Hear it YOURSELF — What Rick Really Said During the Interview
To read the headlines, Rick’s interview with Pete Dominick was a “meltdown” or some conspiracy theory filled diatribe. In fact, it was none of those things.
But that’s how it got reported. It’s what happens when an hour-long interview gets hacked up into soundbites. People listen to portions, sometimes selectively (and unfairly) spliced together. Things get taken out of context. One media outlet or newswire characterizes (even editorializes) an event, and then others follow that same meme. And like a bad version of the children’s game of telephone, one incorrect headline just leads to another and another and another…
It was wrong for Rick to allow the interviewer to steer this into a discussion about Jewish-Americans, allowing him to make the false argument that minorities, simply by virtue of being minorities, can’t be prejudiced. It was wrong because Rick’s broader point was lost. That point was about minorities and the obstacles they face. The point was about race. It was about socio-economic background. It was about insider versus outsider, privileged versus disadvantaged, it was about liberalism versus conservatism.
It was about Rick having experienced subtle forms of discrimination throughout his career and that despite his success, many looked down on him and viewed him as someone “who belongs in the second tier.”
That story—the story of minorities in the media, of whether a “glass ceiling” exists that keeps prime time cable news minority-free—has been largely ignored and lost. But it needs to be told.
If people truly question the point Rick was trying to make, how he said it or how Jon Stewart’s religion was injected into the interview, then do what so many journalists apparently failed to do: listen to the interview yourself. We have included a 4-minute clip as well as a longer 20-minute clip so that you can judge for yourself.
The 4-minute clip, courtesy of The Daily Beast:
The 20-minute clip, courtesy of Mediaite:
I have to say that his use of the word “bigot” is grammatically correct but factually inaccurate. Stewart prejudicial? I can’t imagine what he bases that on. Uninformed? Hardly. Does he come across as looking down on people that don’t think the way he does? Hello! The show is opinion and interviews with a heavy comedic spin. I don’t think anyone comes away thinking the show isn’t biased. It’s not journalism. Even so, he’s extremely even handed and fair with his guests. He makes a living pointedly questioning BS.
I think Pete hit it on the head when he said that Sanchez was a little bent at Stewart for some perceived slight. Not that it matters; it wasn’t that big a slam and could have been addressed with some reply from Stewart.
I do *not*, though, think it was appropriate for CNN to fire Sanchez. That’s just ridiculous. I loved his CNN segments, and I really miss them.
Look At CNN’s Ratings there are down since Rick was fired..
Although I loved Rick and miss his commentary/opinion, I have to say that these two audio’s isn’t what was said…..I have heard the original and it isn’t this diatribe that is on here!
Rick, I hope that you don’t stay away to long, I miss you and hope to hear and watch you again someday….
My favorite program that you did on Ricks List was the one where you called out Fox News for the liars that they are……I still watch that video on youtube, I think it is the greatest…..Good luck and hope to see and hear you again…..Take care
To the people who put that Audio on here, Rick wasn’t fired for calling Jon Stewart a bigot, he was fired because when he mentioned that the media was owned by the Jews, he specificlly mentioned CNN by name as being one of those stations owned by the Jews…..If it was just about Stewart, then Stewart would’ve handled it in his own way, by making more fun of him, like he always does!…..Rick did a cardinal sin, he insulted his boss! CNN is NOT Fox News, that is one thing to remember!
Oh PAHLEZZZZ! I do NOT think Mr. Sanchez deserved to be fired from CNN!