Jon Stewart Is The Only Real Journalist In America

[babylonsister]

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/59806/#more

Jon Stewart Is The Only Real Journalist In America

Posted by Oliver Willis at 7:02 AM on August 15, 2007.

Oliver Willis: Stewart does what the mainstream media refuses to do as they play complicit lapdog for the Bush administration.

This post, written by Oliver Willis, originally appeared on Like Kryptonite To Stupid



Last week the mainstream media went wild with Kenneth Pollack and Michael O'Hanlon, describing them as anti-war when in fact Pollack wrote a book arguing in favor of invading Iraq and both are on record in favor of the surge. Nobody in the mainstream media seriously challenged this dominant theme:

*Purporting to document Pollack's evolving views on Iraq, CNN left out his original gung-ho Iraq "tune"

*CBS Evening News falsely described proponent of Iraq "surge" as former opponent of it

*Fox News Sunday is latest program to call Iraq invasion proponents "critics" of the war

But then on Monday night, on what is - theoretically - a "fake" news show hosted by a comedian, conservative pundit Bill Kristol tried to get away with the line about Pollack / O'Hanlon and Jon Stewart did what the mainstream media refuses to do time and time again as they roll over and play complicit lapdog for the Bush administration: He said nuh-uh. Jon Stewart does not have superpowers.

In fact he jokes regularly about being silly. Yet, in this instance (and in numerous others) he demonstrated the lost art of journalism that the msm does not practice anymore. Somebody made an assertion and he challenged the assertion with factual information.

Caution, the following video clip may contain journalist-like material (video at link).

[Clark2008]

1. Well... there is Keith Olbermann.

[JHB]

3. ..and Robert Parry, and Amy Goodman...

...does Greg Palast count since he's based in England these days?

[warren pease]

4. Don't forget Moyers n/t

[redqueen]

6. Do they talk with right-wing guests?

And challenge them on lies?

I don't watch much tv, but when I do I see mostly sypathetic guests on those shows... so I've never seen an instance when I would expect them to challenge their guest.

[Desertrose]

11. Good point redqueen! n/t

:)

[Forkboy]

12. Moyers last few shows have exposed more than any questioning of repubs directly would have done.

You don't have to confront people to show their lies for all to see,and Moyers has been all over them.

[redqueen]

13. Yeah but the article in the OP is praising Jon's willingness to confront liars.

That's the thing he does that separates him from the pack. If we compare him to people who don't get an opportunity to hear a lie from the horse's mouth in order to confront the liar, then... well... I hope you see what I mean cause I've just lost interest in trying to explain all of a sudden. :P

[AlCzervik]

16. to be fair to Moyers it is possible that the other side declines and invitation to be on his show.

[redqueen]

17. Hah... I'll bet!

LOVE him!

I'd stopped watching PBS after he left... had no idea he was back till a few weeks ago when some kind soul here informed me. :blush:

[AlCzervik]

19. i feel the same, i used to love watching "Now" but after Bill left...well.

[Forkboy]

23. Now is still doing a lot of good shows.

I liked Bill on it myself,but the show still talks about a lot of important issues that don't get touched by the media anywhere else.I'd still highly recommend it. :)

[CTD]

30. Jon didn't confront William Kristol

And it's critical that we not label comedians "journalists", no matter how much we may like what they're doing.

[redqueen]

32. I had no idea this was so controversial. n/t

[babylonsister]

15. I don't think this article is bad-mouthing other journalists, especially

Moyers. The writer is just pointing out how much truth we're getting from Stewart whether we recognize it or not.

[Forkboy]

22. Oh no,I didn't take it that way at all.

I didn't see it as an attack on any others.Just adding some thoughts on Bill and the need or not to confront liars directly.

[warren pease]

26. Not the frothing at the mouth crowd, but...

... for example, when Moyers was doing "NOW," his first show featured a 15 or 20 minute interview with Robert Bartley, then editor of the WSJ (now deceased). He (Moyers) politely, shrewdly and surgically ripped him a new one, and Bartley was reduced to mouthing talking points and blathering about the glories of the free market and all that crap.

I honestly can't recall the names of others -- that one struck me as a hell of a statement for an initial episode -- but with "NOW" and then "Bill Moyers Journal," he's always reached out to traditional conservatives -- as opposed to the neo-con neanderthals -- and given them their chance to speak -- even while he's ripping their arguments to shreds in the mildest but smartest possible way.

Short version: He's not into being the left's version of O'Reilly, but he's interested in examining and countering non-left viewpoints when possible -- notable exceptions being positions that no sane person can justify, such as the Iraq occupation, torture, killing habeas corpus and so on.

"Journal" is a good show; you might give it a shot sometime.


wp

[redqueen]

27. I watch it regularly, thanks.

:hi:

[EFerrari]

31. And Greg Palast. n/t

[redqueen]

34. YES! and John Pilger, too!

:loveya:

[EFerrari]

36. I hope to see other people get back on their horse -- like Dan Rather

and Donahue. :)

[tex-wyo-dem]

39. I loved it when Moyers was on TDS several months ago...

and gave Jon an incredible compliment...said he was the modern day Mark Twain. Jon actually blushed and was a little speechless as the crowd went wild.

Great moment on TDS!

[LeftCoast]

2. I'm rather partial to Keith Olbermann myself

:shrug:

Not that Stewart is bad either. :)

[MonkeyFunk]

5. Stewart's very good

but he's not a journalist. He hosts a current-affairs-oriented comedy talk show.

[vanlassie]

7. I love Keith too, but Jon talks straight to their faces.

He's a true warrior- handling his part with respect, humor and grace, and yet firm commitment to the truth as he sees it. I could take some lessons from him, come to think of it.....

[mikekohr]

37. Steward

Steward will eviscerate any guest that is a phony but in a way
that the victim does not realize he's a dead man walking.  And
Steward will take on people he has sympathy with.  His
interview with McCain is a perfect example of this.

Stephan's Colbert deserves credit also for his dead on satire
in the roast of President Bush last year.  He caught a lot of
flack for it but he was a little ahead of the popular curve
then.  He looks like a prophet now.

[Warpy]

8. I propose a fifteenth hallmark of fascism

"In any fascist system, the only people allowed to tell the truth are the comedians."

[Usrename]

40. Yeah, the death of irony. I know how you feel.

Sometimes when I watch The Daily Show I feel like I'm an extra in that show "Cabaret."

You know, the one about the Germans yucking it up and mocking Hitler.

[Desertrose]

9. Stewart can speak where the MSM is afraid to....

Personally, I think Stewart does more to wake people up than anyone.

I'm sure Stewart won't take crap from anyone and nothing/no one is sacred. Its about time.

I'm also old enough to remember the way the media use to be...asking hard questions not brown nosing the way they all do now.

GO JON!!!

[MadJohnShaft]

10. TPTB seem to be afraid of him. How long with that last?

he's a sharp mind, so any of the normal attack machine probably finds him very frightening. Can he even be swiftboated? The only thing he's probably vulnerable to would be Comedy Central's parent company - but given that that is their "only" show anyone watches .... they'll probably leave him alone.

[TZ]

14. He has some real creds too

I believe he went to William and Mary in Virginia, I cant remember his major but it was something like poli sci or something like that.

[Desertrose]

25. Thought I heard him mention he was a "psych major"

but not sure if he was just sayin that to the guest....

[Swede]

18. Journalists report what their editors let them report.

It's that simple.

[ThomWV]

20. When did Bill Moyers die?

[bunkerbuster1]

21. that was a classic moment--when Krystal realized he was out of ammo

When Jon called him out on his use of Pollack and O'Hanlon as "Iraq War Critics", and it was obvious that Krystal had nobody else as backup? and sputtered something about unnamed "Democratic congressmen?" While being drowned out by the crowd's laughter?

Classic.

[Katherine Brengle]

24. This is dumb.

Yeah, he's great. He covers a lot of things you won't see portrayed fairly in the mainstream corporate media.

But he's far from the "only real journalist in America" - I don't think the thousands of independent journalists all over this country who cover everything the corporate media won't touch would appreciate that assertion much.

[Exiled in America]

28. It's true its an overstatement. But he is one of the FEW real journalists getting mainstream air.

Yes there are a few others. But he is one of the very few, and he is probably has the largest audience of any of the others, and the youngest audience which makes him critically important. I know some conversations would say this as an insult, but frankly I have great hope for a future generation that grew up on the Daily Show. I think its a serious mistake to see his show as just comedy. It is the ONLY mainstream source of institutional criticism of the media around. Jon Stewart consistently makes and/or illustrates the complicated points that someone like Noam Chomsky would make about "necessary illusions" and media complacency to power but he does so in a way that reaches a much much wider audience.

That's why he is particularly important.

[redqueen]

35. Yeah, could have worded it better...

I think they just meant he's the only one who, in a face-to-face situation, will confront the corporatists. None of them have any problem confronting liberalish our outright liberal Dems (whenever they're lucky enough to get on teevee)... but hardly ANY will confront the anointed ones in that format.

[Exiled in America]

29. I'm suprised the guy keeps coming back to be honest.

I mean, he's been on the daily show many times, and I can't imagine he's ever thought he's walked off with a "win."

I hope Jon Stewart will be remembered by history for what he is. He filled the role of not just an entertainer or a comedian, but a courageous dissident who found an effective way to consistently speak truth to power. There are other courageous journalists to be sure. But no one has had more mainstream success as an institutional critic of a corporate media complicit to power than Stewart has.

He has masterfully used the powerful, powerful tool of intelligent humor to capture a large (and young!) audience - full of the next generation of this country - and every night he gives them a civics lesson (whether they realize it or not) about topics only a very tiny number of other people in the media will touch: corporate corruption, the propaganda model of the media and its bastardization and distortion of the news, the lies and deceit of a corrupt administration, and on and on.

My biggest hope is that generations who grow up on things like the Daily show will move from the motto "I saw it on TV so I know its true" to "I saw it on TV so its probably false." If we can create a healthy skepticism and distrust in the public for the propaganda spewed forth by the mainstream media day in and day out, there just might be hope for this country.

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

==================
GROVELBOT.EXE v4.0
==================



This week is our third quarter 2007 fund drive. Democratic
Underground is a completely independent website. We depend on donations
from our members to cover our costs. Thank you so much for your support.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

38. K&R.... n/t

[BornagainDUer]

41. And even he admits its "fake".

That's gotta be one of the funniest things I ever saw when he pointed that out.