What the Daily Show has tapped into is the crying need for real journalism in this country. Recently, for example, he did a hilarious bit on Donald Rumsfeld's penchant for asking himself questions, then answering them, in what are ostensibly called "press conferences." Rummy stands at the podium, asking hypothetical questions of himself, then answering them, while the press sheep sit and watch. The question is: Why does it take a fake news show to see through this ploy?

Recently, CBS did an inspirational story on a female G.I. who had suffered shrapnel wounds to her head, which had left her in a coma. At one point, physicians in Iraq thought it would not be worth evacuating her to Germany for further treatment. But, miraculously, she fought her way out of the coma and is on the road to recovery. Buried in the story was a line about how she is having to fight the veterans' affairs bureaucracy to receive her full benefits. There was the basis of some real journalism, but they opted for the human interest fluff instead.

Joe B.

It's a comedy show and doesn't pretend to be a news show.

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That's Jon's line, but I think the real key is that he's showing the real press up fro what they are: ass-kissing hacks. Partisan hackery! (love that term!)

Maybe it's something new to you Americans, but in Canada, we've used political flame throwing and journalism wrapped in comedic presentation for some time, and people are influenced by it. It's not a presentation of facts, but a chance to get people thinking about things and looking at the "real" press with a more ciritical eye.

I enjoyed Jon's sit-down on Crossfire where he refused to be the comedy monkey. Some think he went too far, but I don't. It's about time someone called it for what it is.

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Yes, and that's the point, isn't it? In a comedy show pretending to be a news show, they have touched on issues that the mainstream press misses, day after day.

Joe B.

Me too. I never watch that scream-fest so I really appreciate your providing that link to the clip (on another thread).

Satire works because of the truth contained in it. For those old enough to remember his standup acts, comedian Mort Saul's act in every city was to pick up the daily local newspaper and that would be the foundation of his act, just reading the daily news and riffing off of it.

Disclaimer: The originator of this thread once started humorous threads applauding 60 minutes accurate reporting.

The new them for the Daily Show "Were on Comedy Central for a reason"


I Tivo and watch every Daily Show BTW.

For you super old people Tivo is a Digital Video Recorder much like your VCR that you can playback shows on a picture box.

Disclaimer: The originator of this post, it is rumored, once had a functioning brain.

Joe B.

What's a VCR? Victorian Cinema Rehearsal?

Its amusing but 'important'? That's a bit too much fo a stretch.

It's on comedy channel for a good reason.

But its way, way better then those shouting ninnies on Crossfire. Jon nailed them perfectly.

Stupid is, stupid does.

Comedy can touch important issues too, I think. The point I was making was this: good journalism ought to hold our leaders up to the harsh light of criticism. Current American journalism seems unwilling to do that. That the Daily Show, in a comedic format, routinely skewers leaders in ways that are both fair, and funny, is much in need. In this way, yes, it is both amusing and important.

Joe B.

Important compared to what? Compared to other TV shows, the Daily Show probably qualifies as "important". Where else other than the Daily Show and the Daily Howler do you see anyone pointing out the worthlessness of the news/commentary media in this country? Tim Russert and his worthless ilk, IMHO, harm our country. Rove, et al., play those clowns like fiddles.

Look at the coverage of the soldier ambushing Rumsfeld the other day. Within 48 hours the news coverage shifted from the fact that Rumsfeld's poor planning is killing and injuring our soldiers to the fact that a newspaper reporter fed the question to the soldier. Once again, the news media fell for the administration's spin, hook, like and sinker.

The Daily Show is the only TV show that I know of that exposes this type of banality on a regular basis. So, for a TV show, I say the Daily Show qualifies as important.

This is an excellent example of precisely what I was talking about. Thanks for posting it.

Joe B.

Yeah, I like your phrase, "...important compared to what?" I don't watch much news, so I guess I don't have much to compare it to. On TV I like to watch opinions but steer clear of news. Partly for the reason you mention but mainly because TV is just an incredibly shallow medium for undderstanding events. I like the NPR model, in which a subject is treated to 5 or 10 minutes of more detailed development of a story. Even if I may find NPR's political bias not comfortable with my own, they do darned good reporting. Same with Lehrer's News Hour. But I don't even spend much timne with them. I do read quite a bit. I find it easier to get a more comprehensive understanding of events through print than through images and sound.

Thus, I enjoy Daily Show when I see it (even more rarely than I watch broadcast news), but I don't take it any more seriously than I do Rather or whomever. So when I say it is unimportant, I mean in comparison with network news. Its a lot funnier than Dan Rather, too.