Jon Stewart's Crossfire Interview: "Stop, You're Hurting America!"

In October of 2004 Jon Stewart appeared as a guest on CNN's Crossfire with Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson. For those of you who don't know the show Crossfire (you shouldn't because CNN cancelled it after Stewart's interview), it was a "debate show" that pitted liberal and conservative pundits against each other. When Begala and Carlson asked Stewart to join them on the show alone they had no idea that Stewart was preparing to "confront" them for their "partisan hackery" that he thought was "hurting America". The clip has since become famous as an example of Stewart's rise as a media "watchdog" and CNN's declining respectability. 

Questions:

• Do you agree with Stewart's critique of shows like Crossfire?
• Is the media upholding its role as a linkage institution when they air shows like Crossfire?
• Is Crossfire meant to be more "news" or "entertainment"?
• Is Stewart unfairly criticizing the hosts of Crossfire while hiding behind the comedy aspect of his show?

Be prepared to discuss these questions on Wednesday!