Jon Stewart: Is Comedy Replacing Journalism?
Anthony W. Leone
2009/12/10 17:45:23
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How do you get your news? If you happen to know anyone who tunes into “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” as his or her sole news source, please do me a favor and slap that person in the mouth.
Yesterday I was invited to take a tour with journalism students that I mentor at a community college. The tour was the printing plant of The Philadelphia Inquirer and while looking at impressive four-story printing presses, our tour guide told this us something interesting:
The National Newspaper Association did a survey on why people are reading the newspaper less. Who was the culprit? It wasn’t the dreaded Internet, but the 16- to 30-year-old age group who do not care about getting the news.
When they do want the news they head over to the guy they trust the most: Jon Stewart, the pillar of journalism excellence.
And this isn’t anything new, because a Time Magazine poll showed that the funny man beat out other serious journalists by 44 percent!
Isn’t it wonderful that after tweeting their friends that they got so drunk that they threw up and missed the toilet, that they take the time to go over to a news satire for serious, objective news?
And what’s really scary is that some of Stewart’s fans can’t tell the difference between when he’s joking and when he’s “reporting” the news. Trust me, I’ve spoken to these people.
They wouldn’t know the difference between real news and satire if Walter Cronkite rose from the dead and yelled, “And that’s the way it is” in their blood-shot eyes!
And this is not an attack on Stewart. Even he admits that his show should not be taken seriously. He told bow tie lover Tucker Carlson that his show is strictly for entertainment during a heated debate of the role of the media.
What, does news have to be entertaining to catch these slackers’ interest? Well, it’s time for them to suck it up and deal with it. News isn’t supposed to be a sitcom to retain someone’s interest longer than 30 seconds.
The news isn’t supposed to be hip and cool and devoid of all objectivity. Stewart is not objective and he isn’t supposed to be. His job is to make people laugh while poking fun at political buffoons and news networks. And he does it very well, no doubt about that.
But is it really that hard to open up a newspaper and just read it for 10 minutes? People text and chat all day, go to YouTube to see the latest online celebrity taking away IQ points, but they can’t go to CNN or FOX News to see what’s really happening in the world without a punch line?
It’s hard to take what some of the new generation say seriously when their news source is nothing more than jokes and silly faces.
Yesterday I was invited to take a tour with journalism students that I mentor at a community college. The tour was the printing plant of The Philadelphia Inquirer and while looking at impressive four-story printing presses, our tour guide told this us something interesting:
The National Newspaper Association did a survey on why people are reading the newspaper less. Who was the culprit? It wasn’t the dreaded Internet, but the 16- to 30-year-old age group who do not care about getting the news.
When they do want the news they head over to the guy they trust the most: Jon Stewart, the pillar of journalism excellence.
And this isn’t anything new, because a Time Magazine poll showed that the funny man beat out other serious journalists by 44 percent!
Isn’t it wonderful that after tweeting their friends that they got so drunk that they threw up and missed the toilet, that they take the time to go over to a news satire for serious, objective news?
And what’s really scary is that some of Stewart’s fans can’t tell the difference between when he’s joking and when he’s “reporting” the news. Trust me, I’ve spoken to these people.
They wouldn’t know the difference between real news and satire if Walter Cronkite rose from the dead and yelled, “And that’s the way it is” in their blood-shot eyes!
And this is not an attack on Stewart. Even he admits that his show should not be taken seriously. He told bow tie lover Tucker Carlson that his show is strictly for entertainment during a heated debate of the role of the media.
What, does news have to be entertaining to catch these slackers’ interest? Well, it’s time for them to suck it up and deal with it. News isn’t supposed to be a sitcom to retain someone’s interest longer than 30 seconds.
The news isn’t supposed to be hip and cool and devoid of all objectivity. Stewart is not objective and he isn’t supposed to be. His job is to make people laugh while poking fun at political buffoons and news networks. And he does it very well, no doubt about that.
But is it really that hard to open up a newspaper and just read it for 10 minutes? People text and chat all day, go to YouTube to see the latest online celebrity taking away IQ points, but they can’t go to CNN or FOX News to see what’s really happening in the world without a punch line?
It’s hard to take what some of the new generation say seriously when their news source is nothing more than jokes and silly faces.
Top Opinion
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Stratweenie57 2009/12/11 00:09:25Other ...
+4Actually the REAL funny stuff is in the so-called "legitimate" news sources such as the NYT,CBS CNN and MSNBC.Watching the Kleins,Olbermanns and Matthews etc. of the MSM fall over each other trying to be first to kiss(or just sniff) "The Glove of The Enlightened Obama",to me is a hoot of astronomical proportions......
And I have to be honest...when it comes to political entertainment and comedy, Jon Stewart kicks FOXNews' ASS!!!
http://archives.chicagotribun...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/0...
But I agree, I don't think anyone should go to them or Stewart for objective news.
However, if you DO pay attention to The Daily Show, you'll note that Jon Stewart often asks very serious questions - albeit in a most genial way - of some of his guests - questions that the MSM's so-called "journalists" should be asking, but seldom do.
Sometimes comedy is a cover for more serious matters and I do think that some people want to be entertained first. However, I also think that entertainment can pique curiosity, which in turn leads people to dig deeper into more robust news sources for the whole picture.
I think he masks a serious message behind the thin veil of his comedy. You can tell when he underscores a point he thinks he made. He sports a certain 'look' after it's finished. It's his 'I scored a zinger' look. He hates having that serious commentary opened up to the light of challenge and examination, though. It is then that he claims the mantle of comedian.
" I was just joking " ...(cue the goofy look).
The thing is, it's entirely his right to do so. He, like everyone else has the right to uphold a distinctly LeftWing socialist point of view. However, if that is the case ....declare it, Jon. State that fact openly and proudly. Say, "I am Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz. I am a Liberal left wing Democrat and I believe in the ideology of Karl Marx."
Have some guts, ffs, John.
When one considers what a joke the msm and Journalism has become. Is it any wonder why.............................
That is exactly what is a matter with this country....The youth of today have not a clue....
Homonyms are tricky indeed.