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CNN Cancels Crossfire
blonde rser writes "Three months after Jon Stewart
appeared on (and lambasted) CNN's Crossfire the
Globe and Mail reports that CNN is dumping Tucker Carlson. It appears that Crossfire is being canceled and Carlson's contract is not being renewed. As to whether Stewart's opinion had any affect on the decision there is this quote from Jonathan Klein, CEO of CNN's US network:
'I guess I come down more firmly in the Jon Stewart camp.'"
I don't know a single person that likes him, regardless of their political interests. If he were on Slashdot, he'd have been modded -1 flamebait immediately and never thought of again.
I'm curious though. What's his background that earned him the spot on a show like Crossfire? He had to have done something that made him in the spotlight in some way before that I would assume?
That's scary.
Jonathan Klein, CEO of CNN's US network: 'I guess I come down more firmly in the Jon Stewart camp.'
Later in the day Klein was herd coughing in the following way "*cou*cock*gh*munch*" as he walked past Carlson.
I'm a conservative and I absolutely hate that guy. He tries to defend Bush when there is no reason to defend him. I'm a conservative and Bush is an insane president with a socialist agenda. I suppose they only got Carlson on there to make conservatives look retarded.
the Political Inquirer
I saw Jon Stewart on Crossfire and from what I could gather from his rant, he objected to the institution of Republicans and Democrats yelling slogans from their talking points list, and pretending it's debate... and then pretending that reports like "Democrats claim X; Republicans claim Y" is news. So what if Crossfire is over. Everything that JS freaked out about is absolutely at the foundation of the way CNN reports. Crossfire is just reveals that formula in an especially naked way. So I don't understand how somebody could agree with JS and still be CEO of CNN-USA.
We need more people like Jon Stewart to actually say whats on their mind.
Maybe the conservative media will start swinging back towards the center now.
Hey, we can always hope that JS shows up on that show and owns Carlson there, too.
Considering that press coverage where Carlson basically got carte blanche to respond after-the-fact in major papers like the Chicago Tribune, this is a fitting end. You especially have to love the comment:
He'll probably reappear somewhere else like MSNBC - hopefully without the bow tie.
The show became a parade of human cartoons. Novak the duckman. Lord Voldecarville. Pat "Third Reich from the Sun" Buchanan. Let's leave this kind of thing to Warner Bros Daffy vs Bugs cartoons.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
If you read the article, it's really more about what CNN sees, quite sensibly, as the change in the wind, and the necessary end of Crossfire than what they think about Carlson. As unbelievable as it is, he wants, or even expects, a primetime 9pm slot for his own one hour show. CNN even investigated moving him in as an anchore by having him sub for Aaron Brown. MSNBC looks like they're going to give it too him. (Honestly they're starved for content.) They're looking at him to replace Debra Norville, who once asked a woman mauled by a mountain lion if it hurt when the animal bit into her. (Which is about the most awesome question, and reaction to a question, I've seen on TV.)
CNN's parting with Carlson isn't as much about how John Stewart became a folk hero by crushing him and that corpse that O.D.'d on botox. It's about CNN not wanting to give him a promotion at this time. They still acknowledge him as a significant "talent", whatever that means in his genre.
I liked what was said on what direction they thought CNN should go it. It was something to the effect of, "When the President sits down with his advisors, do you think they just all start yelling? Shouldn't we consider affording our audiance a similar level of respect?" Personally, they should just buy and play episodes of Frontline, those guys know exactly what the hell they're doing.
Sadly, we won't be entirely rid of Tucker: even if he doesn't land the MSNBC job, he'll still have this.
...Jon Stewart '08. (Hopefully Lewis Black will be his running mate.)
John Stewart -- The Most Powerful Comedian In News.
Software Wars
Link to the transcript of John Stewarts appearance on crossfire:
. 01.html
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/15/cf
Mod parent down. The poster and the editor did read the article and summarized it properly.
Crossfire was cancelled and Carlson did not get a more visible job. CNN has about twice as many viewers as MSNBC in America
We need people to speak their minds without being obnoxious "I'm rubber and you're glue" pricks about it, which is what Stewart did.
Tucker already has a new job! "After all, Richard Carlson used to head the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which partially funds PBS, and also contributes to the production of -- you guessed it -- "Tucker Carlson Unfiltered! Before that, Richard headed the United States Information Agency, which presumably explains the propaganda gene so prevalent in much of young Tuck's prior shouting . . .er, "reporting.""
"There is only a one in six billion chance that you actually exist"
tucker stood in for aaron on his regular newsnight program last week. tucker just read the news very quickly (totally sans feeling) and was the worst substitute they could have chosen! not soft spoken, not sensitive, not caring in the least.
that guy should NOT be put in front of public. he's just a moran in outdated garb.
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
Carville always made him his bitch. Someone like Ann Coulter would have made a better commentator. I'm shedding no tears for the milqetoast clown.
As for CNN canceling crossfire, so what? It was innovative in its day, but its day is over. It had gotten boring. No one ever debated anymore, just slung their party-line slogans around. Jon Stewart's appearance was just an excuse (and a lousy excuse, at that. What a self-rightous diatribe THAT was).
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
I'm curious though. What's his background that earned him the spot on a show like Crossfire? He had to have done something that made him in the spotlight in some way before that I would assume?
Because he wears a bow tie? Let's not pretend that CNN is somehow objective in the arena of politics - this is the network that initially reported the Sandy Berger story leaving out the bit about him stuffing the papers in his pants and socks.
Tucker Carlson is the caricature of an American conservative and that suited CNN just well. They like having a "dope" in that chair just fine.
That's not to say he doesn't hold his positions honestly and dearly, but he represents one view held by a very narrow crosssection of Americans. If you're arguing for the "other side" it's a nice position to argue against and it's useful to pretend that Carlson's positions represent 52% of the citizenry.
While Stewart was largely grandstanding he has a good point - Crossfire is about people representing a narrow crossection of Democrats trading jabs with people representing a narrow crosssection of Republicans. It's political theatre, not serious policy debate.
Now the question is will it be replaced with meaningful policy debate and analysis or more Ricky-Lake-style news? And if John Stewart winds up with the spot there's gonna be hell to pay.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
CNN is not doing the right thing anymore than fox or any of the other media outlets. That would mean that CNN is a media outlet that is not solely concerned with ratings. They all are. It's all about the eyeballs with CNN as much as fox. CNN is just as calculating and envious of Fox. If they thought they could attract a larger audience of pro-Bush conservatives, they would switch editorial direction in a second. Don't believe they are above that. I think the new approach they are using with Lou Dobbs will grow. They are going with a mixed appeal to pro-American labor progressives and ethno phobic conservatives that hate those wetback darkies coming up to suckle at the US welfare teat (except for their own gardeners and nannies who apparently are not since they're getting paid under the table :-) It is all a competition and calculation about eyeballs and has nothing to principles. Carlson is gone because he was negotiating with the competition and wanted higher up in the corporate structure then CNN would give him. Carlson will not be the last screaming conservative you'll see on CNN. CNN will look more like Fox in the future. Fox will not look more like CNN. We get the media and the governments we deserve. Our eyeballs are attracted to the fame and hype and screaming and lurid sensationalism. The media is there to give us what we want, not what we need. Cue cancer cure story, pedophile tsunami gang story, and soldier with puppy dogs...
Face it, folks, CNN is dead and will never again be the number one news channel. The American people have realized that FoxNews is a better choice to hear ALL the news and ALL the viewpoints. Yeah, I know you liberals hate Fox, but it does do a better job. I guess hearing opinions you disagree with is just too much to take, isn't it? Well, that's the way we've felt about CNN for years.
I would say let it rest in peace, but I'd rather see it bleed money for years and become the laughing stock it deserves to be.
I saw he has a show on PBS now. To placate the right wing? Anyway, I hope he gets off of PBS especially.
Has anyone watched Tucker's PBS Show? Personally I don't see why people are hating on Tucker so bad. I get the impression that Novak actually believes the shit he spews, and that Tucker is spewing the shit for the purpose of debate, playing devil's advocate perhaps. In my opinion, the only time Crossfire was ever tolerable was when it was Begala vs. Carlson. Mostly because Begala is easier on the eyes than Carville.
Crossfire was pretty dumbass, but i found it interesting because it was a daily testing ground for the political operatives' spin of the day. If you've ever seen The War Room you'll see that this is how these guys actually act. The show never had any educational or informational value other than observing how political operatives think. Which to me is very interesting, especially in an election year. Plus, Crossfire and perhaps the McLaughlin Group are the only truly non-partisan politics shows. Both sides get equal time.
And I like Jon Stewart, but he's a comedian, not a journalist. Because of this he is able to protect what he says behind the guise of satire. Nothing he says on his show matters beyond humor, though obviously he is able influence his audience, and beyond.
I'm disappointed that Stewart chose to come out from behind the protective shield of satire only to attack some dumb TV show. Why does he not criticize the government without his tongue-in-cheek? I speculate that seriously criticizing officials without the protection of satire would open him up to counter criticsm and jeapordize his career. A 2-bit, non-partisan cable show, he can get away with that.
I wanted to hear this interview, and was unable to connect to the links posted from the original story. Anybody have a working link to a torrent stream of the Stewart interview on Xfire? thanks.
Currently hooked on AMP
I know. Unlike Carville, Begala has not done such stunts as fire deathbeams from his wand into the audience screaming "Due, muggle scum!", reveal that his face was on the back of the head of a stuttering professor, and drinking unicorn's blood on live TV.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
is to ridicule the poor quality of the mainstream news. It just happens to also be entertaining.
You can't say that Stewart might choose to become a media critic. He already is one. While a "conventional" media critic might write an article, Stewart uses humor to make his point.
And just because he's funny doesn't mean he shouldn't be taken seriously. The fact that he's a comedian doesn't detract from his opinions. The fact that he's not a "journalist" shouldn't either. His opinions are valid or invalid on their merits, not because of his occupation.
The term you're looking for is "state capitalism", which is what we have under Bush, which both "left" and "right" oppose ideologically, but which borrows from each of their worst abuses. That huge federal government collects $2T in taxes from people without the capitalist clout to avoid taxes. Then spends $2T in taxes on huge corporations with that clout. NAFTA and GATT are the ways that multinationals carry on that game on the regional and global scale. It's the same definition of "hardcore" in capitalism as in porno, but with different parties in the fucking.
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make install -not war
Exactly "Out of respect for him and his talent, we thought it would be best to let him explore opportunities elsewhere." letting someone explore opportunities elsewhere means you fired his arse and are too polite to say so. People never get shitcanned or sacked any more. they always get told that their skills were "surplus to requirements"
You sound just like him. "It had gotten boring." = "Be funny."
Aren't nerds supposed to value information over presentation?
From what I gather, this is a total misunderstanding of what Jon Stewart was trying to say. As I understood it, he was trying to say that the problem is that we refuse to have real debate. crossfire, as Jon sees it (so I think), engages in theatre, not debate. The criticism of the media is that they fake being even handed, and by doing so don't actually provide meaningful analysis. The interpretation that debate in all forms should go is way off. Debating an issue and reading the party-line propaganda are two completely different things.
Don't mean it's news.
The Sun's got better circulation numbers than, say, the Economist, but how effective is each publication at disseminating accurate information?
Fox's big, big problem is deliberately blurring the line between news and commentary, and then making false and misleading claims within their commentary shows which are not refuted in their news broadcasts.
The Wall Street Journal is a conservative paper, but they'd never sink a story in their news segment just because the facts in it conflicted with their opinions of their editorial page. That shit's reserved for the Post. Happens all the time at Fox.
Name some regular "Left" issues and show how CNN supports them.
Actual "Left" issues, not just "Right" issues taken to a less extreme point.
Fox News proves it. Face it, CNN is dying.
Again, I'd watch it IF they stuck to their ethics and stated that they were NOT participating in any scripted play.
The question is whether enough other people feel the same way I do.
They could even do a "Left vs Right" debate format without it becoming a "Pro-current regime vs Con-current regime".
Who really cares whether one station has the scripted responses to the scripted questions 30 minutes earlier than other stations?
I don't think John Stewart's show is hurt at all by not being on Air Force One.
In fact, having such a news show would nicely compliment John's show.
I'd even recommend running foreign news shows in a regular slot (dubbed, of course) on a rotating basis. Monday - German, Tuesday - French, Wednesday - Venezuelan, Thursday - Japan, Friday - Russian.
Crossfire only treated it as gossip because that is the material that best suited the format they had devolved to.Why not? The funniest comedy comes from the most accurate portrayals.
Jon Stewart is funny because he is accurate.
Because he is accurate, he is able to show the flaws in "real" news shows like Crossfire.
He may not be a "journalist" in your opinion, but his viewers are better informed than those that watch the "journalists" on CNN or Fox News.
Heck, name some regular "Right" issues and show how CNN supports them. Actual "Right" issues and not just "Left" issues taken to a less extreme point.
That's the neat thing about being in the center- your views look like the other side from both sides.
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
Why do you believe that the two cannot exist together?
It is very easy to present a news story and mock the individuals at the same time.Hardly. The Daily Show also covered actual statements from actual politicians and actual events.
It just mocked the players and events.Why the focus on "credentialed"? Bill Gates didn't earn a college degree nor an MBA, yet he runs a huge company and it turns a huge profit. Which was Jon Stewart's whole point during that interview.
The Daily Show does a better job at communicating the news that they do cover than the 24 hour news network does.
It isn't because The Daily Show is so much better, it is because the other shows have deteriorated to a point where they just spew partisan rhetoric.
So the minimal amount of research done so that The Daily Show can make a joke out of some politician's statement is still more research than would have been found on Crossfire.
Jon Stewart may not have the diploma, but he does take the statements apart with research and analysis that any "journalist" would do.
Now maybe they can work on getting rid of the God slant they seem to have adopted since Bush got his second term.
Seconds thoughts, forget about it, I'll just stick to international papers and NWI.
"Never trust a computer you can't throw." -- The Mac
Maybe the should cancel a few more shows?
Begalke