Editing Crossfire (American TV program) (section)

=== Jon Stewart's appearance ===
{{Main|Jon Stewart's 2004 appearance on Crossfire|l1=Jon Stewart's 2004 appearance on ''Crossfire''}}
On October 15, 2004, [[Jon Stewart]], then host of ''[[The Daily Show]]'', appeared on the program to promote his book ''[[America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction]]''. He used his appearance on the show to raise criticisms of the format of ''Crossfire'' and the style of arguments presented on the show. He said the program failed its responsibility to the public discourse and indulged in partisan hackery, reducing news coverage of important issues to a series of talking points from both extremes of the political spectrum: "It's hurting America. Here is what I wanted to tell you guys: Stop."<ref name="Mordecai_JonStewart_interview">{{citation |url=https://www.upworthy.com/jon-stewarts-best-moment-wasnt-on-the-daily-show-it-was-the-day-he-eviscerated-cnn?c=pop |title=Jon Stewart's best moment wasn't on 'The Daily Show.' It was the day he eviscerated CNN |author=Adam Mordecai |date= August 6, 2015 |access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref><ref name="CNN_2004">{{citation |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=601&v=aFQFB5YpDZE |title=Jon Stewart on Crossfire |work=CNN |date=19 October 2004 |access-date=10 August 2015}}</ref>

Carlson attempted to counter Stewart's criticisms by reading examples of softball questions Stewart had asked of then-presidential candidate [[John Kerry]] during his recent interview on ''[[The Daily Show]]'', such as "How are you holding up?" and "Is it hard not to take [the attacks] personally?" Stewart argued that unlike Carlson and Begala he was a comedian, not a journalist, and therefore it was not his role to conduct hard-hitting interviews. Begala defended the show on the basis that it was intended as a forum for debate, to which Stewart responded that calling ''Crossfire'' a debate show was "like saying [[Professional wrestling|pro wrestling]] is a show about athletic competition."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQFB5YpDZE#t=12m20s |title=Jon Stewart on Crossfire |publisher=YouTube |date=2006-01-16 |access-date=2009-08-05}}</ref> During the exchange, Carlson told Stewart, "I do think you're more fun on your show. Just my opinion," to which Stewart replied, "You know what's interesting, though? You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/15/cf.01.html |title=CNN.com – Transcripts |publisher=Transcripts.cnn.com |access-date=2014-01-29}}</ref>

Following his appearance, transcripts and live stream footage were released on the [[Internet]] and widely watched and discussed. At a time when the average number of viewers of the show was about 615,000, the episode drew 867,000 viewers.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hines |first=Matt |url=http://news.cnet.com/Jon+Stewart+Crossfire+feud+ignites+Net+frenzy/2100-1026_3-5417676.html |title=Jon Stewart 'Crossfire' feud ignites Net frenzy |publisher=CNET News |access-date=2009-08-05}}</ref> Stewart later stated "It really was not my intent to be disruptive. I truly thought we'd have a goof about how terrible the program is at the top, and move on, but . . . the combination of their obstinance and my low blood sugar led to ''no bueno''."<ref>{{cite web|title=I am Jon Stewart, tiny host man. AMA!|url=http://nr.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2maof9/i_am_jon_stewart_tiny_host_man_ama/cm2fj0p|website=Reddit.com|date=14 November 2014 |access-date=12 February 2015}}</ref>