Uygur took particular exception to the assertion embedded in Burnett’s question to Sen. Whitehouse, “Would you let corporations not pay taxes on the dividends, then? And I ask because it’s important. It’s not just wealthy people that get dividends. It’s retired Americans who get a lot of their income from dividends and capital gains, who also will be hurt by capital gains rates going up as they do under the president’s plan.”

Cenk points out that for people making $100,000 a year or less, capital gains make up only 1.4% of their income, and 54% of capital gains income is made by households that make a million or more a year. His point is that 1.4% hardly qualifies as “a lot of their income,” and while Burnett didn’t say which retired Americans she was talking about, the implication was that ordinary retirees would be hit hard by a capital gains tax hike.

Those numbers are probably even starker today, since Cenk’s figures are taken from 2003 IRS figures, before the financial crisis wiped out so may ordinary Americans’ retirements. Here’s a chart showing the percentage of capital gains income for different income levels:

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This isn’t the first time that Burnett has been the object of her time slot competitor’s ire, but Cenk’s criticism of Burnett far predates their alignment on the cable news schedule. Burnett first hit my radar in 2007 when The Young Turks featured a clip of her jaw-dropping comments about poisonous toys from China. Late last year, Uygur also ripped Burnett for her coverage of Occupy Wall Street.

As a parent, the China comments really stuck with me, but after I saw the Occupy segment in October, I wondered if I was giving Erin Burnett a fair shake. I watched OutFront for a few days, and for the most part, it was a straight broadcast with an appealing host, and in that time, Burnett did some good reporting on things like the intense backlash against Bank Of America’s new ATM fee.

More recently, Burnett did a tough, informative segment about Mitt Romney’s tax windfall from carried interest, which belies the notion that she’s a right-wing shill. That impression probably arises, though, from the fact that there’s an awful lot of overlap between Republican talking points and business talking points. Business reporting, like sports, has evolved into an insular beat, wherein the concerns of the world outside that microcosm are ignored, or marginalized. If a company records a huge profit, that’s “good news,” even if they did it by laying people off or breaking a union.

Here’s the clip, from Current TV:

January 23 is also the birthday of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, who, it should be noted, only won that one morning, and perhaps most fittingly, late Battleship Potemkin director Sergei Eisenstein. Most DC media types will tell you that they’ve never met a Politico reporter who wouldn’t push a baby down the stairs to get a story.

The nearly six minute video includes roastimonials from the likes of David Gregory, Bob Schieffer, Donald Trump,  Katie Couric, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist, Diane Sawyer, Tom Brokaw, Candy Crowley, Luke Russert, Greta Van Susteren, Chris Matthews, Jonathan Karl, Andrea Mitchell, Steve Scully, Jamal Simmons, Norah O’Donnell, Erin Burnett, Alex Wagner, Dan Rather, Al Sharpton, Mark Halperin, Dylan Ratigan and Arianna Huffington. FishbowlDC‘s Betsy Rothstein collects some of the funnier quotes:

Politico is “truly a news organization that acts its age: a petulant five-year-old concerned with only trivial matters,” host of “MTP” David Gregory says with a smile.

With a few repeats and some intensive listening, Arianna Huffington can be understood as saying, “Just as I was sitting down to write this, I saw that Mike Allen had already broken what I was going to say.”

MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” host Willie Geist remarks, “I’ve gotta recuse myself because I don’t care for Politico, inside the Beltway gossipy garbage. And CBS “Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer cracks, “The next thing you know, you’ll be getting your driver’s license.”

I don’t know that I can top any of them, but I will add this: Why did the Politico reporter cross the road? I don’t know, but give it 5 minutes, and FishbowlDC will have a plog post about it. Probably without a photo.

Even though we don’t go for this kind of self-promotion, the video is fun, and Politico has earned every second of it. Happy Birthday, Politico.

“I’m a big believer that we should be dealing with the issues of privacy, and we should deal with them in a serious way,” Wales said, “but this bill is not the right bill.”

Burnett asked if something like the site “Pirate Bay,” which houses popular TV shows and makes them available to users, was something Wales supports.

“For me, I think that site is a problem,” Wales replied. He cautioned, however, that the way to fix the problem wasn’t to force Google to stop listing it, or Wikipedia to stop talking about it. “The right answer is follow the money. If you’ve got large-scale piracy going on, it’s the same as any other trade dispute.”

And on Rupert Murdoch’s Tweet that “Obama has thrown in his lot with Silicon Valley paymasters who threaten all software creators with piracy”?

“It’s such a ludicrous statement,” Wales said. “We’re a charity devoted to sharing free knowledge.”

Watch a clip of the interview below, courtesy of CNN:

During an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday’s OutFront, Santorum revealed that anyone donating $100 or more to his campaign will get an official sweater vest in return.

“Hundred dollars? My gosh!” Burnett remarked.

“Well, it’s…a part, you know, campaign donation, and part being with the vest!” Santorum replied. He then added:

“One of my supporters said this is my second amendment vest… the right to bare arms.”

After noting that everyone at CNN was rolling their eyes at the comment, Burnett said that she heard sales at Jos. A. Bank were up, thanks in part to the surging popularity of the sweater vest. Santorum added that his team was in the process of finding vests that were made in America, then embroidering them and sending them to those who donate.

“Alright,” Burnett said. Then asked one more time, “A hundred bucks?”

“Well come on!” Santorum laughed. “Help me out a little bit! You want to participate in it, you’ve got to help us.”

For those interested in getting their hands on this soon-to-be-legendary piece of American history, there is a page on Santorum’s website where you can donate and finagle yourself your very own official “Rick Santorum For President” sweater vest. “Perfect,” the site reads, “for demonstrating solidarity with true conservatives.”

Watch the clip below, courtesy of CNN:

RELATED: Stephen Colbert Mocks Erin Burnett’s ‘Flicking’ Abilities

Recapping the Colbert segment, Burnett played it and turned to the end, where he showed an image of her and asked “CNN, is this your graphic?” Apparently, Burnett explained, it’s not: it’s a CNBC photo from 2005. She understood why he would make that mistake, she explained: “you were excited about your new toy, forgot you were a pretend journalist for a segment.” But Burnett wasn’t looking for a struggle against Colbert, as she defined the “truthiness” to be, and used a Michael Jackson song to make her point: “I want to flick with you.” So it wasn’t so much a confrontational challenge as an invitation to hang out and learn about each other’s flicking abilities (though not so much the part that involves flushing Burnett down a virtual toilet connected to the Colbert Report logo).

The segment via CNN below:

RELATED: Watch The Entire CNN Team Lose It At 1:30 AM Waiting For Iowa Results

Colbert unveiled the Flictronic-Tron 5600 to siren blares and cheers. “Welcome to the Flictronic-tron 5600! Where the news will not stay in one place. Okay. Now, let’s bring up Erin Burnett’s lovely photo and flick!”

Watch Colbert mock CNN’s “flicking” technology below via Comedy Central

RELATED: Mitt Romney Tells Today ‘I’m Not Predicting A Win’ In Iowa

As Erin Burnett tried to explain a pie chart showing the way voters had veered related to what they considered the most important issue, using her new Magic Wall move, “the flick.” The “flick” somehow did not get the pie chart onto the second screen as attempted until the third try, by which Burnett and Gloria Borger were cracking up.

Anderson Cooper seemed to sense that all was lost and asked, “have we all just given up?” to which Ali Velshi responded “it is evident from the social media screen that people are going to sleep.” For no apparent reason, this made Cooper explode in laughter. “Again with the social media screen? This is the third hit and I still don’t understand what the hell this thing shows!” Velshi then tried to explain– but not before telling Roland Martin to stop laughing. It didn’t really seem to stop him– or anyone else on the set– from laughing.

The delightful late-night segment via CNN below:

Callan explained that Edwards’ legal team is essentially asking for more time to review numerous documents in preparation for the trial, adding that “oh, by the way,” their client is suffering from some sort of ailment.

RELATED: Just Released: John Edwards’ Mugshot

When Burnett asked if the type of illness would make any difference, Callan quipped, “Well, I’m betting he’s not getting a vasectomy. However, if he had done so, perhaps he wouldn’t be facing these charges.”

Put your sunscreen away, children, because all we’re serving is shade.

Have a look, courtesy of CNN:

But MSNBC’s release, sent out this week, had a little bullet point that seemed out-of-step with the rest of the information (“A25-54″ is the estimated number of viewers in the demo; “P2+” is the estimated number of total viewers, all numbers courtesy of Nielsen):

“Hardball with Chris Matthews” at 7 p.m. ranked #2 with A25-54 (188,000 vs. CNN’s 173,000) and P2+ (734,000 vs. CNN’s 537,000). This is “Hardball’s” best A25-54 delivery since 2009. CNN’s “Erin Burnett Outfront” is performing 23% below what “John King USA” did in the hour with Adults 25-54.”

The Erin Burnett mention pits her show against another on her own network, as opposed to solely contrasting it against MSNBC’s Hardball. Furthermore, the numbers MSNBC used for comparison are not the same as the ones CNN used.

MSNBC looked at John King‘s numbers at 7 p.m. from the start of the year to Sept. 30, 2011. It then compared them to Burnett’s numbers from Oct. 3, 2011 (OutFront‘s debut), until Dec. 15, 2011.

In CNN’s release, they compare Burnett’s numbers from Oct. 3, 2011, to Dec. 15, 2011, with John King’s numbers in the same time period last year. Their data finds Burnett to be up 9% in total viewers and 1% in the demo.

In other words, MSNBC measured Burnett directly against her predecessor in the same year, while CNN measured her against the same predecessor in the same time period a year before. And, after comparing the two, it ends up with CNN holding the advantage in methodology. There were plenty of huge events taking place in the first nine months of the year that drew viewers to all the cable news networks (the Arab Spring, bin Laden’s assassination, among others), and there’s no way of knowing what Burnett’s numbers would have been had she been the anchor, instead of King, for those events. More likely than not, OutFront would have gotten a boost, possibly up to King’s levels, from viewers tuning in to (as cliched as it sounds) watch history unfold.

Even holding her 2011 ratings against the 2010 numbers are somewhat unfair, as the Chilean miner drama was unfolding in October 2010, and resulted in ratings boosts across the board. But using that time frame is really the best — and only — window to measure against. So to grow 9% in total viewers, and even 1% in the demo, is an impressive feat.

In baseball (just stay with me for a moment), there are groups of numbers known as “splits.” They are, basically, statistics split into different categories. A hitter’s splits, for example, could include his batting average in the month of September. They can be represented in almost any category: home runs in day games, runs scored on turf in April, ERA in June on the road. The specificity of the splits can sometimes be maddening, but they can be used both to make a player look good or bad. And this, I think, is where MSNBC got tripped up.

MSNBC is looking at one set of Burnett’s splits, while CNN is looking at another. What wins out, however, is the relevance of the splits one looks at, as well as what lies beneath the numbers. While MSNBC could be looking at something like Burnett’s “ERA” and King’s “ERA” in different months of the same season, they’re brushing off the fact that she (figuratively) had a sore elbow for one game and was facing the Yankees twice, while he faced the Mets and Dodgers without DHs in their lineups. King would, obviously, have better numbers in that scenario. Not to take away from King’s ratings, but Burnett didn’t have the luxury of an Arab Spring to report on. She had a handful of debates and Halloween.

CNN, on the other hand, is looking at a more appropriate predictive statistical measure, like Burnett and King’s WHIPs against the same team (say, the Orioles).

In short, MSNBC may be ignoring some extenuating circumstances in stating that Burnett is down 23% against King. It is the truth, of course, and they aren’t making numbers up, but their methodology may be hiding some significant elements buried beneath the numbers. CNN’s comparison — looking at the same time periods in essentially (or as close as possible to) the same circumstances — results in a more accurate measure of Burnett’s ratings compared to King’s.

Both networks, however, are ignoring another baseball statistical term: small sample size. No matter how good or bad Burnett looks right now, she’s been on CNN’s air for under 90 days. Any good statistician knows that she needs at least a few more months in the majors before we can make any kind of real judgment.

Cheney told Burnett that it was his understanding that President Obama had three choices when he learned about the downed drone — sending in people to recover it, destroying it with an airstrike, or asking for them to return it. While Cheney believed the first option would have been very difficult, he told Burnett that the second would have been a much better option than what the President eventually did, which was, in his estimation, “ask nicely” for the drone to be returned.

Later in the interview, Cheney noted that he hadn’t endorsed a GOP candidate, preferring to stay out of the fray and sell his book instead. But when Burnett asked about Newt Gingrich (a man Cheney considers “an old friend”) possibly seeing a drop in the polls, Cheney said that Americans should give him the benefit of the doubt:

“We came to Congress together at the same time in [1978]. When Newt showed up, he said we can become the majority, we can take back the House of Representatives. We hadn’t had the House since the 1940s. Initially, none of us believed him. But he was persistent and he was tenacious — he kept it up and kept it up and kept it up — and finally, by ’94, he’s the newly-elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, with a Republican majority. So I wouldn’t underestimate him.”

Watch the interview with Cheney below, courtesy of CNN:

King did praise Gingrich as “tremendously inspirational,” adding that he’s got admirable skill as a revolutionary. But that was all the good King had to share with Erin Burnett, as he piled on more scorn for the GOP front-runner:

“The country and the Congress would be going through one crisis after another, and these would be self inflicted crises. You know there is enough crises in the world, without inflicting crisis on ourselves. Or again, I keep saying ‘putting himself at the center’. The reason the Republicans lost the government shut down debate with President Clinton in 1995, is because Newt gave the impression it was all about being made to get off of Air Force One. I meant, that’s how he puts himself at the center of everything.”

RELATED: Morning Joe Looks To The Past To Gauge Newt Gingrich’s Eventual Collapse

Enjoy video of King’s gleeful Newt-bashing below, courtesy of CNN:

On the logistics of getting to UAE: We did the show on Friday out of New York, then went straight to the airport and flew out. We got here Saturday night, met with some sources, then we spent Sunday shooting, and we spent all day today shooting and working and writing the show all night. And then we’ll do the show. We’ve had about five hours of sleep in three days.

On reaction to her Occupy Wall Street “Seriously” segment, and if she regrets it: I reported what I saw. I stand behind everything we do. What I found out is people get really riled up about all kinds of things we’ve done — there’s that one, but there are other things, too. The way I see it is that’s a sign that — for lack of a better word — proof, that we picked the right name for the show That’s what being out front is about.

On getting tired from the travel, or if it energizes her: Its like a high. I love being in the field, I can’t tell you how much I love it. I live for it. Kind of right before you go, you get excited, but you also dread it. Because you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I’m not going to sleep, I don’t think I can do it.’ That’s the way it always goes, because you don’t have much time. You want to monetize every second of it. When you get back you don’t want to say, ‘Oh, I could have done that or could have grabbed that or met with this person.’ So you just get there and you go and it’s pretty much on adrenaline.

On whether or not she has any free time to do sightseeing or buy souvenirs: I’ll buy some camels in the Dubai duty-free. I always buy camels in the Dubai duty-free. Because like a good restaurant, they change their camel selection every few months. You should see the golf shirts they have. There’s all kinds of things.

On the size of this camel collection: More than any human being needs. It’s pretty big, and you want to know what the terrifying thing is? It’s growing exponentially, because people know that I like them, so I get gifted them as well.

On what her Nativity scene must look like with people constantly buying her camels: You know what’s funny? People always go and buy me the camels out of the nativity scenes. They let you buy them out of the nativity scene. My Executive Producer gave me a camel this summer and he goes, ‘Yeah, you know, I went and bought it out of a nativity scene.’ So I have a lot of nativity camels.

On how the pre-taped interviews with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum went for the show: You think sometimes you come to countries where they’re not democracies and they’re going to be different. We talked about democracy and what democracy means, and we talked about free press and we talked about Israel. We talked about all those things. It was a fascinating conversation and it was the result of a lot of investment of my time over the past few years to get to know the place.

NEXT>>>> Burnett on the differences between CNBC and CNN. Plus, what she’ll be drinking on the flight back to New York…

RELATED: Watch Herman Cain Flounder With Libya Question During Editorial Board Interview

Burnett was discussing the matter with campaign veteran James Carville, and noted that she did not think Cain knew as much about Libya as he seemed to give away in the clip (nothing), but merely that the campaign “is taking a real toll on him.” While Carville agreed that campaigns are “utterly exhausting, you have no idea what it’s like,” he couldn’t help but note that it was a “painful” moment that “made Rick Perry look like Henry Kissinger.”

RELATED: At GOP Debate, Rick Perry Can’t Remember Third Agency He Would End As President

Burnett made the point, however, that “this was different from the Perry thing” in that Cain’s “mind was just not there.” Carville seemed to disagree, adding that he did “feel sorry for him,” but that he hadn’t seen Cain prove that he knew anything about Libya in any other venue. “He’s demonstrated no depth in this particular area at all,” he argued, concluding that Cain “had no business getting into the race for President, has no business running for President,” as it was “an endeavor not suited to his skill set.”

The segment via CNN below:

Vinnie Politan, host of HLN’s Prime News, rebounded nicely from a Tuesday night low of 45,000 viewers in the 25-54 year-old demo to capture his second straight second-place finish in the 6 p.m. time slot, besting Al Sharpton and John King with 208,000 demo viewers on Friday night (he pulled an impressive 204,000 on Thursday). In fact, Politan’s demo numbers were behind just Rachel Maddow‘s for the highest among non-FOX News shows. He had better numbers than any show on HLN and CNN, and even took down the mighty MSNBC late-night specials among the 25-54 year olds.

Other fun from Friday:

The rest of your Friday night ratings:

TV NEWS RATINGS: 25-54 DEMOGRAPHIC (L +SD)
5 pm	The5  363	Blitzer  105	Matthews  130	Special  201
6 pm	Baier  442	King, USA  99	Sharpton  127	Prime  208
7 pm	Shep  436	Burnett  158	Matthews  155	Issues  171
8 pm	O’Reilly  526	Cooper  192	Schultz  190	Grace  140
9 pm	Hannity  436	Piers  127	Maddow  251	Dr. Drew  113
10 pm	Van Susteren  361	Cooper  161	MSNBC Investigates  139	Behar  124
11 pm	O’Reilly  357	Burnett  150	MSNBC Investigates  147	Showbiz  86
TOTAL DAY	316	124	131	116
PRIME TIME	441	160	193	126
Data by Nielsen Media Research. Live and same day (DVR) data.

TV NEWS RATINGS: TOTAL VIEWERS (L +SD)
5 pm	The5  1,589	Blitzer  539	Matthews  675	Special  130
6 pm	Baier  2,063	King, USA  458	Sharpton  629	Prime 633
7 pm	Shep  1,850	Burnett  592	Matthews  663	Issues  555
8 pm	O’Reilly  2,911	Cooper  637	Schultz  832	Grace  479
9 pm	Hannity  1,926	Piers  612	Maddow  1,046	DrDrew  447
10 pm	Greta  1,526	Cooper  501	MSNBC Investigates 314	Behar  394
11 pm	O’Reilly  1,022	Burnett  389	MSNBC Investigates  307	Showbiz  294
TOTAL DAY	1,251	433	433	345
PRIME TIME	2,127	583	731	437
Data by Nielsen Media Research. Live and same day (DVR) data

The occasion for Elmo’s visit? The puppet– and his alter ego, puppeteer Kevin Clash– are hitting the media circuit to promote the new documentary Being Elmo: A Puppet’s Journey. After getting to talk to Clash about his experiences bringing to life one of America’s most beloved children’s characters, Burnett got a shot to talk to Elmo himself, who was eager to answer her questions on the issues concerning voters today.

RELATED: Great Moments In Journalism: Elmo Assaulted In Shopping Mall Parking Lot

The current discord in Washington that has led to so much discontent in the nation, Elmo argued, was fairly easy to solve. “Play dates!” he told Burnett, elaborating that “everybody brings their own food, [they] share, sing songs.” While this journalist isn’t entirely sure how the food situation would play out– 535 stomachs allow for a great variety of preferences– there are more than a few members of Congress who we can expect to be fully on board with the singing (Sen. Orrin Hatch particularly comes to mind).

The segment via CNN below:

A day after having a Republican debate thrown into the mix, normalcy returned, somewhat, to the cable news ratings, with CNN falling back on its pre-debate numbers and FOX regaining a stranglehold on the top spot. There was, however, some notable movement buried in the ratings.

For instance:

Here are the complete cable news ratings for Wednesday night:

TV NEWS RATINGS: 25-54 DEMOGRAPHIC (L +SD)
5 pm	The5  369	Blitzer  131	Matthews  196	Special  89
6 pm	Baier  375	King, USA  148	Sharpton  143	Prime  122
7 pm	Shep  510	Burnett  189	Matthews  179	Issues  126
8 pm	O’Reilly  708	Cooper 170	O’Donnell  169	Grace  158
9 pm	Hannity  511	Piers 217	Maddow  248	DrDrew  119
10 pm	Van Susteren  351	Cooper  219	Schultz  174	Behar  141
11 pm	O’Reilly  436	Burnett 186	O’Donnell  120	Showbiz  67
TOTAL DAY	328	144	133	99
PRIME TIME	524	202	197	136
Data by Nielsen Media Research. Live and same day (DVR) data.

TV NEWS RATINGS: TOTAL VIEWERS (L +SD)
5 pm	The5  1,741	Blitzer  645	Matthews  864	Special  426
6 pm	Baier  2,040	King, USA  509	Sharpton  699	Prime  442
7 pm	Shep  1,970	Burnett  535	Matthews  864	Issues  439
8 pm	O’Reilly  3,100	Cooper 486	O’Donnell  847	Grace  617
9 pm	Hannity  2,142	Piers 693	Maddow  897	DrDrew  515
10 pm	Greta  1,825	Cooper  623	Ed Show  813	Behar  434
11 pm	O’Reilly  1,374	Burnett394	O’Donnell  458	Showbiz  299
TOTAL DAY	1,303	463	492	337
PRIME TIME	2,363	601	853	507
Data by Nielsen Media Research. Live and same day (DVR) data

“We’re seeing the American system in full swing,” Burnett exclaimed, being inundated by the overwhelmingly loud cacophony of the demonstrators.

Wolf Blitzer could barely contain himself and amusedly chimed in, “Occupy Las Vegas, that’s what they’re doing! Protesting, which is their right.”

“It’s nice to see all the different things that they’re talking about here,” Burnett sarcastically riffed as her show’s commentary became barely audible amongst the discord from the rabble.

Update: A tipster tells us that, given the situation of the live shot and location of the demonstration, the protesters had no idea who was on air as they were chanting.

Watch the protestors shout down Burnett below, via CNN:

(h/t Weigel)

RELATED: Herman Cain’s Campaign Only Has ‘Several Hundred Thousand Dollars” At His Disposal

Cain and Burnett also tackled the issues like affirmative action and how to deal with black Americans, specifically, who live in economically depressed areas (i.e. “empowerment zones”), as well as changes in foreign policy. The Cain Doctrine, as he explains it, is “Peace through Strength and Clarity,” and it would have big implications for Israel and Iran. As for China, Cain believes it is something “between a friend and a foe” for the United States, and that we would do well to “outgrow China:”

Now, the issue that’s been really captivating America where Herman Cain is concerned: Herman Cain has a mustache. And that mustache has gained him the endorsement of the American Mustache Institute, which has also placed him in the running for the Robert Goulet Memorial Award. And he could not possibly be more pleased or slightly confused by it:

The two circled back to Burnett’s interview with Cain, during which he shared that he only has “several hundred thousand dollars” at his disposal:

RELATED: President Obama Raises More Than $70 Million In Third Quarter

And we are going to have, we will report at the end of the quarter several hundred thousand dollars in cash on hand.

He added that things have “really picked up lately.” Keep in mind that his competitors, including Romney and Obama, have gathered several millions of dollars. Although, as Avalon, pointed out, while money is important, it ultimately does not decide who becomes president.

Check it out, via CNN:

Young Turks

Uygur tore into Burnett over her Occupy Wall Street segment, in which she uses her finely-honed financial acumen to completely pwn some unemployed loser by pointing out that “taxpayers actually made money on the wall street bailout.”

Cenk points out that Burnett is not only missing the point of the Occupy Wall Street protest (there’s nothing in here about a failure to pay back almost-free loans), but that her facts are, at best, incomplete, and her dismissive attitude is symptomatic of an incestuous business reporting culture:

The fact is, as Uygur points out, taxpayers actually didn’t “make money on the Wall Street bailout,” because the government overpaid these banks by $30 billion for garbage AIG securities in the “Backdoor Bailout” he describes. Well, at least the banks paid back the taxpayers for the TARP bailouts…by borrowing money from the taxpayers.

In the meantime, as the Declaration of Occupation points out, they used our money to make billions, pay themselves huge bonuses, and continue to influence elections and policy, and heap extra fees on those same taxpayers. A cynical person might call that some kind of warfare. In fairness to Burnett, though, she has come a long way from urging consumers to be careful about wishing for non-poisonous toys, and from what I’m told, has done some tough interviews with Tim Geithner, Leon Panetta, and Jon Huntsman this week.

I asked Cenk what he thought of how the Occupy Wall Street protests are being covered by the rest of the media. He called Fox News’ coverage “ comically bad,” and “the usual propaganda nonsense they spew forth on a regular basis.”

“No one leaps to the defense of the big banks like Fox News,” Cenk told me, adding, “The really funny part is when they pretend to be populist, when in reality they are the biggest elitist protector of the rich and powerful. That whole network is one giant joke.”

Fox News has even come under fire for coverage that it didn’t air, such as this interview with a protester that didn’t make it onto On The Record (along with over an hour of other footage that didn’t make the two minute segment). “Fox News covered up reasonable points that didn’t suit the interests of the Republican Party and the super rich?” Cenk said. “Shocking! Shocking!”

As for the rest of the media, the protests are starting to catch on. Cenk had praise for some more progressive-leaning journalists. “I think it’s getting more coverage now, so that’s positive. I think Keith Olbermann has led that effort and has done a fantastic job of covering the protests. Dylan Ratigan went down there a couple of times and he went early on, that’s positive.” (MSNBC’s Ed Schultz also did an entire live show from the protests earlier this week.)

Many mainstream newsers, according to Uygur, just aren’t getting it, though. “For a great majority of the time, the media coverage was abhorrent,” he says. “The disdain drips off the lips of the millionaire news anchors. Why won’t the protesters just east cake?!”

Uygur, like several leading progressive figures, has a unique perspective, because he used to be a conservative. However, he doesn’t see OWS through that lens. “This is not a liberal or conservative issue,” he says. “All of the American people have been ripped off by Wall Street and the politicians they have bought. Conservatives should be the most mad at the government interfering with the free market to give the big banks enormous, artificial advantages. I thought the Tea Party was against the bailouts. Where are their protests on Wall Street? Curious how they haven’t had any, right?”

I asked Cenk why he thought this movement was being covered so dismissively, while the Tea Party has been consistently legitimized by the media. “So far, unfortunately, the Tea party has not been a real threat to the establishment,” he replied. “They are in a contest with mainstream Republicans as to who can cut the taxes of the very rich even more. Wow, the establishment must be shaking in their boots.”

“Occupy Wall Street is a real threat. These are people who are not going to easily get misdirected into helping the banks. They’re here to assert the voice of the majority of the people and there is nothing a corrupt establishment hates more than that.”

RELATED: Piers Morgan Wishes Erin Burnett ‘Total, Abject Failure’ After Celebrity Apprentice

In a segment entitled Seriously?!, Burnett traveled to downtown Manhattan and found that the protests weren’t “just a bunch of dancing hippies protesting,” but definitely a “mixed bag,” and found that much of the rage towards Wall Street erupted from the belief that TARP had hurt the American economy significantly and that the middle class had too much of a tax burden. The most interesting part of the segment was a chat Burnett had with an unemployed software developer named Dan, who made precisely the point that he found the bailouts in the face of so many struggling Americans insulting. To his concerns, Burnett asked whether he knew that taxpayers made money on the Wall Street bailout (excepting the case of GM). Needless to say, he did not, and offered to reconsider his stance with a bit of research.

RELATED: Erin Burnett Debuts On CNN, Immediately Breaks News, Sends Twitter Aflutter

The show is certainly personality-driven, but unlike much of cable news primetime, not opinionated, instead centered on Burnett’s reporting and excelling at points when she is allowed to interact fully with the story– talking to the headliners on the floor. While her reporting and interviews on home turf will make up a bulk of the programming, expect the highlights of the show to come from unscripted moments outside the safety of the studio.

The segment via CNN below:

Burnett, you see, had tried to get Morgan fired from the reality show competition by telling host Donald Trump that he was, as Morgan joked, a “repulsive human being.” “You and Jim Cramer. Stuck the knife straight in my back,” he continued. “So I’ve just come to wish you total, abject failure.”

RELATED: Wolf Blitzer Welcomes Erin Burnett To CNN: ‘You’ll Have No Life, Ever’

Burnett took it all in stride and the two moved on to discuss Burnett’s Arsenal-loving digital producer… whom you might know as Mediaite’s former TV editor, the lovely and effervescent Mark Joyella.

Morgan wrapped up his visit by voicing his excitement for OutFront and letting Burnett know that “I just want to tune in at seven o’clock and get your opinion on what’s going on. I’m actually more interested in your opinion than the people you bring on. And I think a lot of people will be.” Sniffle.

Have a look at the video, courtesy of CNN:

How fun!

“It’s going to be a great adventure for you, your producers, all of us. I hope to see you once in a while because, as you know, at CNN the news never stops. So you’re going to have no life, ever. You’re just going to be working all the time, for years to come.”

Huh. OutFront premieres next Monday which means Burnett still has plenty of time to listen to Blitzer’s warning and run far, far away.

Watch the video below:

See, in his book, Suskind misspells Burnett’s name as “Erin Burkett.” In an article published online earlier today, USA Today picked up on the misspelling, as well as on other mistakes in the book:

The book, officially released today, does have its share of errors. Erin Burnett, then a journalist with CNBC and now with CNN, is identified as Erin Burkett; David Axelrod is identified as Obama’s 2008 campaign manager; that title actually belonged to David Plouffe.

In the book, Suskind says the unemployment rate in June of 2009 stood at 8.0%; it was actually 9.5%.

“I would caution anyone to assume that if you can’t get those things right, that you suddenly get the broader analysis right,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney. “That analysis is wrong.”

Then, on the Today, co-host Ann Curry corrected the spelling of Burnett’s name… but mistakenly referred to her place of work as CNBC, not CNN.

And then, as always, there’s Twitter’s role in this increasingly strange story: In response to the media attention surrounding Suskind’s mistake, a new @ErinBurkett account has been created. And, evidently, @ErinBurkett is no great fan of @ErinBurnettCNN:

We’ve heard from a source close to Burnett that the anchor “may respond.”

BUT THEN ALSO: Erin Burkett actually exists. She’s a jazzy, bluesy singer with very nice hair, and she may end up on Out Front, Erin Burnett’s CNN show. In the meantime, here’s a reminder, from the show’s Twitter account, on how to spell its star’s name:

Burnett is a well regarded news veteran who has household name recognition for the financial news set (from her time at CNBC) and has high expectations to improve the lead-in ratings for CNN’s new slate of primetime shows, that has not been helped by the tepid ratings of John King USA.

Burnett can be heard providing voiceover tracks proclaiming her desire for people to say that her show is “smart,” and that her show will be “authentic” and “have courage.” These are certainly all good things for any show to aspire to, especially a new CNN program set to debut this Fall. Watch the clip below, courtesy of CNN:

In an interview with Adweek‘s Brian Braiker, CNN managing editor Mark Whitaker describes his vision for the future of the news network. Simply put, it’s not just about breaking news, but it will probably look a lot like Anderson Cooper. “I think we’re in a day and age when you can have all the qualities of a great journalist but have a human side as well, and even a sense of humor. In many ways Anderson Cooper is the model that we increasingly are going to, not that everyone has to be Anderson Cooper.”

As CNN hosts like Larry King and Eliot Spitzer have left the building, the network has stressed the journalistic bona fides of its emerging stars, like ex-CNBC anchor Erin Burnett, who made her first appearance on CNN Monday night and will debut her own show at 7 p.m. in September. Burnett’s described by CNN bosses as a savvy reporter who’s as comfortable anchoring a newscast as she is reporting in the field–the same qualities Whitaker says are essential in making Cooper the prototype CNN anchor. “He has qualities that I think we want to see in our anchors and reporters. Anderson is not ideological, but he is demanding accountability; he’s asking tough questions; he’s not histrionic. He manages to relay the importance of events without being theatrical or over-the-top in any way.”

The former CNBC anchor Erin Burnett made her debut on CNN last night, appearing with Wolf Blitzer in the hour leading up to President Obama‘s speech to the nation on the debt ceiling impasse. After a welcome to “CNN’s newest anchor” (Burnett’s as yet untitled show will premiere in the 7 p.m. timeslot in September), Burnett got right down to breaking some news. Asked about the differences between plans advanced by Democrats and Republicans, Burnett said “in the short term, either deal probably will be enough, although really interesting this afternoon, Wolf, when I was talking to an investor who had met with the ratings agency Standard & Poor’s, talking about the potential of a downgrade– which, by the way, could raise interest rates, just the same way a potential default could–and they said the Boehner plan probably wouldn’t hit the hurdle to prevent a downgrade.”

Burnett also used her recently-launched Twitter account (@ErinBurnettCNN) to tweet the exclusive, and it was quickly re-tweeted by more than a hundred people–leading CNN to bring Burnett back on to talk about it. “Erin, earlier this hour we spoke and you said something that got a lot of buzz out there on Twitter, some of the other social networking sites,” said Blitzer. “You suggested that one investor who was actually briefed by some of the ratings agencies like Standard & Poor’s suggested that if Speaker Boehner’s plan is approved, it might still result in some sort of ratings reduction for the United States. Whereas if Harry Reid’s plan is approved, the U.S. AAA rating might not necessarily go down. I want you to explain why — what that means.”

BURNETT: Yes, it is interesting, and I’m glad I have the chance to do so.

So I spoke to an investor who — a very influential investor who had a chance to sit down with S&P. And what he was saying was, the reason for S&P — and as you’re suggesting this — and it’s unclear what they would actually do — but suggesting to him that they felt this way, was really about the size of the plan, not what is in them. I think it is important to emphasize that most people think that both of the plans are really Band-Aids and don’t deal in any significant way with the spending and cost issues in the country.

But the issue was that Speaker Boehner’s plan does not cut enough spending right away. Harry Reid’s plan, of course, would cut about $2.7 trillion. So just because it is bigger than Speaker Boehner’s plan is really the reason that the Boehner plan may still trigger a downgrade.

And as we had indicated, Wolf, some investors — and this is a very subjective view among investors of what would happen with interest rates
– think you could see an increase of rates of a quarter of a percent to half a percent. And if you look at California, Wolf, I don’t know if you remember, a year, year and a half ago, when California had to issue all those IOUs. If that’s what happens to the federal government, California’s rates have gone up half a percent to a percent. That is a big increase, and that happened even when they stopped paying IOUs and were able to pay cash again. So the long-term implications stay with you even if the default or the downgrade is very short.

BLITZER: Yes, and that translates into real money when all is said and done, even a small interest rate increase.

Watch it here, from CNN:

Usually when a business news network busts out the six-box, that means a lot of analysts on the screen at once, talking about some super scary financial news. Today, well, it was about Carl Quintanilla‘s dreamy haircut–and his new job. Starting today, Quintanilla and Melissa Lee take over hosting duties on the network’s Squawk on the Street, filling chairs left empty by the death of Mark Haines and departure of Erin Burnett, whose new CNN show is slated to debut in late September.

Discussing the new morning team on CNBC, Joe Kernan explained Quintanilla moves off Squawk Box, and Jim Cramer will appear in the 9 a.m. edition of Squawk on the Street.

Watch it here, from CNBC:

Moving Cooper to 8 p.m. (with AC 360 re-airing in its current slot at 10 p.m.) is a statement, Jautz says, of what the network stands for. “Makes sense to put your flagship program at the marquis hour.” AC 360 has had notable ratings success in recent months, with an emphasis on international reporting.

It’s a break from the stategy set in place last year under then-boss Jon Klein, who hired Spitzer and co-host Kathleen Parker for the 8 p.m. hour. At the time, Parker/Spitzer was billed as “a lively roundup of all the best ideas–presented by two of the most intelligent and outspoken figures in the country,” said Klein.

“Outspoken” has clearly run its course. Parker was cut from the show in February, and the re-named In the Arena is now slated to wrap next month. Jautz tells Mediaite Spitzer has been offered an “alternative position,” which the former New York governor is “considering.”

The new face in the new lineup belongs to ex-CNBC anchor Erin Burnett. Her show, in development under executive producer Wil Surratt and expected to launch in late September, will be a news hour that “makes use of (Burnett’s) strengths” as a reporter–like Cooper–who’s comfortable in the studio or in the field. “She’s got a proven track record,” said Jautz, noting that he expects the lineup to work well moving from Burnett at 7 to Cooper at 8. “Our aim was to create an overall lineup across early prime and prime that provides better flow from show to show.”

Does “re-air” mean CNN could make taped programming a nightly part of its lineup? “No,” says Jautz, who says shows will never “re-air” when there’s news.

[UPDATE: CNN says Spitzer will depart the program tonight, and In the Arena will air with guest hosts until Cooper moves into the timeslot next month]

Spitzer’s show was the last vestige of the Jon Klein era, and the new management at CNN cannot be blamed for doing all that they could to revamp the show. In February they pushed out co-host Kathleen Parker and changed the name (and focus) of the show to Spitzer. But even that dramatic retooling could not raise the program out of its ratings doldrums, which eventually led to its demise.

CNN’s full press release:

Schedule Showcases Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper and Piers Morgan to Air this Fall

CNN has unveiled a new evening lineup with anchors Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper and Piers Morgan to launch this fall, it was announced today by Ken Jautz, executive vice president, CNN/U.S.

Beginning Aug. 8, CNN will broadcast its flagship nightly news program AC360, anchored by Anderson Cooper, live at 8pm and re-air it in its current timeslot of 10pm.

In the fall, CNN will premiere a new general news program with Erin Burnett, which will air at 7pm ET and re-air at 11pm ET. Piers Morgan Tonight will continue to air at 9pm and 12am ET.

John King USA will kick off the evening at 6pm. The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer will continue as a two-hour daily program, airing in a new timeslot of 4-6pm. CNN Newsroom will now air from 9am-4pm. The full programming schedule is provided below.

“The new line-up showcases anchors who are experienced reporters in covering stories that span the globe,” said Jautz. “We created a nightly schedule that brings together the best of CNN’s journalism on a wide range of topics from politics and the economy to global and world events, as well the best newsmaker and celebrity interviews. This line-up ensures viewers access to the best of what CNN has to offer whenever they tune in at night.”

“I’m looking forward to the new time slot and am excited to share AC360 with a new audience at 8pm, while still connecting with my regular viewers at 10pm,” said Cooper.

CNN Fall Schedule (All times Eastern):

6a-9am: American Morning
9a-4pm: CNN Newsroom
4pm: Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
6pm: John King, USA
7pm: Erin Burnett
8pm: Anderson Cooper 360°
9pm: Piers Morgan Tonight
10pm: AC 360 re-air
11pm: Erin Burnett re-air
12am: Piers Morgan Tonight re-air

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively-syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.