‘The Daily Show’: Stewart Rips NBC Over Olympic Editing

“The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart took aim at NBC for its decision to edit out a tribute to victims of the 2005 London subway bombings during the Olympics opening ceremonies. Instead of the moving tribute to the 52 people who were killed during the attacks, the American broadcast cut to Ryan Seacrest interviewing swimmer Michael Phelps.

That did not sit too well with Stewart.

“Are you kidding?” Stewart asked. “NBC — the network that, to commemorate 9/11, actually reruns 9/11 — you wouldn’t air a six minute tribute to the rest of the world’s terrorist victims? Because the world’s most overexposed land-based mammal had a chance to speak to the world’s most overexposed water-based mammal. Why would you do that?”

NBC Sports said that it cut the tribute out to cater to the U.S. television audience.

As Stewart quite correctly pointed out the problem with that explanation, “You’re NBC! You don’t know how to tailor television to an American audience!”

— Posted by Tracy Bloom.