« CNBC Viewers Are Mad As Hell: Read and Sign The Protest Petition »
Regular readers know my thoughts on the gang at CNBC. There are some outstanding journalists and others not so much. I have written about Erin Burnett the banking apologista, as an example of what might be improved.
Ultimately, the problem at CNBC as explained to me by a producer at the channel for 6 years, is the reporter and anchor culture is focused on securing interviews with CEOs and not on journalism. They tend to regurgitate press releases instead of investigate.
Theirs is a business carefully built around hype and puffery and that suits Cramer's personality rather well. Stewart's most useful criticism threaded CNBC for being clueless cheerleaders disguised as market experts. He admitted the Daily show is snake oil and chided CNBC and Cramer for not admitting the same about their network.
Some people at Media Matters have started an anti-CNBC petition and we're happy to do our part to publicize it even if their complaints are not exactly the same as our own. Don't forget, bailout politics make for strange bedfellows and we can agree to work together without needing to solve our differences.
If you are of the same mind, head on over and sign the petition. Let's be honest, however, CNBC will make no changes as a result of this grassroots effort. But hey, at least they will know we are paying attention and we wish for some improvement in their culture and coverage.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 9:45PM
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend
Reader Comments (9)
Jim Cramer knows how easy CNBC is to fool. He used to play the network himself. Here are five episodes from the stock speculator's past that could use some dusting off.
Jon Stewart Vs. Jim Cramer Video: It's Getting Slightly More Interesting. Cramer To Appear On The Daily Show Thursday
It's getting slightly more interesting as Cramer is now slated to be a Daily Show guest for Thursday night. Stewart's opening salvo, Monday night. Video runs 4 minutes. Three more clips from the 36-hour battle are inside.
Fix CNBC petition.
The complete uncensored version:
Bailout Video The Daily Show Complete Interview: Jon Stewart Vs. Jim Cramer And CNBC:
Briefly, it was entertaining television at a minimum. I think Stewart's point should have been made more clearly: why doesn't CNBC do more investigation and less regurgitation. Theirs is a business carefully built around hype and puffery and that suits Cramer's personality rather well. The biggest surprise of the show was that Cramer didn't put up even a semblance of a fight. He was demonstrably submissive from his tone to his body language to his constant sheepish grin.
CNBC's Erin Burnett, Banking Apologista, Leader of Idiots
So Erin, your argument is specious and smacks of being too far up Jamie Dimon's ass. Remove it, and study pooled capital before we decide to target you. Cuz it won't be pretty. We're an independent news site with no advertising so we can pretty much say whatever the hell we want.
OTA Network news does the same for drug companies peddling to senior citizens.
You get what they pay for. Not the other way around.