Jon Stewart gleefully points out Murdoch’s ownership of anti-American network

[Playinghardball]

On his show Thursday night, The Daily Show host Jon Stewart mocked the “four hour erection” of Fox News over Al Gore’s sale of Current TV. The late-night comedian ended up using their own criticisms to slam the owner of Fox News, Rupert Murdoch.

Current TV, a fledgling cable network, was bought by the Arab news network Al Jazeera last week. Various Fox News personalities have blasted Gore for selling his channel to an allegedly “anti-American” network that was owned by Qatar.

To see what all the fuss was about, Stewart played a clip of a Saudi cleric saying that Jews made matzos with human blood, among other absurdities.

“You know, if that were true you’d think matzos would be more flavorful, but its not,” he joked. “That’s just awful. To air that on Al Jazeera — oh, I’m sorry, that didn’t air on Al Jazeera, that aired on a network called Rotana. That’s my fault, that’s another television station in the Arab world. That one is owned not by Qatar, but by a Saudi prince named Al-Waleed bin Talal and also 20 percent of that is owned by a guy named Rupert Murdoch.”

Stewart noted Rotana had also aired a movie that portrayed American soldiers as “the bad guys,” who massacred Iraqi civilians and sold their organs to Jews.

“I don’t even know what to say. Rupert Murdoch profiting from the airing of that type of anti-American propaganda? Words fail me. Can anyone else jump in?”

The late-night comedian then played a series of clips where Fox News personalities criticized Al Jazeera, but the word “Al Jazeera” was appropriately replaced by “Rotana.”

Watch video, via Mediaite, below:

Raw Story (http://s.tt/1yhqx)

[freshwest]

1. K & R all the way through the thick skulls of Fox News viewers...

And here is part of what Jon is talking about:



Photo: Alwaleed Heads Meeting with Murdoch Execs

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/37018_Photo-_Alwaleed_Heads_Meeting_with_Murdoch_Execs

Fox viewers believe what this cabal is selling like it's the Bible. What book are they really reading?

[malaise]

2. Watched it live

It was excellent

[think]

4. Not sure what it will take for Fox viewers to wake up

and really understand that they've been had.

[malaise]

5. Money - when they find out how much the gun promoters are earning at their expense

follow the money

[BlancheSplanchnik]

8. worse than being had, they're being brainwashed and exploited as unknowing soldiers

Dividing. Itizens against one another in the corporate titans' war to siphon U.S. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[War Horse]

3. Recced. And well done by Stewart (as always)

But this purchase bothers me a bit. I'm not an RWNJ at all, but I've have been told by Arabic speaking friends, whom I trust, that Al Jazeera English (great as it is in some cases) is rather different in its narrative from Al Jazeera Arabic. Not quite as bad as Hamas tv or Fox News, but delving into crazy/conspiratorial territory.

[pacalo]

6. It's a fact that people should be made aware of, yet only Jon Stewart pointed it out.

It deserves much more attention, considering Murdoch wants to own as much of the American media as he can get his gnarly hands on to manipulate, spin, & degenerate the message.

He represents the same propaganda that American school children were taught to despise during the Cold War. We were taught that it was a priviledge to live in the U.S., that our press was the watchdog of the government for the people. It was a deplorable thought that Russia's government controlled its media, that its citizenry only knew about its government what it wanted them to know; that it led to families & neighbors spying on & reporting on those who didn't toe the government's propaganda.

How many of Fixed News' viewers have even heard of Al Jazeera before Gore sold CurrentTV to them? It's disturbing to think that their first impression could be from hearing the propaganda being fed to them by Fixed News.

This country should have more pride in its news quality & get back to its Fourth Estate roots. Regulations can & should be made to prevent Murdoch's way of doing business. We're better than that. Shame on this country for allowing him to drag us into the gutter.

At this parched point in time of investigative journalism, we need more Jon Stewarts to comically squeeze in the facts to our homes.

[samsingh]

7. more right wing hypocrasy

[sad-cafe]

9. Jon Stewart is a genius

No doubt about it.