Jon Stewart
Out of context: Reply #21
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- nb0
^ "say whatever you want I will still cherish him, because he says exactly what I want to hear" - GeorgesII
I've been a big fan of the Daily Show, as a comedy about news media and television and politics. Funny stuff.
BUT.... GeorgesII quote above illustrates perfectly one major problem with The Daily Show. I hear friends actually speak proudly (PROUDLY!) that it's the only news show they follow. As though it's some badge of honour to limit yourself to a show that has spent YEARS rehashing the same old "Isn't that craaaazy???" punchlines.
This is absurd. It's a comedy show, but mostly it's an EDITORIAL show. Talk to someone who watches The Daily Show and see how much they understand about what's going on in the world. They'll have a lot of opinions, but not too many facts. I have friends (Canadian & American) who watch Daily Show four nights a week and they couldn't tell you who Angela Merkel is, for example.Then, talk to someone who watches Fox News and see what they know. You'll find that it's about the same amount of information, just completely different stories/sides of the news. Again, a lot of opinions, but not too many facts.
People love to have to their beliefs confirmed, and anyone with a successful editorial show (comedy or otherwise) has figured this out. Stewart is no better than Bill O'Reilly or any of the other talking head editorialists. The only difference is that YOU agree with Stewart. And in your mind, that validates his show.
For years he's been hiding behind the excuse of "we're just a comedy show" while he understands very well that his fans often refer to it as "the only news show" they follow. Then, in literally the next breath, he will criticize Bill O'Reilly for not being more of a critical news man. Bill defends himself by saying "everyone knows I do opinion" while at the same time he knows that his fans don't know the difference between editorials and the actual news. Stewart claims it's just a comedy show? Watch an interview with any major political figure. Often, there will be not one single joke during the entire interview. Especially if it's someone on the other side of the political spectrum. Stewart uses the same interview tactics as O'Reilly. If the guest makes a valid point, cut him off quickly with a joke. Swipe your hand across the desk and say "Ok, ok, but what about...." wiping the slate clean.
Meanwhile, the audience keeps on watching, night after night, having their own personal beliefs validated while the world is presented to them in easy to digest black and white. And they don't even have to worry about thinking critically about the issues.
O'Reilly and Stewart produce debates and work together to ramp up their fans. Watch those debates, they're hilarious, but also pay attention to something: Stewart's fans think Stewart wins, and O'Reilly's fans think O'Reilly wins. And when the credits roll, you get "Produced by Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly."
This is not anything like what Cronkite or any of the other famous newsmen did. They asked questions, and let the subject speak for themselves. Most importantly, they let the audience decide for themselves. This is journalism.
Anyway, the fact that CNN and others are complete shit does not make The Daily Show a news program. It just means that TV news has dropped the standard of quality so low that we don't recognize mediocrity because it's surrounded by shit.
You want the news? Watch PBS Newshour or Frontline, or NPR. Or better yet, start reading: The Economist, Der Speigel, The New York Times. (And remember that the paid/print versions often have better content than the free section of their sites.
Or, if you just want the facts so you can start thinking for yourself: follow Reuters, Associated Press, or AFP.
((TL;DR: Daily Show was funny but not news, and ultimately makes you dumber. Real news programming still exists, you just have to want it.))
- CBC & BBC are pretty good, too, if you're interested in Canadian or British related news.nb
- But, CBC Newsworld (the CBC 24hr news channel) is as shitty as CNN. Do not watch. Instead, try CBC "The National".nb
- shit I'm aggreeing with nb, as a big D.S fan, I felt bad when I realized they were no different from the people they were making fun of, they just played it more on the downlow while pushing their own messageGeorgesII
- making fun of, they just played it more on the downlow while pushing their own messageGeorgesII
- Ya bcc the national is great. They don't sensationalise any event nor being stupid opinionated.pango
- They talk about Angela Merkel. Why do I need to know who she is though?omahadesigns
- Thanks, nb. well articulated and illuminating.Gnash
- nailed it nbPonyBoy
- well said nbMilan