The "Real" Daily Show

The article by Geoffrey Baym discussed a lot of interesting points about the state of news media today. The transition the 18-24 demographic has made to relying on other media outlets for information makes a lot of sense to me. As Baym mentions, the comedic elements of shows like The Daily Show allow the audience to be more involved with the news, rather than just listening to events being listed off. Also, it allows the show to be self-deprecating, which actually legitimizes the content even more because it gives the impression of being unbiased. The whole article made me think of something that it failed to mention and I think people completely forget about (or never knew). I don't really watch The Daily Show as I avoid politics, but back in the old, old days of Comedy Central (like pre-South Park) I did watch The Daily Show...hosted by Craig Kilborn. It is interesting to think that Jon Stewart took over and the show almost immediately took off, but the subject matter also changed. Craig Kilborn's was much more of a "local news" style in which topics of all kinds would be talked about and there was not so much emphasis on politics. It was a lot less funny, too.