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[Thomas Beckett <thomas AT tbeckett.com>]

Tony Spencer wrote:
> He was incorrect when he made the claim that the Crossfire hosts have a
> responsibility to the American people.  Wrong.  They are a TV show that is a
> company that has a responsibility to their shareholders only.  They are
> responsible for making money.  

This is a fundamentally wrong proposition.  Corporations have a 
responsibility to their shareholders, yes, but also to the public, to 
the nation, and to their employees.  Crossfire has a huge audience.  It 
purports to inform the public about civic issues.  That is a 
responsibility.  Stewart was rebuking them for their pursuit of the buck 
and gross distortion of the political economy at the cost of distracting 
and misinforming the public about our civic life.

> Loosing your cool and resorting to personal
> attacks such as calling someone a dick doesn't make you appear too
> intelligent.  Stick to comedy.

This was after Tucker Carlson called Stewart a "butt boy for Kerry" and 
repeatedly interrupted him, preventing him from making his point. 
That's the level of discourse that the show's hosts created, not Stewart.

TaB