The Daily Show vs. Local News

Snoutbreak 09. Jon Stewart’s way of introducing the discussion of swine flu during his show on April 27, 2009. And he continues his segment by showing clips from several news outlets and how, in each one, they “don’t want to freak anybody out”, but are constantly showing maps of infected areas and saying that the swine flu could eventually lead to the deaths of tens of millions of people throughout the world. Now, while it is good to be presented with the hard facts, which the news outlets are doing, and it is also helpful to know what signs to look for and in what areas of the country cases of the swine have been reported, it is also, to a point, being blown out of proportion by these news outlets. As Stewart says on his show, the only reason that we are freaking out is because of the news. Obviously, on the surface, news outlets like ABC News or Fox News are going to be given more credibility then something being shown on Comedy Central. But should it? Is there any reason someone watching The Daily Show should not believe what is being told because they haven’t heard it on Fox News? No, absolutely not. The thing that makes Stewart’s show, and
Stewart himself, so popular is the fact that he can report the news, the real news, while adding a comedic effect to it.
Obviously, the mainstream news is not bad news or wrong news, but it certainly does not give its viewers the entire truth. But just because of its seriousness and location (NBC, CBS, ABC, etc.) it is just given credibility; the validity of the news is assumed. This idea helps The Daily Show. As Rachel Smolkin cites in her article from the show’s main web site, "One anchor, five correspondents, zero credibility. If you're tired of the stodginess of the evening newscasts, if you can't bear to sit through the spinmeisters and shills on the 24-hour cable news networks, don't miss The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a nightly half-hour series unburdened by objectivity, journalistic integrity or even accuracy." This ‘mission statement’ is a direct ploy at the mainstream news and its attempts to evade the hard truth. Regardless of how controversial or intimidating something may be to report on, it should still be done so accurately, and Stewart and his correspondents have no problem questioning anyone. Simply by showing recaps or old footage of senators putting their foot in their mouth, seeing the President say something in June and the complete opposite in July, or something as blown out of proportion as the swine flu, The Daily Show reports accurately and honestly, even with the humor and comedy included. I think that because the premise of the show is a satirical one, more ‘truth’ is presented. The last thing that cable news outlets want is reporter or journalist speaking up too much about a certain important person or important topic because there could be ramifications that too much information was presented or that the information reported isn’t true, although that is a bit rare. However, because The Daily Show is a show on Comedy Central, if something like that were to occur, it would just be overlooked as being funny or Stewart just trying to get a laugh at someone’s expense before being seen as true, but to normal viewers of The Daily Show, who are used to the antics and reporting styles of the anchor and his correspondents, they would know they are receiving true material. Continuing on, speaking about the validity and credibility of the show, initially, there will be none by a new viewer. The Daily Show is something that must be viewed consistently because the viewer needs to grasp the concept of how the news is presented. A first time viewer or someone not included in the youthful generation (at which the show is aimed) would see the show as a stereotypical attempt at getting a laugh at any expense. But not until they watch the show on a steady basis do they realize that ‘any expense’ translates into ‘regardless of the situation, we will give you the news with as much truth as we can’. It isn’t trying to make people look bad. They just aren’t scared to talk about the people who make themselves look bad.