UPDATE AT END OF POST: Video of this interview now available.

Outgoing White House communications director Anita Dunn on Friday praised the "fact-checking investigative journalism" skills of Comedy Central's Jon Stewart while she pushed back against any suggestion MSNBC was at all biased.

For those that have forgotten, this is the same Administration official who a month ago said Fox "is not a news network." 

The following is a partial transcript of an interview Dunn did Friday with Bloomberg's Al Hunt (h/t Washington Times):

Comedy Central's Jon Stewart absolutely trashed Sean Hannity on Thursday's "The Daily Show."

What was Hannity's crime this time?

Well, the Fox News personality actually apologized to Stewart for a mistake that was made in a "Hannity" segment aired last week and "reported" by "The Daily Show" host on his program Tuesday.

Rather than graciously accepting Hannity's apology, Stewart attacked him with a segment that included a "young," 22-year old producer -- having aged 50 to 60 years watching "Hannity" the last five months -- asking Stewart to kill him so he wouldn't have to watch any more (video embedded below the fold with transcript):

The Situation Room on CNN’s “fact checking” of Saturday Night Live’s skit from October 3, which made fun of President Obama as a “do-nothing,” has generated criticism, according to the TVNewser blog on Wednesday. Meanwhile, CNN’s sister network, CNN International, has been airing a “global edition” of Comedy Central’s Daily Show since 2002, a program which has apparently received less scrutiny.

TVNewser’s Kevin Allocca highlighted the criticism the “fact check” report filed by CNN correspondent Kareen Wynter in an article titled “CNN’s SNL ‘Fact Check’ Generates Backlash.” Allocca cited the Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto (who labeled the “fact check” a “bizarre exercise.”), the Baltimore Sun’s David Zurawik (“Fact checking a comedy sketch -- I will say no more.”), and Fox News Channel’s Greg Gutfeld, who snarked, “Seriously, reviewing an ‘SNL’ skit for accuracy is like reviewing McDonald’s for their wine list.” The TVNewser blogger also noted the Web meme that has taken off on Twitter that was inspired by Wynter’s segment.

"ACORN appears to be a corrupt organization that aids and abets criminals and gets millions of dollars in taxpayer money."

Such was reported Tuesday evening, but not by one of the mainstream television news outlets.

That was Jon Stewart on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," who in a fabulous six-minute segment not only covered the story of ACORN representatives giving business advice to folks trying to set up a child-prostitution ring, but also lambasted the media for getting scooped so embarrassingly by "two kids from the cast of ‘High School Musical III.'"

After walking through some of the videos captured at numerous ACORN offices by James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, Stewart said (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript):

Is there a new cable battle brewing between Fox News's Bill O'Reilly and Comedy Central's Jon Stewart?

Such appeared to be the case last week when Stewart on Wednesday's "Daily Show" harshly criticized O'Reilly and FNC for suddenly coming out in support of protesters, and O'Reilly struck back on Thursday's "Factor."

Who's right?

We report, you decide (videos embedded below the fold, Stewart first followed by O'Reilly with a full transcript):

"I wasn't at the press conference last night, and I also don't have all the facts, but I think it's fair to say that Obama handled that question -- oh, what's the word I'm looking for -- stupidly?"

So quite surpisingly said Comedy Central's Jon Stewart on Thursday's "Daily Show" in reference to the President's statement at Wednesday's press conference that the police officers involved in Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates's arrest "acted stupidly."

I kid you not.

In a fabulous display of bipartisan comedy -- Stewart deliciously lambasted Republicans, Democrats, Fox News, CNN, Brian Williams, healthcare reform, and, yes, the President -- Stewart ended the segment criticizing Obama's answer to Lynn Sweet's question about what the Gates incident says about race relations in America (video embedded below the fold, relevant section at 6:12, vulgarity warning, h/t NBer balboa):

It’s a consistent line from the left: conservative talk radio is a cauldron of hate. In the Clinton years, a CBS News promo set out to warn the public about the dangers of Gordon Liddy: "The words are shocking... What he says may not be illegal, but is it dangerous? Has free speech gone too far? Hate radio under fire, and firing back."

It is an unmistakable, unquestionable, resoundingly unequivocal exercise in liberal hypocrisy. The airwaves are now filled with the meanest, most insulting, most dishonest ad hominems in history. They are coming from left-wing talk show hosts.

And from CBS & Co.? Dead silence.

Take Ed Schultz, the closest thing the liberals have to a talk-radio star. He comes unglued when he talks of Rush. On July 15, he uncorked this rant: "Apparently the drug-ridden loser Rush Limbaugh, he thinks because he’s got a lot of money and a lot of stations that he's a success in life, the guy that can't hear because he did so many drugs and had no self-discipline and character has now taken his first shot at me on ‘The Ed Show’ on MSNBC. I love it!"

The Washington Post’s Style section conducted a survey of who could fill the most-trusted void left behind by Walter Cronkite. A series of liberal-media heroes were named: Brian Williams, Bill Moyers, Jim Lehrer, Barbara Walters, Fareed Zakaria, Garrison Keillor, and Jon Stewart. But several people skipped the media stars and selected the Obamas. ABC Nightline correspondent Vicki Mabrey nominated Michelle as a Cronkite replacement: "Rosie the Riveter for our times in a designer gown. You just want to be her best friend forever."

Mabrey rarely covers politics, although she did report on Gov. Sarah Palin’s resignation on July 6, and suggested the governor’s speech was "just plain rambling." Before joining ABC in 2005, she worked for CBS for 13 years. Several media stars were nominated more than once:

Jon Stewart. "He's got no agenda. His agenda is to get to the bottom of everyone's [baloney]. " -- Seth Hurwitz, co-owner of 9:30 club.

Alex Leo at The Huffington Post was delighted that Jon Stewart mocked Fox News "crazypants coverage" of President Obama's opus in Cairo. Stewart said of the speech: "How will it play with the extremists?" and then showed a Fox News Alert logo and a set of Fox clips. 

Then Stewart just let the hate flow, mocking Fox's Gretchen Carlson with these words: "What a torture it must be for such pretty people to have to see such ugly things. That's what happens when you view the world and apparently hear the world through "s--t-colored glasses." (Complete with bleep.) Who hears with glasses?

In the snippet Comedy Central plucked out, Carlson was pointing out that it might be considered odd to pander to Middle Eastern countries where America is unpopular. Stewart thought it was obvious that you need to "woo" dictatorial Middle Eastern regimes as Obama is seeking to do.

NBC's Brian Williams "clearly has the hots" for President Barack Obama.

So said Comedy Central's Jon Stewart Thursday in a total skewering of NBC's "Inside the Obama White House" special report.

Not only did "The Daily Show" host totally lambaste Williams for using "this kind of unprecedented access" to the president to "cross-promote" other NBC programs, but also marvelously depicted the entire presentation as being like MTV's reality show "Real World."

Most deliciously, "the show's host clearly has the hots for the breakout star."   

The video of this segment is embedded below the fold with some transcribed highlights (h/t Hot Air):

Comedy Central's Jon Stewart on Thursday poked fun at the national security "debate" between President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney.

In so doing, "The Daily Show" host also mocked how the media covered this event as if it was a boxing match.

Although Stewart was certainly more critical of Cheney than Obama -- no surprise there -- readers should find this highly entertaining despite the leftward tilt (video embedded below the fold, please place your humor hats on before proceeding):

Usually when CNBC's Jim Cramer is making headlines, it's for his outrageous antics or over-the-top statements. Not this time.

Time magazine's Justin Fox interviewed Cramer asking him questions submitted by readers which was posted on Time.com May 14. Two of those questions dealt with his March 12 appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." In his answers, Cramer accused Jon Stewart of personal attacks, being "vicious," and said that ultimately he had been had."

Fox asked Cramer if this was just a case of him taking "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart's criticism of the entire CNBC network too personally.

When you're one of the left's favorite politicians, and you get skewered by one of the left's favorite comedians, you know you're in quicksand sinking fast.

Such was the case Tuesday evening when the "Daily Show"'s Jon Stewart, in a segment delicously called "Waffle House," lampooned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Cal.) ever-changing answers to what she knew about detainee interrogations and when she knew it (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript, h/t NBer mvfreeman):

On Monday night’s Daily Show, Jon Stewart warmly recalled Stephen Colbert having the "titanium balls" to mock President Bush at the White House correspondents dinner in 2006. Predictably, he also came to the defense of Wanda Sykes for going soft on Obama and wishing Rush Limbaugh dead at this year's dinner. Stewart played both of the nasty Sykes jokes, and then made fun of Bill Bennett for objecting on CNN, joking about how Bennett referred to his wife in the third person. Then Stewart bizarrely compared Sykes jokes to waterboarding:

STEWART: So sometimes comedians are so offensive that Bill Bennett and his lovely wife Elaine Bennett have to leave the room because offensive jokes are not a hallmark of good decent society. They are over the line. By the way, what is waterboarding? Is that over the line.

BENNETT: [Graphic: April 23] These were serious measures. This is not torture. These were serious measures. [Graphic: May 10] I don't care if you do call it torture.

STEWART: Bad jokes, and gay marriage are destroying this country – but torture can save it.

As NewsBusters previously reported, Comedy Central's Jon Stewart called former President Harry Truman a war criminal on Tuesday, and although the "Daily Show" host has apologized for his comments, they continue to evoke criticism and rebuttal across the country.

One such came from PJTV's Bill Whittle who created an absolutely must-see video on Friday marvelously fact-checking the actual history involving America's decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. 

In his spectacular piece, Whittle discussed how Japanese citizens were indeed warned about the coming bombings by millions of leaflets (pictured right) dropped on Japanese cities by our Office of War Information (OWI).

NewsBusters reader Robert Fraser, whose father was "slated to invade Japan after he got through with the Nazis," sent me a link to the text of this leaflet:

On Thursday, Comedy Central's Jon Stewart apologized for earlier in the week calling former President Harry Truman a war criminal.

As NewsBusters previously reported, Stewart during Tuesday's interview with Foundation for the Defense of Democracies' Clifford May said that Truman should have done an offshore warning of the atomic bomb in 1945 before dropping it on Hiroshima, and that not doing so was criminal.

Apparently, Stewart has rethought his position, and said the following on Thursday's "Daily Show" (video embedded below the fold with transcript, vulgarity warning):

Although historians have debated the issue for decades, Jon Stewart has no question about this controversial matter: former President Harry S. Truman is a war criminal for dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945.

Such was discussed on Tuesday's "The Daily Show" with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies' Clifford May in a lively exchange about interrogation procedures.

Although it was not aired on Tuesday due to the length of their extraordinary conversation, the entire interview was posted at Comedy Central's website in two parts (video part II embedded below the fold, relevant section at 5:40, h/t Hot Air):

Back in 2007, lefty comedian Jon Stewart mercilessly mocked lefty talk show host Chris Matthews over the title of his book when Matthews appeared to flog the tome on Stewart's The Daily Show. The ribbing was so unexpected and so mean spirited that Matthews later said it was a "book interview from hell."

Now Matthews is releasing the book in paperback but amazingly there is a tiny difference between this version of the book and the original. The pulper was originally titled, "Life’s a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success." But now, all of a sudden the paperback version of this thing is heading to stores as, "The Hardball Handbook: How to Win at Life."

So, what gives? Is Matthews afraid of Stewart's renewed attack on his book? Did Matthews change the book's title for fear of a comedian?

Selling a new book, actor Michael J. Fox appeared Monday on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and dismissed Rush Limbaugh as "cartoonish" for his criticism of Fox’s slashing ads for Democrats in the 2006 midterms. After host Jon Stewart suggested Limbaugh’s brain was "diseased," Fox even joked to Stewart that it’s questionable that Limbaugh has a brain. Left out of the cozy, mocking liberal chat was any notion of what Fox actually said in his commercials for Democrats.

"Cartoonish" is a good word for what Fox claimed in a mud-slinging 2006 ad against Sen. Jim Talent, who lost his race. He claimed Talent "opposes expanding stem cell research. Senator Talent even wanted to criminalize the science that gives us a chance for hope." (For more background, see the October 25, 2006 Cyber Alert.) At the time, The Weekly Standard reported one spokesman took the extravagant claim further, claiming that by criminalizing medical research, the anti-cloning legislation would mandate that a cured patient's first steps "out of a wheelchair" would be "into a jail cell."

Stewart walked Fox into a Limbaugh attack by suggesting how he was stunned that Fox’s "motives could be impugned." As if Fox wasn’t doing any impugning of Jim Talent?

This was no April Fool’s joke. In the first two minutes of The Daily Show on Wednesday night, Comedy Central host Jon Stewart made angry faces and told Rush Limbaugh to "Get the f— out of here." He was channeling his inner Olbermann. After playing audio of Limbaugh saying he was leaving due to "absurd" New York tax hikes, Stewart angrily yelled "Finally!" to the screams of his whipped-up but always obedient liberal studio audience.

He exclaimed: "For years, for years, for years, New Yorkers have done everything in our power to get this guy to leave town!" These included: "We knew he was into drugs, so we cleaned up Times Square. We even opened up a Disney Store in the very place he would normally go to buy drugs."

He joked they bused people in for Gay Pride parades to annoy Limbaugh, hired Ivy Leaguers to play Middle Eastern taxi drivers, and declared that everyone who smokes cigars is a "douchebag." Stewart even claimed "We outlawed murder, figuring he was a guy with a taste for it."