Holy Crap! Ted Koppel v. Jon Stewart on the convention floor.

[WilliamPitt]

I missed this:

http://slate.msn.com/id/2104473/

But after the commercial break, something unforeseeable happened on Nightline: an anchorman showdown! What began as a casual media-on-the-media puff piece turned into a fascinating five-minute referendum on old and new ways of looking at the meaning and purpose of television news. In a one-on-one chat on the deserted convention floor after the day's festivities had ended, Koppel, in his low-key, dignified, What-Me-Worry way, got medieval on Stewart's ass.

From the start, Koppel made no secret of his distaste for Stewart's show: "A lot of television viewers—more, quite frankly, than I am comfortable with—get their news from <…> The Daily Show." His first challenge to Stewart: "You say that is like a product launch." "Not like a product launch—it is a product launch," Stewart replied, and proceeded to outline his take on Kerry's nomination as the result of a year-long process of corporate branding: "John Kerry: now with lemon!" A pretty standard line of argument for those of Stewart's generation, reconciled as we are to our postmodern condition as the constant targets of marketing and spin, but to Koppel, it must have sounded like the sheerest nihilism. As the interview proceeded, it became clear what a gulf lay between Stewart's and Koppel's views of the world, and it was heartbreaking to watch, like eavesdropping on your cool brother and your nice uncle as they pursue some hopeless ideological argument over Thanksgiving dinner.

"Unexpected things used to happen in the world. They don't happen anymore," continued Stewart matter-of-factly. Parried an impatient Koppel, "Oh, sure they do." Stewart was careful to separate The Daily Show's mandate from that of "real" television journalism: "I know my role. I am the dancing monkey." But that dodge didn't satisfy his broadcast-news interlocuter: "The reality of it is—and this is no joke—there are a lot of people out there who do turn to you." "Not for news," Stewart countered, and they were off again.

What was at stake in this debate between two men, a generation apart in age (Stewart is 42, Koppel 64), both of whom host some version of a late-night daily talk show on current events? Clearly, Koppel's beef went far beyond the question of whether most folks who watch The Daily Show do so for yuks. (As a long-term viewer, I would contend that of course they do, and that anyone who can't tell the difference between Stewart's out-there satire and actual investigative reporting is too dumb to understand the "real" news anyway.) No, the battle of the network anchors was about nothing less than the future of TV journalism.

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[Melodybe]

1. Fuck Koppel, he is a dino and a complacent one at that

Jon begs news anchors to do their god damn jobs. I love Jon, in fact, everyone I know loves Jon Stewart. Koppel is just pissed b/c tons of people actually watch The Daily Show.

Jon Stewart is my hero.

[SemperEadem]

14. they're all still smarting for not winning

the award for best news and information program that was given to TDS recently.

Perhaps if they tried to be balanced in their reporting instead of cowtowing to what the legal department says is safe to report for fear of losing their advertisers, then maybe conventional news organizations would have had a serious chance of winning the award.

Hey Ted, try doing your job instead of having sour grapes because Jon and TDS showed you all up for the pantyweights you really are.

[rog]

2. Thanks for posting this, Will ...

I saw that interview, and my jaw hit the floor when I "thought" I heard Koppel say, "You're finished." There was a thread on the interview later that evening, but no one mentioned that last exchange. I thought I may have been hallucinating. Guess not.

.rog.

[Beetwasher]

3. Tsk Tsk! Check your snip!

n/t

[WilliamPitt]

4. Ooops, right-o

[Feanorcurufinwe]

5. Koppel is just jealous because he knows he's lost all credibility

along with millions of viewers.

[KT2000]

6. Koppel just could not believe

that Jon Stewart was not anxious to "join 'em."

Journalists have now modeled themselves after the medical paradigm. If one wants protection they must adhere to the party line. The rewards are so great. Doctors get the paid junkets, free stuff, recognition and honors, checks in the mail and protection if they come up against the medical board.

Journalists who play by the rules get their work published and can look forward to speaking fees (for corporate gatherings), face time on TV, book deals and maybe their own TV show.

Koppel imagines that he is above that paradigm but he is right in the middle of the largess.

Jon Stewart scares sycophants like Koppel.

[Hoping4Change]

8. Koppel lost me completely as a viewer during his Springstein

"interrogation". That self-satified syncophant blew off Springstein's statement that he supports Kerry and is not in the ABB camp. Koppel then jumped on a remark Springstein made about defeating Bush. A this remark the interview ended with Koppel stating that Springstein had just admitted to being more interested in beating Bush than supporting Kerry.:mad:

[AmerDem]

7. "Fuck Koppel"? .. NO "FUCK STEWART"

When have you ever heard Koppel refer to Kerry and Edwards as "knuckleheads" or Edwards as "Dick Grason" from Batman, Stewart has. Stewart is a sniveling lil brat that pops off at the mouth only when he feels he can get away with it. He quickly shuts up and goes pc when faced up against anyone that barks back. I seen it over and over with this guy, long before alot here started drooling over that 1/2 hour show of his.

[Monte Carlo]

10. Dude, you take it way to seriously.

You are talking about the same John Edwards who announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination on The Daily Show. If he can take a bit of ribbing, surely you can, too.

[Monte Carlo]

9. I don't think Koppel understands the state network news has degenerated to

It's ridiculous. You will learn nothing by watching the nightly news. People watch The Daily Show for their news because regular news has become so complacent and complicit with the way things are.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

11. Koppel has to understand that unless he does his job,

Jon Stewart is going to do it for him.

[enigmatic]

12. Koppel's out of touch...

He's like Gaylord Perry, the spitball pitcher for my beloved Cleveland Indians (and many other teams)in my youth; when he was on the downside of career, Perry went to the greaseball/spitball to stay in the league because his real stuff was long gone. Koppel's the same way. He's well past his prime from his "Nightline" glory days of the early 90's, so he's become a shill for the corporate suits in ABC to keep his show, and his power. He's cheating what the idea of journalism is supposed to be to stay afloat.

And when a guy like Jon Stewart is doing more solid journalism w/ a "comedy" show then Koppel has done in the last 10 years, it kills Koppel because deep down, he knows he's sold his own journalistic soul to the corporate devil to stay afloat.

That's why he hates Stewart, I think.

[doctorbombeigh]

13. Koppel's been better lately, imo

Once he realized the Iraq war was a total scam, he got pissed. He's so old that his retirement isn't far off - he can afford a few hits. Remember when he did "The First Five Hundred" or whatever they called it? I think Rove went screaming down Penn. Ave. with his hair on fire, when he couldn't get that spiked. The White House is always bitching about ABC this year - Koppel and whatshisface (the Canadian anchor). Jennings.

Anyway - yes regular news people are freaking out over the Daily Show, the rise of cable, the popularity of the internet, and so on. They have good reason to freak. However, since the networks have so grotesquely erased what "news" means over the years, they haven't really earned better.

In a shocking experiment, the networks ought to think about actually covering NEWS to retrieve their market share. If they left the party shills in DC and left the puppy-stowaway stories to cable, I'd watch network news again.

[enigmatic]

15. I'll give Koppel his props for that...

and to use another sports metaphor (sorry, I'm a fanatical Cleveland sports fan..)that moment was like Babe Ruth's 3 homer game at the end of his career w/ the Boston Braves; the last gasp by a once-great talent.

I don't think Koppel cares anymore, except in short spurts when he see a guy like Stewart doing the same soild journalism he used to do and it wakes him up. He'll do a solid show once in awhile, but he then realizes where his bread is buttered, and slips back into a journalistic coma..