After watching some clips of Jon Stuart and The Daily Show last class, I decided to check it out on my own—both on my computer for old episodes and one television for a live one. I also watched The Colbert Report while I was at it.
I must say that there was much more information than I expected on The Daily Show, and I now comprehend the argument of some fellow classmates that Jon Stuart is a journalist. I still hold my position that he is not, but I was even more surprised when, an hour later, Bill O’Reilly played a segment of The Daily show from that same day. I must say that the segment was slightly taken out of context and if one watched the entire show, O’Reilly’s question—I won’t get into it—would have been dismissed on the spot.
Also, both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report were less funny than I expected. I think that it is crucial to watch those with a nice group of friends (like we do in class) and not too often. These guys do not provide news, I think this is clear: they do a satiric commentary of the news, which can be truly appreciated only if one is informed and knows the actuality. Meaning, get you facts straight, and then go have a good laugh on comedy Central (yeah, we shouldn’t forget the channel on which these two shows air).
The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are definitely part of the "entertainment news" niche of journalism. While certainly more informative about politics and important news than shows like TMZ, they are still part of the entertainment industry and I agree that one should be at least somewhat well informed prior to watching them, and should watch them with a group of friends (like many do or rather did when watching shows like Heroes or Lost).
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