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Daily Show Production Team Nets Creative Freedom
gremlins writes "Jon Stewart, who recently celebrated his sixth anniversary with "The Daily Show" and was a rumored possible replacement to Dan Rathers, has signed a deal which allows his production team, Busboy Productions, to develop televison projects on their own. The deal also allows Busboy Productions to flirt with other networks when looking for a home for the projects. Comedy Central still gets the right of first refusal for any projects created."
The Daily Show is often more insightful about the news than the mainstream media. You would probably be better served watching a half hour of the Daily Show than CNN/Fox News, etc.
Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
And of course there's this brilliant tidbit where he blasts CNN's crossfire for being theater instead of actual news. The best part is when conservative crossfire host Tucker Carlson tries to ask Jon Stewart why he gave Kerry softball questions when he was on the Daily Show, Stewart responded (paraphrased from memory) "What I didn't realize, and maybe this explains alot, is that CNN takes its queues on integrity from Comedy Central. The show that leads into mine is puppets making crank phone calls."
Jon Stewart is brilliant, and since the Daily Show has the satirical factor embedded in it, it allows him more freedom than most other media outlets. And ironically in many cases he does a better job at explaining the news. For example, Daily Show viewers tend to be more informed than viewers of many other programs.
actually it's better if he's transparent about his political beliefs, that way you know that it's his opinion about things. if it was just hidden, but the stories chosen still with certain bias, you wouldn't figure it out so easily.
and all that doesn't really matter.. it's not like the anchor could go against his employer(and the team behind the news, after all the anchor just reads them..).
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Have you only watched the Daily Show during the last four years? Stewart has basically been cleverly mocking the hypocrisy of the country's political leaders since the show started. It's been a Republican administration for the past 4 years (and a fully-dominated Republican Senate/House for the past 2 years), so that's where most of his focus goes.
During the Clinton years there was definitely a slew of anti-Clinton, anti-Lewinski, anti-Gore jokes, etc. But when you have a president like Bush who gives comedians enough material without even trying (along with an administration with policies just dripping with potential for satire), you cannot expect them not to pounce on it.
For example, I remember back during the Clinton years they basically showed a bunch of clips tacked together of Clinton saying "I did not have relations with that woman ... I did have a relationship with Monica Lewinsky", etc, showing his hypocrisy. Guess what? It was funny then, and his take on the Bush administration is funny now.
And finally, as Stewart said on Crossfire - he didn't realize that CNN takes it's queues on integrity from Comedy Central. It's COMEDY CENTRAL, a COMEDY channel, not a NEWS channel.
But why is it on Slashdot?
For the same reason that Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek gets covered here... it's what geeks watch.
Crossfire was far from informative or even somewhat useful. Two sides shouting at each other without any rhyme or reason is not debate. Politics maybe, but not debate. Crossfire was part of what's wrong with political discussion in this country. A circus freakshow. The Daily Show is a freakshow, but it doesn't pretend to be "serious news" like Crossfire did.
ChuckyG
The daily show isn't offensive it's irrevrant. There's a difference. and it's in this irrevrance that jon gained his following -- by exposing the ridiculous and disengenious crossfire style arguments.
meep
Dan Rather was actually good at hiding his political beliefs
Have you ever actually watched Dan Rather? Especially in the last 5 or so years, he couldn't have been more overtly partisan in both his delivery of the news, and in his editorial/production decisions. I'll leave the pre-election phony document shenanigans out of it - there's plenty of his older material to make my point.
The difference between him and Stewart is that Stewart is much more direct about his preferences, whereas Rather plays coy about it, while, through his actions shows his (blue) colors.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
Because it was. (A shitty show.)
Acquiescence leads to obliteration
I think it works best when he's got a writing crew to keep him 'honest' when it comes to covering all sides of an issue. He's not quite so 'fair and balanced' solo. That is to say, he doesn't let his personal sympathies get in the way of a good joke.
I form opinions issue by issue, rather than subsuming my opinion to one particular groupthink tribal mass or another. Finding the absurdity in any situation where it appears appeals greatly to me, and good satire works when it's honest, telling the truth with humor. For the most part TDS is honest and smart satire, whether it's targeting Bush (I mean, I don't love or hate the man, but it's objectively honest that he can barely string two words together in public speaking.. ) or anyone else.
Besides, he'll have rightists on as guests often enough, and he's pretty fair. He won't usually go for the easy jabs, as a recent interview with Mike Mills demonstrated.. His interviews tend to be more thought-provoking, given that he'll engage his guests in some serious questioning, and I'd call it 2/3rds BookNotes with only 10% of the dryness.
I consider TDS mandatory viewing, and I only wish there were more of it.
I don't think Stewart would be a smart replacement for a network anchor like Rather though, I think he needs a guest to discuss things with, I think he'd do better as a George Stephanopoulous replacement.
This guy's a little slow
he's anti-Bush. That goes over real well here.
One of the primary sources (possibly the primary source) of critical thinking and humor on TV today is the Daily Show.
Karma-wise, we're all on the same wavelength....
Wow, missed the point award goes to....
Jon's whole point was "we don't pretend to be news"
Obviously too subtle for you. At least he's funny.
Show me a Crossfire fan and I'll show you a psycho.
You people need to get laid while you still can.
Jon is our court jester. It's truly sad that you'll see more incisive commentary on TDS than on the major news networks. I've given up on all TV news except TDS- there's no point left to the major news programs anymore.
The most telling comment I ever saw on TDS was a short clip of a british journalist grilling Tony Blair about something. Stewart's comment was something like "Where can we get some guys like this?" Lord knows the american media has just given up.
"Seven Deadly Sins? I thought it was a to-do list!"
For a second there, I thought you were really Jon Stewart like on the Daily Show. But, Jon Stewart is American and they spell rationalize with a z and behavior without the u.
No, The Daily Show is not a freakshow. It's really a satire of all the other freakshows, and rather insightful in that role.
FOX news, saying the US will be attacked if Kerry is elected, is a freakshow.
Daily Show, reporting that the planet will explode if Kerry is elected, is biting wit, not a freakshow.
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
"...although I do agree that his show is comedy, for him to play it off as if he doesn't have an impact on how people think about politics was an artful dodge on his part."
He's never claimed to be anything but comedy. He delivers deadpan frequently, but he directly makes fun of news. The reason why there is irony here is that he, a self-proclaimed (and acknowledged) comedian goes on a supposedly serious news show, blasts them for their practices, and when they try to attack him for journalistic integrity they are left with nothing specifically because he isn't a journalist, but they have confused him for one. They can't make any logical retort at that point because his comedy is more accurate news than their journalism is.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
Did you ever play chess against anyone who mirrors your every move? Ultimately, it's a losing strategy, but it's pretty annoying anyway.
Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
Yes, I know, we're not supposed to gripe about moderation, but I think the parent poster is fairly close to right. TDS wants to have it both ways: to be treated seriously by its audience, and at the same time to be left alone as "ha-ha-only serious" satire. Can't have it both ways, kids.
Dog is my co-pilot.
he's not nessessarily anti-bush, before the bush administraition he poked plenty of fun at the clinton administration. it's mostly whoever is in power gets made fun of (thought Gore and Kerry each had their fair share too). And have you watched the show recently at all? I would say the Bush jokes and the democrats are pussies jokes almsot even out (or are at least getting a lot closer). And besides, when you have an administration as absurd as the Bushie admin, how can you NOT make fun of it? Its just so easy...
Actually, my father was Welsh. But you didn't hear that from me.
It just doesn't fit, and I almost always fast-forward through it (and when I don't fast forward through it, I always regret it, because it turns out to be incredibly boring, even if it's Eric Idle). It's never funny or entertaining. Lose it, and the show will improve. Interview authors and politicians instead.
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
I don't care if someone is gay, or sells his body to consenting adults.
What bothers me is that "somehow", a person using a fake identity and with no reporting experience gets access to White House press briefings to ask the President prepared soft-ball questions.
Have you *ever* been outside the US?! Only in America can a liberal be on the left wing...
ACTUALLY... Until the Blogosphere digs up solid evidence of the Cobert/Hitler link, Stephen Colbert's statement on the Daily Show can be considered invocation of Godwin's law, and therefore anyone responding to his statement (outside of intelligence-gathering or fact-checking) is probably violating Godwin's law themselves.
Jon admits to a bias and refuses to correct it... but he wants to still correct all sorts of faults he detects in the mainstream media.
:-)
This was exactly my point. Let me rephrase. Do you have a bias? Are you a liberal, conservative, libertarian? Librarian? Unless you're absolutely apolitical, you have some sort of affinity for a particular political party. Now, to use your argument:
"You have an admitted bias, and you refuse to correct it. But you still assume to attack Jon Stewart for having an admitted bias. When your hypocrisy was pointed out, you say, in effect, 'I'm not a journalist!' To which I say, 'EXACTLY!'"
Jon Stewart isn't a journalist. He plays one on TV. Your second argument, "So taking his advice about media bias is taking the advice of an arrogant joker." seems to indicate that you don't believe comedians can complain about how crappy the news has gotten. If that's what you really believe, well... I'm afraid we're probably never going to come to an agreement.
Formerly GNU/Anonymous Coward. This message has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.
"Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke."
- Will Rogers (I think, took it off a 'net source)
This quotation seems to hit the mark since all of our comedians actually end up making a lot more sense than our politicians and media.
Bring on the comedian overlords.