Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, The Onion ... and the Decline of Mainstream Media
By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Herewith two data points helping to chart the disappearance of the line between serious journalism and entertainment.
Rasmussen reported this week that nearly one-third (32 percent) of Americans between the ages of 30 and 39 say that satirical "news" shows on television (most notably, of course, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report) are taking the place of traditional news outlets. Among all Americans, almost a quarter (24 percent) agreed. Hey, I love those shows and watch them regularly. But are we really reaching a point where we can't be bother to consume straight news? We need the sugar of Jon Stewart's wit to make it go down? Really?
In related news, former CNN anchor Bobbie Battista recently scolded CNN for cutting back its international coverage, and admonished aspiring journalists to "practice journalism, not blogging." She might have a bit more credibility on these issues ... if she wasn't now the anchor for The Onion News Network. Yes, as in The Onion.
Well at least her reporting about the Franz Kafka airport (see below) is informative entertaining. Like I said yesterday ... we're all doomed.
Prague's Franz Kafka International Named World's Most Alienating Airport
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Tags: CNN | media | television | Jon Stewart | Stephen Colbert
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Reader Comments
El Oh El
Wow is this post an april fool's joke?
The reason people are watching comedy news shows is because they are the only ones asking the tough questions and are the ones who are willing to call a liar a liar, a hypocrit a hypocrit, and aren't afraid to offend people with the truth.
Bad News
I can't speak for anyone else. I consider myself somewhat well informed about international events and well read in current affairs. I spent nearly a decade abroad and speak languages other than English. There may be people siting on their couches and drooling over an empty bag of chips watching this "infotainment", but for myself, I love Colbert and Stewart because they lampoon the utter garbage that passes for journalism in this country. I couldn't be more delighted to see the demise of "the news" that really does nothing but shill for the moneyed interests. Time for alternatives. Are Colbert and Stewart the solution? No, but they at least help us laugh through the pathetic situation thinking people find themselves in.
Decline? Jon and Stephen are the only ones holding it up!
News or satire, it's all Show Biz, baby. When the history is written, most of the mainstream hacks and flacks will be forgotten, but Jon and Stephen will not. So many 24 hour news stations, so little news... Now even the journalists are "blaming the messengers" like court jesters Jon and Stephen. Before the Bush nightmare years, the main point of "The Daily Show" was to mock lame, deluded, self-important, self-serving reporters, and now they get to return to that. And now all you whiners and flacks and lazy bones have your bow ties in a bunch about it. I'd love it if Jon and Stephen only had to make us laugh, not do your jobs for you too, but since most of the mainstream media hasn't stepped up, they've had to. I love and appreciate them for it!
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