Never Enough Proper Credit Department

I know I've been avoiding reading, let alone reblogging, articles from the New York Times. But here I must make an exception as the NYT takes on Jon Stewart's fabulous appearance on Crossfire:

"The transcript of Friday's 'Crossfire,' and the blog commentary about it, popped up all over the Internet this weekend. Mr. Stewart's Howard Beal (of 'Network') outburst stood out because he said what a lot of viewers feel helpless to correct: that news programs, particularly on cable, have become echo chambers for political attacks, amplifying the noise instead of parsing the misinformation. Whether the issue is Swift boat ads or Bill O'Reilly's sexual harassment suit, shows like 'Crossfire' or 'Hardball' provide gladiator-style infotainment as journalists clownishly seek to amuse or rile viewers, not inform them.

When Mr. Carlson took the offense, charging that Mr. Stewart had no right to complain since he had asked Senator John Kerry softball questions on 'The Daily Show,' Mr. Stewart looked genuinely appalled. 'I didn't realize - and maybe this explains quite a bit - that the news organizations look to Comedy Central for their cues on integrity.' When Mr. Carlson continued to argue, Mr. Stewart shut him down hard. 'You are on CNN,' he said. 'The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls.'"

You tell 'em, Jon. And thanks to the New York Times, he'll be heard. Loudly.