Jon Stewart, Fox News Trade Barbs

From the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz:

DENVER, Aug. 25 -- Jon Stewart ripped the cable news networks Monday as a "brutish, slow-witted beast" and castigated Fox News as "an appendage of the Republican Party."

Wearing a gray T-shirt and a healthy stubble, the "Daily Show" host told reporters that Fox's fair-and-balanced slogan is "a (expletive) you to people with brains" and that only "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace "saves that network from slapping on a bumper sticker . . . Barack Obama could cure cancer and they'd figure out a way to frame it as an economic disaster."

"I'm stunned to see Karl Rove on a news network as an analyst," he said of the Bush White House aide-turned Fox commentator.

A Fox News spokesman replied that "Jon's clearly out of touch," citing a Pew study showing the network has the most balanced audience in cable news, 39 percent Repubicans and 33 percent Democrats. "But being out of touch with mainstream America is nothing new to Jon as evidenced by the crash and burn ratings of this year's Oscars telecast."

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Comments

[PurplePhase]

I stopped watching Fox News a long time ago and wasn't sure about their meaning of "balanced" till I figured it out. Their sense of balance is to - in their way of thinking - provide information contrary to other news sources. Fox News feels their opposing views balances the media. They make no qualms that their opposing views contains falsehoods and distorted impressions.

How wrong they are.

[SouthernBlueBelle]

Out of touch? Huh, right. Out of touch with the RNC talking points gang.

[doug108]

The Daily Show is funny only because it is completely IN touch with what's going on. It's funny to its viewers only because they, too, are plugged-in news junkies. More distortion from FOX. Not a surprise.

[jsinclair]

Stewart's completely right about FOX and Rove. That man is lucky his last minute deal with Fitzgerald kept him out of prison.

As for FOX, what's the missing 32% of their audience that is neither Dem nor Republican? Fascists? Racists? (And I'll be a lot of the "Dems" are of the blue dog variety).

[txgal44]

John's right again. Fox is horrible. Anyone who'd listen to Karl Rove IS the problem.

[obamanation31]

???!!! Fix news is balanced ???? who did they talk to??? People who don't the meaning of balanced.

[protagonia]

If you do not know why fbc is dishonest - then it is because the you are just like fbc.

[Renman]

Don't be an idiot, idiot. Huffington Post is not fair and balanced not claims to be. It's a left wing web site. Fox is supposed to be news. And it ain't....

[protagonia]

Somebody's point just got proven.

Wonder whose?