Maybe I'm being unfair, but when Ted Koppel misspeaks and tells Jon Stewart that China has "1.3 million people," I can't help but think of his 2000 comment about the debate over George W. Bush's proposed tax cuts:
KING: OK. Were you impressed with this fuzzy, top 1 percent, 1.3 trillion, 1.9 trillion bit?
KOPPEL: You know, honestly, it turns my brains to mush. I can't pretend for a minute that I'm really able to follow the argument of the debates. Parts of it, yes. Parts of it, I haven't a clue what they're talking about.
The quantitative illiteracy of the press corps is a national disgrace.
Yes, Brendan, I think in this case you probably are being unfair. Koppel misspoke. Did Stewart call him on it? If not, then Stewart mislistened.
Posted by: Ed Absurdum | June 30, 2008 at 03:41 PM
Stewart did call him on it - see the linked clip.
Posted by: Brendan Nyhan | June 30, 2008 at 10:28 PM