John Stewart of the Daily Show was a guest on CNN's Crossfire "debate" program this week. He took the opportunity to argue that Crossfire is not actually good media or debate, but part of the political "spin machine" and largely playing into the hands of political strategists. I abandoned television news a few years ago in favor of printed news and NPR because of its insincerity and lack of real examination of topics it presents. He alludes to his dissatisfaction with the show's (and many like it) presentation as a true discourse, when it's actually closer to slapstick theater. And that such entertainment's popularity as "news" illustrates that very few people actually understand the difference between an argument and just arguing.
You can read a transcript of the show, or if you are a BitTorrent user, you can download the video and watch it. His presentation and well-timed humor are priceless, and his courage is inspiring.