I have a problem with this
Via the VC (that's Volokh Conspriacy, not Viet Cong...gunz down, John Kerry), I watched this clip of John Stewart on CNN's Crossfire. Now, I have some issues with the Daily Show, and with Jon Stewart in particular. Namely, aside from a brief burst of productivity when Stewart took over, I just don't think it's been very funny recently. Being a Kilborn partisan, I much preferred what I would call "the early years." But I'm surely not above acknowledging that Stewart's tenure has produced some lasting moments.
Anyway. Near the opening of the clip, hosts Tucker Carlson and the odious Paul Begala let Stewart rant a bit, and try to explain why he thinks Crossfire and others of its ilk are "bad for America." Now, the issue to be discussed here is obviously The Daily Show's place in the new media hierarchy. More and more people, particularly ill-informed young people (and by young people, I mean first time voters and others too stoned or lazy [oops, I mean "jaded"] to pay attention), but plenty of others are well, are now getting their news from talk shows like The Daily Show, David Letterman and...ugh, Jay Leno. What effect, the academic would ask, does this shift have on the attitudes and voting behaviors of young people?
It's a question I'll not take on here and now, possibly elsewhere and later. However, it's important to note that these shows make no pretense of objectivity, fairness, or really even truth. Despite the fact that the shows occasionally will feature a one-on-one interview with an actual newsmaker, gathering one's news by watching these shows is akin to playing that grade-school game "telephone," where the first person in line whispers something like, "Four score and seven years ago..." and the last person announces that he heard, "George Bush wants to re-instate the draft." These shows simply do not do an adequate job of informing the viewer.
Nor would Letterman or Leno necessarily say that their shows should take on the task of informing their viewers. Most of the time, Leno sucks up to people like Dennis Rodman, and Letterman just breaks stuff. Stewart has said the same thing, that his show is comedy or "fake news," and that it's our own fault if the only news we get is from him. But Stewart knows that the kids are tuning in, and while he takes ostensibly takes shots at both sides, one side predictably gets shot at more than the other, and Stewart shrugs off the responsibility of the impression this creates by claiming it's only "fake news."
The Daily Show used to be about lampooning news casts, and the utterly ridiculous newsmagazines like "20/20" or "Dateline." (Aside: yes, one day I'll make up my mind about how I'll forthwith consistenlyformat the names of newspapers, magzines, tv shows, movies, albums and song titles. But until then, just shut yer snarky-ass up.) But now that network news has coasleced into a parody of itself, doing the best they can to prove the internet conspriacy theorists right, The Daily Show is just one of the crowd, and is all about taking down President Bush.
Yes, yes, I know. Halliburton. And yes, yes, they take some shots at Kerry, too. But more often than not, it's a day-by-day retelling of "Bush is stupid," "Bush is an evil genius," "It's all about the oil," "UN-oil-for-food whatnow?" talking points. Any conclusions one comes to belongs to you alone. We present (albeit with jokes), you decide. It's comedy! It's opinion!
I respect that Stewart is on some sort of crusade and has no qualms about calling out people even like Ted Koppel to be much more of an aribter of truth. And I've got no problem with people taking partisan shots at Bush. I've got no problem with them doing it in a fake-news show format that millions of people watch. I've got no problem with people taking partisan shots in a movie. But for the love of crackers, people, don't try to tell me it's a fucking fact, and don't tell me that you're being fair. This is why the mainstream press is in such trouble. Acknowledge your bias, and you won't be held to such high standards. But if you think you can get away with it, and when you think you're smarter than the rest of us, you'll find out very quickly that you're wrong.