I get crap from other people on the Right about my liking Jon Stewart and his era of The Daily Show.
Yes, I know that he was biased.
All news media is biased.
At least Steward acknowledged his bias and didn’t bullshit you tell you that he was an objective, unbiased source.
He was transparent “I’m a liberal comedian making fun of the news.”
But what separated Steward from all those that came after him was that Steward wasn’t a hack.
There is a difference between having a bias and being a hack.
Bias is a preferred way of looking at things.
A hack will be openly dishonest.
One of my favorite Jon Stewart bits was when he called out both sides for, even defending President Bush, using Hitler as an analogy for any political disagreement.
During the Obama administration, Stewart may have been biased, but he called out Obama on a number of legitimate points.
Other news comedians, including several Daily Show correspondents, were absolute hacks, but Stewart had a level of integrity that the rest of them lack.
It’s also clear that Steward, for his liberal bias (and what separates Steward as an old-fashioned New York, Jewish liberal from Progressives) is that it’s clear he loves America. His first monologue after the show went on hiatus for 9/11 will bring a tear to your eye, and since leaving the show he has done a lot of work on behalf of 9/11 first responders.
Which brings us to today, and Stewart going on his protege’s show.
Colbert is a hack.
Watching him try to stay on narrative against his old boss saying out loud what most of us have been saying for months is fun to watch.
‘Steward’? 🙂
In any case, while I think Stewart’s ‘clown-nose-on/off’ schtick is a major reason why we have problems, I don’t think he was ever an unfunny hack. Stupid, sometimes, but not a hack.
Oddly, I didn’t mind Stephen Colbert, but that may be due to Colbert doing an abbreviated Hot Ones with Sean Evans, which is a great way to earn respect from me.
Now, John Oliver? Unfunny hack. He was a failure in Britain and only gained fame here due to clinging to Stewart’s coattails.
I agree. I’m fine with a bias, as long as you acknowledge the bias. I’d even be OK with the NY Times bias, if it didn’t so piously proclaim they didn’t have the bias that it’s so obvious they have. Stewart’s Daily Show would make fun of anyone, and everyone, even with the bias.
And he’s funny. Colbert isn’t. The Daily Show was, and always will be, Jon Stewart. The new guy – Trevor Noah, I think – is another hack, BTW.
Stewart’s Daily Show arrived at the very end of mass television – where a show could get a significant part of the audience. Johnny Carson had 40-60% of the TV audience in his day. He couldn’t be a hack; he had to be funny.
Media today get tiny slices of the audience share they used to get. There’s simply so much content, no one gets more than a small slice of it. Even “hit” shows today get fractions of the audience share that network TV got in the old days. And when you’re playing to tiny slices that you need to keep loyal, rather than let them go to the other media out there, what do you get?
Hacks.
The only honestiberal news show was the daily show with Jon Stewart.
I’m underwhelmed with both of them. Sorry, J.
Yes, I very much appreciate people admitting to their biases.
Jon Stewart was the sort of New York liberal Jew that I grew up with. Liberal, Bill Clinton loving Democrat but not a Leftist. The loved America, supported Israel, and still hung on to the old “the Democrats are the party of the working class” idea.
He seems to be the last of a dying breed of NYC liberal Jew. The younger ones have either red pilled and gone conservative or have gone full commie Leftist.
J,
I guess that I missed that aspect of Jewish life, growing up in the Boston area. 😉