Can We Trust the Daily Show?

I LOVE the Daily Show. I'm a daily watcher and have been for years. But I've been noticing a somewhat disturbing trend in the people I hang out with-- referencing whatever Jon Stewart said about a given story as if he were reporting the best version of that story.

Folks, I always think, let's be mindful here. Jon Stewart is a comedian and performer who has a show on a channel called Comedy Central with the online meta-description that reads "The Best F#@king News Team Ever." I would tend to agree with him there, but of course, the operative term is "fake."

Stewart does have an impressive ability to get big political players on his program, and when he does, he usually has an informed and occasionally contentious political dialogue with them. Like I said, I love watching it. He's funny and he's informed. And politics, we should all know by now, is as much showmanship as it is a government of, for, and by the people.

But what Jon Stewart and the Daily Show have to say about a given political issue or person is not news, and does not pass as an informed opinion. He is commenting on the news for your entertainment value, much as I am doing through this blog.

What about bias, you say? Sure, news organizations like Fox, CNN, MSNBC, and NPR have their own blurred lines between news and opinion, entertainment and reporting. The message and takeaway here for me is that we all, if we want to be informed news readers, need to check out what different sources say.

The next time you find a story that gets you fired up, read what Al Jazeera, Fox News, NPR, and the Washington Post each have to say about it. After you understand it from various angles, you'll be better able to suss out what is the news and what is the spin.

And Jon Stewart's Daily Show will be even funnier :)

Image Source: Hulu screenshot by author