Think about the clips I've shown so far. Capitalism, racism, and political double-talk have all been covered. Not that these subjects aren't tackled in other arenas; they are. But The Daily Show makes very bold criticisms that would be difficult to make elsewhere, in different contexts. The Daily Show pokes at some of our most deeply rooted inequalities here in America. I think that the audience would be deeply uncomfortable if commentary of the show was not packaged in outrageous, overblown humor.
The Daily Show is a valuable part of our public discourse for just that reason. On the other hand, nothing should be taken without a gain of salt. I love The Daily Show but that doesn't mean that the show is unproblematic. Something jumped out at me when I was watching this episode from last week:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M - Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Faith the Nation | ||||
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First thing, yes, lots more hot-button issues are brought up in this clip. The media obsession with President Obama's religion, for one. Religious intolerance, for another. The question of religious freedom in America. To top it all, even American relations with Saudi Arabia is pulled in. What caught my ear was Stewart's statement "Yes! Those statements, strung together, and taken out of context, can create the impression amongst those who would be predisposed to believe it that the President of the United States has repudiated Christianity and embraced Islam."
The comment is very true. How often has The Daily Show done just that? The show regularly slices up, strings together, and re-contextualizes clips from the news to serve its own purpose. If you watched the show during the Bush presidency, you saw this happen on a regular basis. But we don't have to look back that far to see it happening. The episode I used in my first post was a pretty blatant example. Is this a problem? Yes and no.
It's true that the news media has to select what to put into their stories. Why shouldn't The Daily Show do the same thing? The problem is that The Daily Show is not doing the same thing. It is widely understood that journalism has obligations to present accurate information, along with helpful and balanced context. These values and ethics are outlined on the Poynter Institute website and the Society of Professional Journalists website. While those standards are not always met, there press self-regulates in many ways.
The Daily Show is held to no such standard. What rules does it play by? Are there any? The Daily Show comments on serious stuff. While I do believe that is valuable, I also think it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Or two. Stewart and the writers of the show often weasel their way out of accusations by pointing out that they have created a "fake news" program. That is absolutely true. But the audience has to be careful to remember that as well. There is no guarantee that an accurate picture is being painted. The Daily Show (like everything else) has its own intense and deeply rooted biases. The Daily Show is also especially free to indulge them.
Have you seen clips on the show that made you wonder about the wider context? Has that ever made you uncomfortable, or do you think it's okay as long as the Daily Show doesn't pretend to be "real news"? Are there other problems with the show that you see?
P.S. A lot of you comment using the "anonymous" option. That's totally cool because I want people to be comfortable and able to respond on this blog (seriously, I love comments). But I'd really appreciate it (if it's not a problem) if readers would sign with a name, or even a pseudonym. I feel a little weird not having a name to address if I want to comment back. Thanks!
2 comments:
Though I don't watch the Daily Show, its evident from these clips that I'm not missing much. I guess for me, with so many problems we are facing in the world today, I'd rather read a book or "do" something. That's not to say that the show is a disgrace because I've only seen the clips you provided to base my judgement (funny because that's exactly what The Daily Show does to base theirs) so maybe that's the point. But if I want some good laughs, maybe watching the Daily Show, Soup, or TMZ will do the trick.
I think that The Daily Show cherry-picks clips to make a point in any given segment. The problem is that there is no way of knowing how accurate the context is without going to outside sources.
That said, I also think that The Daily Show doesn't distract from the problems we are facing but shines a light on them, which makes The Daily Show as tricky as it is. It can be hard to look past the humor, but I think that the humor is a way of saying things that couldn't be said otherwise. The serious nature of the commentary also raises issues about how honest or accurate the commentary is.
I just think that it is important to remember that The Daily Show doesn't try to appeal to everyone. Stewart knows who his audience is, and he plays to that audience.
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