Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Jon Stewart's Influence

I am a huge fan of the Daily Show. I'll watch the show even if it's just a typical unhyped episode.
That said whenever there is a new Jon Stewart interview with either right-wing politicians, or political commentators, I will sit myself down and watch the entire thing, most likely more than once. There aren't as many of these instances are I would like, because with each one I watch I find myself more and more engaged in the rhetoric with which Jon openly criticizes and debates his opponents. I have 2 examples below, neither actually taking place on his show. The first is a famous appearance Jon made on CNN's crossfire, that was cancelled in response to his epic beat down of the pundits and the show's premise. The second is an interview from the 2004 election time period in which Bill O'Reilly questions the legitimacy of the Daily Show as a news operation. While reading Geoffrey Baym's essay on the show I instantly recognized all of his point on the significance of the show as a critical media satirical news show. No matter who Jon is speaking to, or debating, or arguing with he constantly hides behind the "fake" news banner. Which as a viewer I understand, because it is true, but also feel doesn't give the show enough credit.



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