The Jon Stewart Decade
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The Jon Stewart Decade
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Re: The Jon Stewart Decade
#2single page version http://nymag.com/print/?/arts/tv/profiles/68086/
Re: The Jon Stewart Decade
#3single page version http://nymag.com/print/?/arts/tv/profiles/68086/
Thanks for this!
Re: The Jon Stewart Decade
#4America's politicians, willingly or not, often seem like they’re actors in scripts created by cable producers.
But that's what they are to most people. Literally.
Most people's only perception of politicians is one as disobedient actors in the production of a television show, a truth that's been with us since Kennedy. Politics is, and always will be, a part of infotainment, because news story economics work by the same principles as all other stories on TV.
But think twice before you think the of the reflexive "the internet will change everything". No - a lot has changed, but the vast majority of people will still want and watch the kick-in-the-nuts-humor over NPR, Democracy Now, or The American Conservative, just as they've been doing for decades.
Re: The Jon Stewart Decade
#5Here here! John Stewart does Glenn Beck was the BEST piece of satire TV we've had in a decade.
I'm ever thankful of Stewart and Colbert, always reminding us that frankly, life is too short to be so up-tight serious about everything.
Re: The Jon Stewart Decade
#6John Stewart’s show is probably the worst show that someone could create. He does not even attempt to be objective. A large part of 20 somethings use this as their main news source. It is sad when people are not willing to watch news for news’ sake (instead of having it mixed with comedy – like a child gets medicine mixed with syrup).
And whilst the Daily Show serves as the main news source for many of 20 somethings, it does not even try to be objective. It often cuts video tapes completely (usually making fun of someone whose ideology differs from that of the viewers), uses video out of context, have interviews under false pretences and does not give fair coverage. Yet the excuse for that is that “it is a comedy show and not a news show”. It must choose, either one or the other – either it is a news show (and should subscribe to journalistic ethics) or it should be a comedy show (and try and involve itself in politics).
Re: The Jon Stewart Decade
#7John Stewart’s show is probably the worst show that someone could create. He does not even attempt to be objective. A large part of 20 somethings use this as their main news source. It is sad when people are not willing to watch news for news’ sake (instead of having it mixed with comedy – like a child gets medicine mixed with syrup). And whilst the Daily Show serves as the main news source for many of 20 somethings,…
You're making a lot of claims that don't make sense.
"A large part of 20 somethings use this as their main news source."
I'm a 20 something and know quite a few of them. You'd think that if this were true, my group of 50 or so would show at least one who treats TDS as anything more than a comedy show. They may use it as a starting point for stories they didn't know about, but you would be laughed out of the room if you tried to claim any portion of them treated Jon Stewart as a news man.
"It often cuts video tapes completely (usually making fun of someone whose ideology differs from that of the viewers), uses video out of context, have interviews under false pretences and does not give fair coverage."
Just like a comedy show. Even "news" shows do this, so I don't see why you single out TDS for it.
" It must choose, either one or the other – either it is a news show (and should subscribe to journalistic ethics) or it should be a comedy show (and try and involve itself in politics)."
Again, why single out TDS? All comedy shows dip into politics, and do a poor job of representing things.
Re: The Jon Stewart Decade
#8John Stewart’s show is probably the worst show that someone could create. He does not even attempt to be objective. A large part of 20 somethings use this as their main news source. It is sad when people are not willing to watch news for news’ sake (instead of having it mixed with comedy – like a child gets medicine mixed with syrup). And whilst the Daily Show serves as the main news source for many of 20 somethings,…
According to the article, there is a 1.8 million viewer base per night. So a large part of 20-somethings is innacurate. Maybe a large part of 20-somethings you know?
In any case, this line is a brilliant response to your claim:
“We’re not provocateurs, we’re not activists; we are reacting for our own catharsis,” Stewart says. “There is a line into demagoguery, and we try very hard to express ourselves but not move into, ‘So follow me! And I will lead you to the land of answers, my people!’ You can fall in love with your own idea of common sense.
Re: The Jon Stewart Decade
#9John Stewart’s show is probably the worst show that someone could create. He does not even attempt to be objective. A large part of 20 somethings use this as their main news source. It is sad when people are not willing to watch news for news’ sake (instead of having it mixed with comedy – like a child gets medicine mixed with syrup). And whilst the Daily Show serves as the main news source for many of 20 somethings,…
You're making a lot of claims that don't make sense. "A large part of 20 somethings use this as their main news source." I'm a 20 something and know quite a few of them. You'd think that if this were true, my group of 50 or so would show at least one who treats TDS as anything more than a comedy show. They may use it as a starting point for stories they didn't know about, but you would be laughed out of the room if y…
> I'm a 20 something and know quite a few of them.
Quite a few of my friends view this as a "serious" news show. If you do not believe this, look at any large social site such as Reddit (where the Daily Show is taken as a serious news source).
> Just like a comedy show.
Of interviews with politicians which they obtained under false pretences? The objective of the Daily Show is to make one ideological grouping laughable. It is inherently a political show that parades as a “quasi-news” show and uses the “comedy show” excuse so that they do not have to show any integrity (journalistic or otherwise).
> Again, why single out TDS? All comedy shows dip into politics, and do a poor job of representing things.
That is quite debatable. Most “comedy shows” do not dip into politics. If it is, it is mostly human interest (and around election time).
The Daily Show also parades around CNN International (a “news network”). Why is it on this channel then?
But I guess that this is just how real journalism fades. Papers become bankrupt whilst people read online “news sources” such as Huffington Post or Alternet. News networks like CNN become Twitter Crazy and airs shows like The Daily Show.
Re: The Jon Stewart Decade
#10John Stewart’s show is probably the worst show that someone could create. He does not even attempt to be objective. A large part of 20 somethings use this as their main news source. It is sad when people are not willing to watch news for news’ sake (instead of having it mixed with comedy – like a child gets medicine mixed with syrup). And whilst the Daily Show serves as the main news source for many of 20 somethings,…
I am a 20 something and my main news source is Hacker News :). By that, I mean that I try to avoid conventional news sources on purpose. As far as I can tell news divides into two categories: sensationalist murder stories (which depress me) and political theater (which mostly bores me). Having said that John Stewart to me is just like Bill O'Reilly but funny.