Stewart Sharp Dishing Out Cable News Criticism

When it comes to delivering criticism of the world of cable news, no one does it quite like the Daily Show on Comedy Central.
In his role as a faux anchorman, Jon Stewart has already been sited at the most trusted man in America by one poll. While Stewart and his Emmy Award-winning crew frequently do an amazing job of skewering elected officials and other would-be newsmakers, their rapiers are sharpest when they thrust against the follies perpetrated by real-life news organizations.
One way the Daily Show does this is by simply mimicking many of the tired clichés used on news sets everywhere to highlight how silly they are.
But Stewart is also able to use clips of newscasts to show ways in which TV news organizations, particularly those on cable, fall down in their responsibility to be an honest and impartial finder of fact and to hold the powerful to account.
This week, Daily Show has aired brilliant takedowns of both CNN and Fox News Channel.
Stewart noted that CNN managed to do a fact check of a Saturday Night Live sketch that purported to show that President Obama has accomplished little in office since taking office. But while CNN was busy investigating a comedy show, Stewart shows numerous examples of politicians who have been able to quote bogus facts and statistics during CNN shows without being questioned. In fact, in most cases, instead of fact checking, CNN anchors say they have to “leave it there” and move on to the next issue.
“Why would you leave it there. There is a terrible place to leave it?” Stewart howls in Monday’s segment, which you can watch here.
“Out of time. You’re show is four [bleeping] hours long.”
The next day, Daily Show took on Fox News Channel’s news judgment, showing how Fox opted to barely cover tens of thousands Gay Rights marchers in Washington, but did manage to vigorously cover the similar-sized “Tea Party” protest—and complained about other nets ignoring the that rally.
“You didn’t even send your own camera crew,” Stewart said, noting that FNC used live video from ABC News. “You have a Washington bureau. Tell them to go to the window and point the camera down.”
The capper was the Fox News opted to cover a protest against a school that had students sing a pro-Obama song and aired live pictures of a sidewalk where no one was present.
“Guess how many tea party protesters need to show up for Fox to get out the satellite truck and an on air personality,” Stewart said. “If you guessed one you’re way over.”
You can view that segment here.
The Daily Show isn’t really a news organization, so it’s not part of any gentlemen’s agreement not to report on its rivals. And if it bends its facts a bit to make its point, they can always use the “hey we’re a comedy show” as an excuse.
While the Daily Show demonstrates that the foibles of cable news can be good for a laugh, what often passes for journalism these days isn’t really funny.