Jon Stewart blasts CNN re: fact checking an SNL skit.

[Vympel]

Link

I love it how he compares their rigorous fact checking of a comedy segment to their giving a pass to heinous lie after heinous lie without batting an eyelid.

[Executor32]

I liked this gem:

"First thing's first, according to the NYT America now has 307 million people, not 330 million people, so you're only off by a factor of AUSTRALIA."

[Darth Wong]

And still, I know Americans who insist that CNN is "liberal". It's just a sign of how badly skewed American politics are.

[Kodiak]

I loved this one as well- "CNN, nobody leaves it there more".

[Count Chocula]

"we'll leave it at that"
"And we're going to have to leave it at that"
"let's leave it at that"
"We're out of time, we'll leave it at that. Coming up, a YouTube video of a 5-year old who memorized four lines of a song!"

Stewart's "Leave it at WHAT!?!?!?" comment is eloquent in its brevity.

Christ, I know Stewart cherrypicked to get those examples, but damn they make CNN's crew look like piss-poor interviewers who couldn't make the cut for Entertainment Tonight. What utterly vapid reporting. I'm not a regular CNN watcher; is this typical of their interviewing and reporting "quality?"

[Darth Wong]

"we'll leave it at that"
"And we're going to have to leave it at that"
"let's leave it at that"
"We're out of time, we'll leave it at that. Coming up, a YouTube video of a 5-year old who memorized four lines of a song!"

Stewart's "Leave it at WHAT!?!?!?" comment is eloquent in its brevity.

Christ, I know Stewart cherrypicked to get those examples, but damn they make CNN's crew look like piss-poor interviewers who couldn't make the cut for Entertainment Tonight. What utterly vapid reporting. I'm not a regular CNN watcher; is this typical of their interviewing and reporting "quality?"

It's always been typical of them. I watched them a lot when they first started because the whole concept of 24/7 cable news was new and different, and in the mid 90s I noticed that they were starting to do this "discuss an issue by interviewing guests and not bothering to investigate it or question their claims at all" thing already.

Unfortunately, their blatant negligence still beats FOXNews' deliberate propagandizing of the sort of right-wing talking points that you routinely spew, like that howler about how Joe Wilson was proven right by examining a bill which explicitly said the opposite of what he said.

[Bounty]

I'm not a regular CNN watcher; is this typical of their interviewing and reporting "quality?"

I used to occasionally watch CNN Europe in the mid-nineties, and even then it was obvious just what sort of gulf there was between it and more serious news channels. I remember telling people on 9/11 that if they wanted news flashes fast, they should watch CNN, but if they wanted any sort of depth, go to BBC World.

[Kodiak]

So, where should I look for serious in-depth news? Is the BBC my only outlet?

[Shroom Man 777]

Al-Jazeera?

[Crossroads Inc.]

So, where should I look for serious in-depth news? Is the BBC my only outlet?

I usually listen to NPR as much as posisble, its not on the same scale as other cable news, but they seem to do a mUCH better job of actually fact checking and avoiding golden mean fallacies.

[CmdrWilkens]

So, where should I look for serious in-depth news? Is the BBC my only outlet?

NPR and PBS both do some excellent news magazine type segments (Bill Moyers on the later is excellent) while if you are lookign for quick and dirty news without all the rest of the monologues then CNN's Headline News chanel does a pretty decent job of essentially being a broadcast verision of USA Today: Lots of breadth, just a bit of depth, but no stupidity a la "leave it there"


Anyway back to the OP, I love the little "panel" he convened at the end of the segment before leaving it there.

[Invictus ChiKen]

MSNBC has some good commentaries but no straight up news shows as far as I've seen.

[Mr Bean]

MSNBC has some good commentaries but no straight up news shows as far as I've seen.

Ed's, Hardball and Countdown are all firmly in the commentary section but the Racahel Maddow show does manage excellent reporting from time to time. Granted it's on commentary issues but she does try and spend two minutes or so explaning things before bringing the guest on rather than Countdown where the guests are on to agree with Keith. And Hardball is just as bad about "we have to leave it there" except on those oh so rare occasions where the host thinks there's weakness. And the Ed show is just an hour of talk radio on TV. The rest of MSNBC's 20 hour lineup is repeat of these shows or CNN quality morning shows. Complete with a vapid morning show.

[Vympel]

And Hardball is just as bad about "we have to leave it there" except on those oh so rare occasions where the host thinks there's weakness.

Chris Matthews is infuriating. When he's tough, he's really tough - like the priceless time he harangued that idiot going on about 'appeasement' and 'Neville Chamberlain' when it was clear he didn't have a clue what the fuck either of them were.

[Mr Bean]

Chris Matthews is infuriating. When he's tough, he's really tough - like the priceless time he harangued that idiot going on about 'appeasement' and 'Neville Chamberlain' when it was clear he didn't have a clue what the fuck either of them were.

Again, weakness. Chris Matthews sensed he had no fucking clue what he was talking about. He gave it a little push and when he tried to BS him he went after him. He is a classic good old boy. Whoever is in charge and gives him access wins his loyalty until the next election. And when enemies of that new friend of his come on he will go after them without mercy if he sense that kind of weakeness.

[Sarevok]

Al-Jazeera?

Seriously their english language channel is almost a clone of the BBC. In a good sense I mean. While the BBC is still the best Al-Jazeera is good as a second source of international news.