While left-leaning MSNBC was still undecided on its coverage of the dueling Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert rallies in D.C., Fox News — a frequent target of Stewart and Colbert's satire — plans to cover the Oct. 30 gatherings as a "news event," a representative for the cable network told TheWrap on Wednesday.
Fox's plan is to cover the rally the same way it covered FNC host Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally in august that inspired the Comedy Central duo to organize their own.
FNC is sending a camera crew and will cover the event "as news warrants." And Comedy Central announced earlier on Wednesday that it plans to carry the festivities live on its cable channel and streamed online. (A spokesperson for CNN was checking on the network's plans.)
Live cable coverage of the dueling events good news for NPR staffers. On Wednesday, executives at the non-profit news organization sent memos to staffers warning them not to participate in either Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity” or Colbert's “March to Keep Fear Alive” in order to maintain the appearance of objectivity.
Meanwhile, organizers of a satellite rally in Los Angeles — planned like others around the country to coincide with Stewart and Colbert's main events — were denied a permit on Tuesday, and are currently looking for another venue.
When Stewart and Colbert first announced their plans on their respective shows last month, the National Park Service said the pair had, in fact, submitted applications but had yet to secure permits. (The permits were eventually granted.)
“If you're making the trip to D.C.,” a note on Comedy Central’s website reads, there are few “ground rules”: “No nudity. No throwing stuff. No fascism. All of which, Jon says, boil down to the very basic ‘when in doubt, don't be douchey.’”
“But if a busy Halloween weekend means you can't join the level-headed masses on the National Mall between 3rd Street and 7th Street, basic cable and the Internet have you covered.”
