note to self: don't watch cable news with a fever

Okay, I am really sick, with a fever and the coughing and the aches and the whole damn thing. So I haven't been able to get as much writing done as I'd like, because the aches are so severe in my arms and hands, the tips of my fingers occasionally hurt, especially when I type the letter "p" ouch.

This means that I've done a ton of reading today, and I've subjected myself to a few hours of CNN. Jesus. Fucking. Christ. No wonder so many Americans are misinformed, if they are getting their information from cable news. These douchebags do everything they can to create controversy where there is none, and they don't even try to hide it.

Example: Wolf Blitzer, on The Situation Room (which is only watchable because of Jack Cafferty), just teased a segment on Jon Stewart thusly: "He says it will be the most controversial Academy Awards, ever . . ."

Wow. That sure sounds provocative, Wolf! Let's go to the transcript and see when he said that:

     KING:  All right, let's move to some things.  Jon Stewart will host the Oscars Sunday night.

     STEWART:  It's going to be the most controversial Oscars ever.  I would not be surprised if the whole country tunes in.

     KING:  Will you, truthfully will you get into politics?

     STEWART:  Sorry?  You mean after I retire as a comedian?

     KING:  No, will you get into politics Sunday?

STEWART: Oh, I'm sure there will be references and such like that but I'm not -- I'm not going out there, you know, looking to blow the place up. I want to -- I want to do a nice job. Really for the most part the pressure I feel is for the actors and actresses and people that are nominated and who are there and it's their big day and you don't want to screw up their wedding. You don't want to be the deejay going, you know, all right everybody let's play Celebrate. Where's my CD? You know.

For fuck's sake. Are you idiots at CNN so invested in propping up your useless bullshit hosts that you'll deliberately mislead your viewers? Watch the fucking tape, and try real, real hard to see the gleam in Jon Stewart's eye, and then try real, real hard to hear the sarcasm in his voice. Then watch a few seconds longer, and see that Jon clearly doesn't intend to do anything to fuck up the Oscars, and in fact understands exactly what he's supposed to do as the host. Here it is again, just in case you missed it:

STEWART: Oh, I'm sure there will be references and such like that but I'm not -- I'm not going out there, you know, looking to blow the place up. I want to -- I want to do a nice job. Really for the most part the pressure I feel is for the actors and actresses and people that are nominated and who are there and it's their big day and you don't want to screw up their wedding. You don't want to be the deejay going, you know, all right everybody let's play Celebrate. Where's my CD? You know.

I wonder if someone at CNN is upset that Jon Stewart made Larry King look like a douchebag, and is still upset that he exposed to the world what a colossal joke Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson were on Crossfire.    

Comments

[Digital Goddess]

This is exactly the reason why I don't watch the news anymore. It is depressing on SO many levels. And heaven love Jon Stewart. It makes my day when people make Larry King look like a douchebag. You are what you eat after all.

[CarolP]

Okay, I cannot comment intelligently about CNN anymore as I no longer watch channels that are a slow form of torture. Every time I watch CNN I want to smash my TV. But that Crossfire episode was sweeeet. I have it on my computer and show it to my friends. Everyone run and download it now if you want to know why Jon rocks so hard.

[Celtic Mama]

When Jon did Crossfire that was just a classic piece of television. You could see how sincere he was, too.

[Erik Schmidt]

Wil, looking for thoughtful discourse on network news is a lost cause. I don't care what network it is, the medium itself is not compatible with rational analysis and exposition. It works great for commentary and comedy, as Jon Stewart has shown, but TV news is all about the counterpunch, the sniper in the window. Just reporting the facts is so passe.

[Fenlyn, USAF]

Wil,

As a former employee of CNN, I'll tell you that nobody at CNN is concerned that Jon Stewart made Larry King look like a douche-bag. Everybody there already knows Larry is a douche-bag.

The big problem there is that producers are under tremendous pressure to bring in viewers, which leads to teases that question journalistic integrity.

I know the system there, and I know what kind of person Wolf Blitzer is. I can guarantee you... he didn't write that crap.

I'm in a much more respectable job as a journalist for the Air Force now. Way better as it comes to keeping integrity and being able to sleep at night.

Take care...
Brad

[Lorraine]

I'm sorry you are feeling sickly Wil.Feel better soon. I never watch Larry King but I just may watch the Academy Awards just to see Jon Stewart.
- Lorraine

[Alan]

No time to write but I see three posts from you today. No poker while you're sick. Just a bad idea. Really. Trust me.

An even worse idea would be to down a few beers and then play poker while you're sick. Really. Trust me.

Hope you feel better soon.

[t16skyhopper]

Great philosophy saves so much time. In one of the prime manuals on politics, The Republic, in Book VI (Allan Bloom's translation), Socrates talks about stirring people up about nothing; that those who rule or have sway and don't belong ruling study everything they can about the moods of the public--what angers, tames, makes gentle, enfeebles, and so on, all to negative purpose for control--and they call this wisdom, while they neglect what makes citizenry happy and effective, which they most certainly can influence. Of course, radio, television, publications, and films have been tools further exploited by them. Socrates also notes that it is something along the lines of danger for leaders to go along with the uproar of blame and praise even if justified for it distracts from proactive study and efforts into hypotheses and means for solutions, and confuses the public. He also says, pretty much in these words, that philosopher-kings are the answer and would be the most perceptive, wise, self-restrained rulers; that rulers without philosophy don't understand the nature of rulership or how to rule properly. This very much seems to be a paradox as philosophers generally want nothing to do with rule though they can be fit for it, and rulers care about philosophy only so far as it can further their gluttony. Philosopher-kings being so rare as to appear sporadically over centuries, he says the next best thing is for those who are like philosophers to contribute what they can; to study the problems and philosophy, and note what the problems centrally are briefly, and then spend most of the time actively working for solutions, speaking words only aimed toward those. The more I read about Socrates's thought, the more similarity I see with Gandhi's words and actions. I read a great quote by Gandhi: "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Ted Turner must be especially disappointed to see his creation turn so foul.

[Pokerwolf]

I hope you feel better soon, Wil!

Any TV news station, broadcast or cable, is not concerned with journalistic integrity anymore. They only care about getting the word out on the street about something first (even if they don't have any facts to back their report up available) and, the more important reason, selling ad space and making a profit.

Money is why they create controversy and stir up shit. They get better ratings and that leads to higher ad revenues. Which makes the bosses happy and they get raises, which means more money for them.

Unfortunately, that means that the public at large is not only uneducated, they're deliberately misled. "Yellow journalism" lives in our current day culture. It's rather scary that the National Enquirer can state that it has a better research department than CNN.

[Morgan]

Jon Stewart is brilliant. I love America: The Book.

[edgore]

Wait...we now live in a world where some has to *make* Larry King look like a douchebag?

That does it, I'm out of here.

[Jack Johnson]

Dude, so I'm sitting in a freeroll and we hit the break, and I go to update my blog with links to yours and Pauly's, and I see you're sick. I've been sick all day with similar crud, but no fever.

It feels like I've been gargling with dust, and though my cough feels dry it's been...uh...productive, in a scary sci-fi way. Some weird, wispy gak, like Spider-Man webbing.

Just thought I'd share. :)

[Kathy L.]

I could not agree more!! I do not even watch news on tv any more. If I want news I read it on the internet. Aside from the "skewed" points of view I also have huge dislike for all the "pretty people" that only read teleprompters. Also that "situation room" that Wolf has is just so silly I want to die laughing every time I see or hear people call it that.

Sorry to hear you have the crude that is going around. I also finally got an account because I have been reading your blog for some time and find it to be very funny, intelligent and all around good read. I also agree with many of your thoughts on life, childrearing and other misc.

P.S. I have been considered by many to be a "geek" as well. I took notes during the second Matrix film so that I could think about it and compare it to the first film after I got home!!

[the tokyo incidents]

It's times like this when I actually MISS Japanese newscasting. It's so incredibly boring and dry that you don't get any of this asshattery. That and international CNN is pretty quiet too.

Then again, there are times that when I am in Tokyo, I REALLY miss the yellow journalism that is American CNN. I mean, REALLY miss it. :(

BTW - probably will make it to the Pasadena con. I have something I brought back from Japan for you. That and I'm thinking of switching to Red Hat/Linux/etc and I need advice. :3

[Sukee]

Larry King IS an idiot, no one can make him look worse than he is :)

That said, I agree that CNN is not a good place to get news.

[Julian Owen]

Sorry you're not feeling well Wil. But here's something that might make you feel a little better. If you get the Sci Fi Channel tune in to the new series of Doctor Who which starts in a few days. It's a cool sci fi show made here in the UK. I think you may like it.

[StudioGlyphic]

I could be smoking crack, but I seem to recall seeing something after Hurricane Katrina where Larry King was talking to Celine Dion, who was crying about the situation and saying that she wanted to do something to help. Then Larry asked her to sing a song and she complied. TV is crazy.

[paul s]

the oscars are not the exactly the most pressing news item in the world.... i wouldn't waste my energy on wolf's coverage of it, especially if i were as sick as you seem to be....

[dortress]

Larry made *himself* look like an ass. That hour was about the most painful I've had the displeasure of watching. Jon, as always, was witty and sharp. Larry looked distinctly uncomfortable and out of his element. And in fact, couldn't keep up with Jon's wry observations. The 'joke' in the question about citizen outrage and Jon's reponse "What about that Bode Miller", was completely lost on Larry as a comment on the public's short attention span.

I had little respect for Larry before, and not reason to change that after this spin on the dial.

[phedrang]

I'm sick today too but at work. I keep typing emails that come out all weird cause of the DayQuil. Thank heavens its Friday and I can go home and have chicken soup watching the Sci-Fi channel.

That's a lot more fun than the news...

[BL]

Edward R. Murrow died 41 years ago, Wil.

[aegix]

Hmm...I watched the video and I must say, your perception of the interview is quite different from mine. I thought it was very light-hearted with King's laughing at nearly every answer (and no, it wasn't nervous laughter).

I'm no fan of King, but the transcript makes it sound far, far worse than the actual dialogue. I guess if you choose to read into it and create your own context, that's your perogative.

[smg]

Hi Wil,

First of all, as a first-time commentor, I want to say thanks for staying so accessible to your fans and fellow webnuts.

Second, as a semi-journalist (I've never felt like a real one, really), CNN and other cable news networks make me loathe what I do at times. The flaky-ness and ratings obsessed "management." It's enough to make me sick.

But it takes people like Jon Stewart to turn those idiots on their heads. And it's always fun to watch...

[Cebness]

Jon made very similar comments on a section of Oprah. You could see the conviction in his eyes when he said how important it was that he not screw up a night that most of the nominees have been working for their entire careers.

It is a shame that they try to drag such a sincere guy into a bunch of bs. Thankfully, Jon is rarely outsmarted.

[David]

I really can't watch any of the network or cable news shows anymore. It's down to the NewsHour on PBS for me; and I'm conservative, so you can guess how much that sticks in my craw.

Fox sucks just as bad as the rest of them.