The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert are two of the most noted political satire shows on television today. They set it up as if it were a legitimate news broadcast, bringing in speakers and actually talking about issues that are going on. The two "reporters" touch on things that are happening in various aspects of our world, including what is going on with politics. According to a New York Times article written by David Carr, it is hard to tell the difference between when these two comedians are telling a satirical joke about politics or if they are telling the truth about what is going on. They are beginning to do things, such as lead marches, that push them to say things that are important and not just a joke. The article explains that these men are comedians who, occasionally, make knowledgeable statements in relation to politics. It claims that Jon Stewart is a man whose career and influence have mainly been built off of the observation of politics from a "coolly ironic distance," which suggests that he does not always know what he is talking about. In terms of reporting the news, the New York Times has always been a credible source. However, the findings of Anthony Gregory, a research assistant at the Independent Institute, seem to contradict what the New York Times has to say about The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. His writing in the article Real TV News explains that he believes the overall best news show on television is in fact The Daily Show because of its success in being reliable in reporting the news. He even cites a study in his writing that revealed that "Daily Show viewers have higher campaign knowledge than national news viewers and newspaper readers." Mr. Gregory then explains that Jon Stewart asks the tough questions and takes a very critical approach in evaluating the actions, quotes, and prevarications of America's rulers. It is also important to notice that while the show "leans to the left" a little bit, Stewart keeps his reporting very even. He does not shy away from bashing something that a Democrat does or praising the tactics of a Republican. This shows that The Daily Show is a show that reports for the people, not for the state. Keeping in mind that the validity of Anthony Gregory's work is purely based off opinion and, while a couple studies were included, they were not cited or named to offer any sense of credibility.
One more thing that Anthony Gregory points out was Jon Stewart's appearance on the CNN debate show Crossfire. As stated in the beginning of this clip, the show generally has two chairs, one Republican and one Democrat, debating the issues. Jon Stewart, however was the lone guest when he appeared on the show. According to Mr. Gregory's analysis, the hosts were disappointed by his appearance, but the audience was not. Stewart, instead of being the expected "funny man," took a stance against news media and its fabricated controversies and manufactured debates. He claimed that these things have been the reason for the compromise in the integrity of modern political discourse. In the early minutes of the clip, Stewart explains that he does not necessarily see this show as bad, but more as bad for America in the sense that Crossfire does more to help the politicians, rather than the people. Stewart, when confronted about the aspects of his show that do not report enough news explains that his show is on Comedy Central and it is not supposed to be a 100% news coverage program. Yes, he does report legitimate news, but it is not his obligation.
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