (switches camera) mur-doch?!? (dun-dun-dun)
Well, I'm sure Scotland Yard's on this case like fleffer cream on a flufflofluf.
TAMRON HALL (7/18/2011): Right now, the police say the death is not considered suspicious.
Well, I guess if the guys who were bribed don't think there's anything suspicious in the death of the guy who blew the whistle on the company providing the bribes, I'm satisfied.
Of course, the whole business was prelude to today's main event, Rupert Murdoch and his son James appearing before Parliament's Committee on Culture, Media, Sport, and Vowel-Shaped Furniture.
"Confess before the U-shaped Desk of Contrition! Don't make us bring in the E!"
The whole day of testimony was amazing, but perhaps no moment more remarkable than Murdoch interrupting his son's opening statement.
7/19/2011:
JAMES MURDOCH: Ah, of the News of the World newspaper....
RUPERT MURDOCH: Before you get to that, I would just like to say one sentence. This is the most humble day of my life.
Not so humble you couldn't wait for your turn to talk.
By the way, that was before some idiot tried to pie Murdoch. The young woman in pink, whose lightning reflex and devastating Chuck Norris-esque hand speed subdues the miscreant, that woman is in fact Rupert Murdoch's wife Wendi.
Now, I am not a big proponent of the four-decade marriage age gap, BUT... if ever there was a situation where it would pay dividends, it would be an ambush like that. Of course, the attack occurred after a period of the testimony where Murdoch may have appeared somewhat vulnerable.
Falling asleep! (in Australian accent) "Wha... what happened? Crikey! Is it over? Do we own Parliament yet?"
All in all, it's a story tailor-made for the 24-hour news culture: big personality, scandal, bribery, hacking, celebrities, death. But one network has been reticent to dumpster dive into any aspect of the story, other than their sheer disappointment at some of their competitors' behavior.
STEVE DOOCY (7/15/2011): We've got some serious problems in this country right now. We are teetering on default. And what do they do? They talk about this!
JON SCOTT (7/16/2011): Virtually every tabloid is guilty of some kind of offense.
7/15/2011:
BOB DILENSCHNEIDER: Why are so many people piling on at this point? We know it's a hacking scandal. Shouldn't we get beyond it?
CAL THOMAS: The left has been out to get News Corp, especially Fox News Channel and the Murdoch family, for years.
BOB DILENSCHNEIDER: Murdoch, who owns it, has apologized, but for some reason, the public media keeps going over this again and again.
STEVE DOOCY: They're piling on.
CAL THOMAS: This is the biggest case of piling on since the last rugby game I saw.
Rugby?? By the way, if you're gonna kiss Rupert Murdoch's ass with a reference, at least call it Aussie rules football. Anyway, I thought you were going to say the biggest case of piling on since Common read a poem at the White House. (audience cheers)
But maybe your competitors are taking an unseemly amount of pleasure. But perhaps, they don't have Fox's finely tuned sense of proportionality. They don't have the ability to spot stories of real criminality and import, like the crimes of, let's say, NPR.
SEAN HANNITY (3/8/2011): A National Public Radio executive caught on tape in a bigoted hate-filled rant.
BILL O'REILLY (10/21/2010): Juan Williams fired by NPR, for saying he gets nervous when flying with Muslims.
BRET BAIER (3/9/2011): The upheaval at NPR reached its zenith today.
GRETCHEN CARLSON (3/10/2011): President Obama still supports giving NPR your tax dollar money.
BILL O'REILLY (3/14/2011): On the NPR scandal, is the left-wing media playing that down?
SEAN HANNITY (10/21/2010): Liberals are intolerant.
BILL O'REILLY (10/22/2010): We've linked in NPR to Soros, we know what they're doing over there.
SEAN HANNITY (4/22/2011): The corruption is now so widespread, it has succeeded in permeating every area of the mainstream media.
ANDREW NAPOLITANO (3/9/2011): ... these crackpots at NPR ...
LAURA INGRAHAM (10/22/2010): ... the totalitarian tactics of the left ...
PETER JOHNSON, JR. (10/24/2010): Is NPR an agent, somehow, of a jihadist inquisition?
Is NPR an agent, somehow, of jihadist inquisition? I'm gonna say yes, because why else would you bring it up?
See, that is a reasonably proportioned response. This overreaction to the Murdoch case, which, what is at most, an epic bribery and influence peddling scandal consuming Britain's political, law enforcement, and journalistic establishment, is really a waste of everyone's time.
You know, I know what the problem is. You're jealous. As a News Corp property, you're not upset that your rival's standards have been corrupted by your own conflict-driven scandal boner ethic, you're upset that they get to have all the fun while you gotta sit on your hands. This scandal was made for you guys. I mean, for God's sake, look at these! Here's the DSK.
Maid Men. I mean, that's a great one.
Obama Beats Weiner, that was about the thing there.
Look at this one. Osama Bin Wankin, that was about the thing.
I mean, these are priceless puns, and only 50 cents. Imagine the frustration the punmasters over there must be feeling. They're missing out on the chance to shame a high-profile media mogul.
Make nasty insinuations about his second in command.
Indulge in puns about her personal appearance.
And, the death of a whistleblower?
Right! I mean, it's easy! It's so easy! Poor bastard!
Now, I'm not suggesting that you don't have the balls to confront Murdoch on this, I've seen you do it. When this scandal broke in 2009, Fox's Stu Varney yanked Murdoch's sorry Aussie ass out of Sun Valley, and laid the smackdown.
7/9/2009:
STUART VARNEY: The story that is really buzzing all around the country, and certainly here in New York, is that the News of the World, a News Corporation newspaper in Britain, used....
RUPERT MURDOCH: No, I'm not... I'm not talking about that issue at all today. Sorry.
STUART VARNEY: OK. No worries, Mr. Chairman. That's fine with me.
And STAY DOWN!! We'll be right back.
Jon then interviewed former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. It of course went long, and Jon really hammered him over Pakistan's role in hiding bin Laden. You can see the entire uncut interview here in 3 parts.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Meanwhile, Stephen focused on 2012 Republican candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, and mocked the idiots over at Fox News and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) for claiming there's nothing to worry about if we don't raise the debt ceiling and default.