After Jon Stewart's recent and gratifying assaults on the venerable profession of network news-anchorship, I was eager to see how Ted Koppel would do on The Daily Show, which is being taped at BU this week. Despite the indignity of having been threatened with the cancellation of Nightline and possible replacement by Stewart or his ilk, Koppel has been plenty nice to him, praising his "coverage" of the DNC as late as Wednesday:
"Jon Stewart had a great phrase for this convention," Koppel continued. "He said it's a product rollout. So here we all are playing our individual roles in this product rollout."
I was surprised and disappointed when Koppel did not make his scheduled Thursday-night appearance, but not as surprised when I considered Koppel's Nightline interview with Stewart—perhaps their exchange concerning Koppel's (and everyone else's) "coverage" of the war did, in fact, turn as cold as it reads in the transcript:
STEWART: I'm a news anchor. Remember this is bizarro world. And I say, the issue is health care and insurance, and why 40 million American kids don't have insurance -- 40 million Americans are uninsured. Is this health insurance program being debated in Congress good for the country? Let's debate it. I have with me Donna Brazile and Bay Buchanan. Let's go. Donna. "I think the Democrats really have it right here. I think that this is a pain for the insurance companies and the drug companies and this is wrong for America." Bay. "Oh no, what it is..." And then she throws out her figures from the Heritage Foundation, and she throws out her figures from the Brookings Institute, and the anchor -- who should be the arbiter of the truth -- says, "Thank you both very much, that was very interesting." No it wasn't! That was Coke and Pepsi talking about beverage truth. And that game has, I think, caused people to think, "I'm not watching this."
KOPPEL: Alright, so you have found an answer through humor...
STEWART: No. It's not an answer.
KOPPEL: Well, an answer that...
STEWART: I found an outlet. I found a catharsis. A sneeze, if you will.
KOPPEL: It's not just a catharsis for you, it's a catharsis for your viewers. Those who watch say, at least when I'm watching Jon, he can use humor to say BS, that's a crock.
STEWART: But that's always been the case. Satire has always been...
KOPPEL: Ok, but I can't do that.
STEWART: No, but you CAN say that's BS. You don't need humor to do that because you have what I wish I had which is credibility and gravitas. This is interesting stuff, and it's all part of the discussion and I think it's a good discussion to have, but I think it's important to take a more critical look. You know, don't you think?
KOPPEL: No.
STEWART: And certainly not from me.
KOPPEL: No, not from you. I've had enough of you.
STEWART: I know my role, I'm the dancing monkey.
KOPPEL: You're finished. (Smiles)
(Shake hands.)
Lost Remote has the full transcript, and comments from people who actually saw the segment and confirmed that Jon Stewart did hit a little too close to home:
As for the tone of the thing, Koppel was fine until he realized Stewart was describing a typical Nightline segment as the reason viewers turn away from typical news programs to get their info and analysis. Stewart basically blew Koppel off the stage with that last comment and the exchange at the end was ice cold coming from Koppel--Stewart tried to play if off, but it was uncomfortable to watch.
Jon Stewart is now the hero of all college journalists. Maybe even all journalists that are not on television. He definitely is mine.
Posted by: oboreruhito | 30 July 2004 at 11:41 PM
Stewart is a genius. I hope his new baby inherits from him his grin, his shrewdness and perspicacity. I was talking on the phone to my awesome stepmother the other night, and I said to her, "we don't have any Edward R. Murrows anymore", but I realized later that I had forgotten
Jon Stewart. Had he not existed, someone would've had to invent him.
Posted by: Nick | 03 August 2004 at 03:02 PM