patrick.net

Jon IS fake news.

I don't like Tucker either but Jon is an order of magnitude at least worse.

Jon Stewart made Tucker when he embarrassed and outwitted him on one of the last episodes of crossfire. Tucker regrouped and grew, Stewart declined.

mell says

Jon Stewart made Tucker when he embarrassed and outwitted him on one of the last episodes of crossfire. Tucker regrouped and grew, Stewart declined.

The article is fairly extensive and covers that period of time:
You didn’t even have to listen to the Crossfire segment to know that it wasn’t just a drubbing but the birth of a new world. You could see it on the hosts’ faces. The establishment had lost the plot.
The liberal host, Paul Begala, kept trying to change the subject. On his face you could see the dumbstruck look of the compliant citizen murdered on the roadside by Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. After Crossfire was canceled he never hosted his own television show again.
The old world was dying. You could ignore this and double down, or you could learn how to stand outside legacy media — and wield this to your advantage.
The conservative host tried valiantly, jousting like he was untouched. But as the segment wore on, his voice kept going higher, he sounded desperate. “I think you’re a good comedian,” he told Stewart. “I think your lectures are boring.” But by the end of the segment, you could see the wheels turning in his head.

His name was Tucker Carlson.

That Crossfire scene and the ensuing cancellation of that show marked the end of civil left-right discussion in American media, and the beginning of cancel culture. Jon Stewart convinced America that no discussion is better than a heated discussion, that those with the “wrong” ideas need to be identified and pulled off the stage.

As contrived as it may have been, Crossfire at least promoted the notion that there may be no one “obvious” solution to any given problem (if indeed it needs to be solved), intelligent people can disagree, each side has something worthwhile to say, something potentially worthwhile to offer, and also that friends (represented by the co-hosts) can hold radically different views on important issues and still be able to have a serious, respectful (if heated) conversation on those issues.

Undoctored says

That Crossfire scene and the ensuing cancellation of that show marked the end of civil left-right discussion in American media, and the beginning of cancel culture. Jon Stewart convinced America that no discussion is better than a heated discussion, that those with the “wrong” ideas need to be identified and pulled off the stage.

As contrived as it may have been, Crossfire at least promoted the notion that there may be no one “obvious” solution to any given problem (if indeed it needs to be solved), intelligent people can disagree, each side has something worthwhile to say, something potentially worthwhile to offer, and also that friends (represented by the co-hosts) can hold radically different views on important issues and still be able to have a serious, respectful (if heated) conversation on those issues.

I have to disagree here and pull a @richwicks. What Jon Stewart did was pointing out the blatant lies the media was peddling back then wrt Iraq war (WMDs, saddam literally Hitler etc.) and asking major war criminals such as w boosh softball questions like they do today with xiden. Sure he violated civil discussion protocols but Crossfire, once a show that may have put politicians in the hot seat at its inception, had degraded to govt sponsored propaganda, similarly to the (m)ass media of today. Jon was right to point that out and Tucker actually took a page from his playbook and soon overtook Stewart after regrouping. Crossfire at that point deserved to get canceled.