Jon Stewart is a More "Reliable Source" than Howard Kurtz

Jon Stewart Is More A "Reliable Source" Than Howard Kurtz

By Steve Young

Created Apr 29 2007 - 1:43pm

On this morning "Reliable Sources," the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz's

Sunday CNN show meant to dig into how the media did or didn't do their job

on the past week's stories, one segment revealed how so-called RS oversight

didn't even understand what one particular story was about.

This week, Jon Stewart had the just-about-to-announce presidential

candidate, John McCain, on his Comedy Central's "Daily Show."

It was not their standard comic repartee, much of which I wrote about in

"Tim Russert: Take A Clue From Jon Stewart [1]."

Stewart drilled McCain to explain rationale behind the administration's, as

well as his own, talking points attacking those who questioned the

president's policies.

On "Reliable Sources," Kurtz said that McCain was "standing up for what he

believes." Panelist and conservative talk show host, Blanquita Cullum, said

that Stewart was all about doing an O'Reilly, Rosie, Trump, et al, in an

attempt to increase his ratings.

No where in the segment did they come close to what really came out of the

"Daily Show" interview: John McCain did not stand up for what he believes -

if what he says is what he really believes.

Every Stewart question or statement regarding the Republican "undermining

the troops" red herring was never responded to directly - or even

indirectly - by Mccain. The former straight-talk expresser just deflected by

moving on to another and altogether separate issue, never attempting to

defend himself, mostly because that artificial and fallacious talking point

is defenseless. As Stewart said, "it is almost criminal."

But nowhere in this week's "Reliable Sources" was a discussion of how

Stewart did the job the MSM seems hesitant to do: hold politician's feet to

the fire. And in this case, Kurtz's media watch-dogging, missed seeing the

dog attempting to pee on the truth. Those actually watching that interview

couldn't miss it.

Kurtz said that McCain "didn't necessarily lose" by his performance on this

week's "Daily Show." Maybe, if you call not being able to justify your own

"beliefs" not necessarily losing. But Kurtz not appreciating the importance

of the job Stewart did and McCain's incapablity to "stand behind his

beliefs," was his own loss.

_______

About author Steve Young is an award-winning television writer and failed

talk-show host who authored "Great Failures of the Extremely Success"

http://www.greatfailure.com [2]

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"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their

spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their

government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are

suffering deeply in spirit,

and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public

debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have

patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning

back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at

stake."

-Thomas Jefferson