Jon Stewart archly demands that Fox News apologize for its 'stand down, don't shoot' Benghazi lies

Jon Stewart demands an apology from Fox News — (Image credit: The Daily Show)

Jon Stewart conceded at the beginning of Thursday night's Daily Show that the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, were fueled by an inaccurate report that teen Michael Brown had his hands up when he was shot dead, a point noted in a recent Justice Department report — and brought up repeatedly on Fox News, where anchors and pundits demanded an apology from anyone who used the phrase "hands up, don't shoot."

Fox ignored entirely the second DOJ report, outlining years of punitive racism in Ferguson, Stewart said, but "the lesson Fox News is getting at is very clear: Wouldn't it be nice if people who jumped to conclusions and peddled a false, divisive, anger-stoking narrative had to apologize for misleading America?"

Which brought Stewart to Fox News' long fixation with Benghazi. After two years of demanding answers about what happened and insinuating that the Obama administration had covered-up grievous errors (or worse) that led to the death of four Americans, including purposefully not sending in waiting troops — "stand down, don't shoot," Stewart helpfully paraphrased," the GOP-led House intelligence committee provided answers, and shot down all Fox News' Benghazi talking points.

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"The beauty that is the ugliness of Fox News," Stewart concluded, is that "they demand accountability for anger and divisiveness whilst holding themselves entirely unaccountable for their anger and divisiveness." After eloquently finishing his case about why "hands up, don't shoot" is still more justifiable than Fox's "two-year Benghazi-rage-gasm," Stewart literally drops a mic. Watch. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.