A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
CNN dumps Tucker Carlson, 'Crossfire'

From the New York Times via the Houston Chronicle:

Klein said he wanted to move CNN away from what he called "head-butting debate shows," which have become the staple of much of all-news television in the prime-time hours, especially at the top-rated Fox News Channel.

"CNN is a different animal," Klein said. "We report the news. Fox talks about the news. They're very good at what they do and we're very good at what we do."

Klein specifically cited the criticism that the comedian Jon Stewart leveled at Crossfire when he was a guest on the program during the presidential campaign. Stewart said that ranting partisan political shows on cable were "hurting America."

Klein said Wednesday night, "I agree wholeheartedly with Jon Stewart's overall premise." Klein said he believed that especially after the terror attacks on 9/11, viewers are interested in information, not opinion.

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I'm sure this has much more to do with business than it does with a desire to serve the people of the United States: NPR reported earlier today that Crossfire lost 20% of its audience in 2004. Nonetheless, this is a step in the right direction. As Stewart pointed out in his Crossfire appearance last October, these debate shows are simply exercises in "partisan hackery," disserving democracy by muddying national discourse. Indeed, such programs force important issues into a false dichotomy of liberal and conservative, giving both sides equal weight, even when neither side is even close to discussing reality.

This move, by itself, won't save broadcast news as an institution, but it might slow down its rapid decay, which is a relatively good thing. NPR also reported that CNN is dropping Capitol Gang as well. Heh.

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