Has CNN Ever “Fact-Checked” Tina Fey?
Last night, while doing my cardio, I was struck by a segment on Larry King Live where the eponymous host and his guests commented on a recent Saturday Night Live mocking the President of the United States. ”SNL Skit Slams Obama,” read the chyron (as beat as I can remember).
It shouldn’t be news that a program known for its satire mocks the President for such is the stuff of the show. Indeed, such has been the stuff of American politics at least as far back as Lincoln (and indeed probably further). People have always made fun of the President. And that’s a good thing, a sign we don’t take our leaders too seriously, that we see them as human beings capable of foibles and folly. Making fun of our leaders is the stuff of freedom and a sign that no one should be immune from mockery.
But, it is news (to CNN) when a show which has mocked all previous Presidents back to (and including) Gerald R. Ford devotes an entire sketch to mocking the incumbent (to be sure, this has not been the first time they have made fun of the Democrat).
King’s statement was only a taste of CNN’s worshipful attitude toward Obama. In his Situation Room, Wolf Blitzer, in Mary Katharine Ham’s words, has treated the comedy sketch as “as an attack ad“:
Sycophancy you can believe in, right this way.
In other news, upon further investigation, CNN has discovered that those two guys weren’t “wild and crazy,” but merely socially awkward and Eastern European. For more goofs on CNN, which would make for a superb SNL follow-up spoof of Wolf Blitzer, check the Twitter tag, #CNNFactCheck.
I’m just guessing Blitzer never produced a segment fact-checking Tina Fey’s grossly inaccurate representation of Sarah Palin. She may have looked the part, but, well, put words into that good, but much-maligned, woman’s mouth.
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Did you see the awesome #CNNFactCheck hashtag on Twitter making fun of this whole thing? I wrote about it on my blog: http://randyhaddock.com/post/206053279/cnn-fact-checks-snls-obama-skit-and-hilarious
Comment by Randy Haddock — October 6, 2009 @ 8:46 pm - October 6, 2009
[...] Night Live against a sitting President? I also don’t remember them fact-checking any of those Tina Fey attacks on Sarah Palin during the campaign. Thats exactly what CNN did today after the SNL spoof on Obama this past weekend. Since starting in [...]
Pingback by How pathetic has CNN gotten? CNN Fact-Checks SNL’s Spoof on Obama | Fire Andrea Mitchell! — October 6, 2009 @ 10:43 pm - October 6, 2009
I don’t remember all this attention when Dan Akroyd did his spot-on Jimmy Carter imitations; when Chevy Chase made fun of Gerald Ford’s clumsiness (for the record, I recall reading that Ford wasn’t clumsy); and when Dana Carvey did his hilarious GHWB “not gonna doit” skits. I can’t recall the actors, but the Clinton and Reagan skits were usually funny as well.
I guess having fun at The Messiah’s expense is blasphemy.
Comment by SoCalRobert — October 6, 2009 @ 10:44 pm - October 6, 2009
Who remembers Not Necessarily the News?
Comment by ThatGayConservative — October 7, 2009 @ 2:13 am - October 7, 2009
Dan Akroyd doing Nixon. Classic.
Comment by Joe — October 7, 2009 @ 10:08 am - October 7, 2009
Dan Akroyd doing Bob Dole in that debate with Dana Carvey as George Bush Sr. was another classic.
Comment by Geena — October 7, 2009 @ 12:48 pm - October 7, 2009
My favorite was Phil Hartman as Ronald Reagan: “This is the part of the job I hate.”
Comment by Draybee — October 7, 2009 @ 2:52 pm - October 7, 2009