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November 04, 2002

Metanews

CNN.com | Reliable Sources, guest Jon Stewart

and

washpost.com | Howard Kurtz: Mr. Stewart Goes to Washington

Favorite quote from the Reliable Sources transcript:

STEWART: You guys are confusing yourselves with real journalists.

KURTZ: Oh boy, you're loaded (UNINTELLIGIBLE) today.

STEWART: Instead of putting on shows like "CROSSFIRE" and "Gotcha" and "I'm Going To Kick Your Ass With Tucker Carlson" and "Let's Beat Up The Short Guy." That was just one that I...

KURTZ: I'm glad you're at least watching so much CNN, Jon.

STEWART: I am watching it constantly. It's driving me insane. Make the ticker stop. You're in the middle of a damn sniper story, and all of a sudden underneath it, you know, "Liza Minnelli's first VH1 show to air."

Another good exchange:

STEWART: ... Fox, let's face facts, is a relatively cynical undertaking, to begin with.

KURTZ: Because?

STEWART: Well, it's basically, it's taken the AM radio mentality and labeled it fair and balanced just to upset you guys.

KURTZ: A lot of people watch.

STEWART: Of course, a lot of people watch. A lot of people watch wrestling. A lot of people watch -- you know, you could put on porn, and I think a lot of people would watch it.

But I think they call it fair and balanced just as kind of a dig. I mean, it's not. It's clearly meant to be more ideological and more opinion-based. They took the paradigm of AM radio. By the way, I enjoy what those guys do. I find it fun to watch. It's just not a news network.

The Daily Show is the only election coverage I'm looking forward to.

I think part of the reason I like The Daily Show is part of the reason I like weblogs: They're both done in a medium that they're also about.

For those unfamiliar, The Daily Show is a newscast about newscasts; most of the humor comes from their overuse, exaggeration, or willful opposition to the threadbare conventions of TV news.

A few of my other favorite meta-media:

Musical about musicals: Singin' in the Rain
Movie about movies: Paris When it Sizzles
Novel about novels: Philip Roth's The Great American Novel
TV show about TV shows: Sports Night
Play about plays: The Actor's Nightmare, by Christopher Durang

Others?

November 4, 2002 in CNN, Seen browsing | Permalink

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