Under threat of a lawsuit, the liberal Daily Show altered a highly controversial ambush segment revolving around the Washington Redskins team name. A severely edited version of the story aired Thursday night, but still contained more overt editorializing and less comedy. Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones berated team owner Dan Snyder: "He who stands on the wrong side of history, change the f***ing name!" [MP3 audio here.]
The controversy first erupted when the Washington Post exposed how the Jon Stewart-hosted program highlighted the complaints of fans who were deceptively dragged into a verbal batter with Native American activists. Stewart began the segment by backpedaling, "We learned later some individuals who participated in the piece, they didn't enjoy the experience."
He insisted, "We work very hard to find real people who have real beliefs and want to express those beliefs on television and we work hard to make sure that the gist of those beliefs are represented accurately, albeit sometimes comedically, on our program."
They try and "accurately" express the "gist" of what people say? Is that something to be proud of, even for a comedy show?
Stewart insisted:
JON STEWART: If we find out that someone in a piece was intentionally misled or if their comments were intentionally misrepresented, we do not air that piece. We would not air that piece. So that being said, I hope you enjoy the following piece.
Rather than actually show the Native American activists sparring with the fans, the Daily Show replaced the exchange with a voiceover:
JONES: But it turns out these fans weren't comfortable having that conversation. In fact, afterward they related to the Washington Post that they felt ambushed, endangered and defamed. And yes, the conversation was heated at times, but there was also handshakes and even the ceremonial handkerchief.
In a follow-up report, the Washington Post related:
The attorney, Virginia state Sen. J. Chapman “Chap” Petersen, asserted in the letter to Matt Polidoro, one of the program’s producers, that the fans were persuaded to go on the show based on “intentionally false” statements. The fans were recruited after being assured that there would be no face-to-face confrontation with Native American opponents of the Redskins’ name, said Peterson, a Democrat who represents Fairfax County.
But during the Sept. 13 taping at a Dupont Circle hotel, “Daily Show” producers surprised the fans by bringing in a group of Native American activists for a showdown over the name. The move led to a heated confrontation, leaving one fan so distraught that she called police two days later alleging that she had been subjected to a hostile environment.
Segments like this one should be a warning to any conservative or non-liberal who considers going on the Daily Show. Beware a program that's more interested in advocating then in making people laugh.
A partial transcript of the segment is below:
Daily Show
9/25/14
11:10
JON STEWART: So, we recently we sent our intrepid reporter Jason Jones out to the field to explore the phenomenon of a certain Washington D.C. football team's controversial name. We learned later some individuals who participated in the piece, they didn't enjoy the experience. It's' something that happens a lot less than you would think. But we take the complaint seriously. We generally don't want people who participate in the show to have a bad experience. We work very hard to find real people who have real beliefs and want to express those beliefs on television and we work hard to make sure that the gist of those beliefs are represented accurately, albeit sometimes comedically, on our program. If we find out that someone in a piece was intentionally misled or if their comments were intentionally misrepresented, we do not air that piece. We would not air that piece. So that being said, I hope you enjoy the following piece.
...
JASON JONES: Football is back and once again, the Redskins are getting their ass kicked. But this time instead of Cowboys and Patriots, it's by liberal activists.
...
JONES: And a little later, we did just that. But it turns out these fans weren't comfortable having that conversation. In fact, afterward they related to the Washington Post that they felt ambushed, endangered and defamed. And yes, the conversation was heated at times, but there was also handshakes and even the ceremonial handkerchief.
...
JONES: He who stands on the wrong side of history, change the [bleeped] name.
