CNN: Looney Tunes

CNN's "Reliable Sources" and Wash Post media maven Howard Kurtz on the Bill O'Reilly/Jon Stewart imbroglio over the town hall protest "loons."

Wash Post's Anne Kornblut: "I'm glad he has a new target besides Olberman... I think all of us here are careful about how we describe the protestors in giving them creedence.

Howard:  "Hasn't Fox in fact flipped, some Fox hosts I should say, from slamming liberal protestors to defending these anti-Obama protestors, some of whom are very articulate and some of whom seem a little confused about the facts."

Newspaper columnist Clarence Page: "To be fair, Howard, to be fair that we are talking about the line being blurred between news and entertainment more than any of us could have imagined, except maybe in the world of Paddy Chayefsky's 'Network' back in 1975, you look at that now and you see that kind of circus unfold on cable TV now... It's okay to slant your anchor coverage if you will, to slant your shows on cable TV now... how much of our audience out there understands the distinction?  We're in this business and we can make that distinction."

Howard:  "MSNBC, some hosts, seem more inclined to go after these town hall protestors than they were to go after the anti-Bush demonstrators."