The interview on Monday night with the woman who invented the phrase “Death Panels”, Betsy McCaughey, was an excellent example of why Jon Stewart is considered one of the leading newsmen of his generation. The Atlantic featured two different discussions about the subject in the past few days. First, author James Fallows discusses some of the conclusions that can be reached by watching the interview. He mentions that the interview cemented in his mind that McCaughey is in fact a taco short of a combination plate, that McCaughey proved that an actual “effective” way to deal with Stewart’s arguments is with your own nudge and wink to the audience (and to totally ignore all facts presented by Stewart in the process), and finally, that McCaughey shows the inconsistencies in focusing on perceived issues like “death panels” without looking at the entire bill.

His article produced some interesting discourse on what others took out of the interview. Here’s one of my favorite of the selections that Fallows chose to highlight in a follow up column online:

Objection 1: The Audience Is In on the Joke

…I disagree that talking over Jon Stewart the way people do in appearances on Fox News is an effective tactic for the guest. It might be better than some of the other options, but it backfires for a weird reason, one that might be harder to see if you don’t watch the show regularly.



From its inception in 1997, the distinguishing shtick that makes the show unique is a type of edited interview segment in which the show’s “reporters” interview obscure and completely crazy people. The subjects have received some local press attention for doing something bizarre and they’re desperate for media attention. The reporters pretend to be mainstream press rather than comedians, and they use a deadpan style that allows the interviewees to provide most of the humor. What struck me about the McCaughey interview, and the recent interview of Orly Taitz by Stephen Colbert, was that Stewart and Colbert are clearly adapting the “crazy person” interview techniques to their live in-studio host interviews with guests that don’t agree with them.



The normal host interviews vary a lot but they are always a two-way conversation with some socially well-adjusted give and take. In these two recent interviews, as the guest acts more unstoppable and enthusiastic unhinged when discussing “their” topic, the interview slides into the familiar “crazy person” style. That’s a cue for the show’s regular audience to frame the discussion and the interviewee in a very different way.


Here’s the two-part extended video for your viewing pleasure.

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