Fox News vs. CNN: Round 2

The video: In Round 1 of the cable news fight over the Libyan war, Fox News accused CNN reporters of being duped into serving as "human shields" while touring Moammar Gadhafi's compound, thus thwarting British airstrikes. CNN's Nic Robertson shot back — noting that a "hypocritical" Fox sent a camera-wielding security guard on the same tour and implying that his Fox counterpart, reporter Steve Harrigan, is lazy. Now Harrigan is telling The Huffington Post that Robertson is a "dull," feckless reporter who must have a "a screw loose" to suggest that "I'm lazy, that I'm a liar, and that I'm as bad as Gadhafi." (Watch Jon Stewart referee the fight below.)

The reaction: It's "curious" that Fox News is taking jabs just as CNN is trouncing it with superior Libya coverage, says Frederick E. Allen at Forbes. But both sides should be ashamed for indulging their own "pathetic" fight instead of helping viewers understand this murky conflict. Indeed, this "war of words" is stupid, says John Cook at Gawker, but give Robertson credit for reporting the truth: Harrigan really "is as lazy as Robertson says." No, Harrigan's a "fabulous reporter," and he didn't make this personal, Robertson did, says Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin, to TVNewser. Judge for yourself:

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