Study of 'Daily Show': It's a lot like O'Reilly

[cynatnite]

NEW YORK - A journalism think tank studying "The Daily Show" doesn't believe many people get their news from Jon Stewart — because otherwise they wouldn't get the jokes.

The Project for Excellence in Journalism also said it was surprised at how much the Comedy Central late-night program resembles "The O'Reilly Factor," "Hardball" and other cable news shows in content.

The Washington-based organization asked its researchers to study a year's worth of "The Daily Show" tapes — hardly a grim assignment — after hearing the frequent claim that many young people learn about the world from Stewart instead of more traditional news sources.

Tom Rosenstiel, the project's director, said he doubts this is the case. He considers "The Daily Show" more of a political satire in the tradition of newspapermen like Art Buchwald, H.L. Mencken and Russell Baker.

"They're not making jokes about Dan Quayle is dumb or Gerald Ford is clumsy," he said. "They're not making jokes that you could get if you live in the country but don't read the news ... . You can't get the jokes if you're not watching the news. The jokes are designed to make you think more about the news."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080508/ap_en_tv/tv_daily_show

[Fumesucker]

1. "The jokes are designed to make you think more about the news."

Which means The Daily Show is the exact opposite of O'Reilly.. His entire schtick is to make you think *less* not more about what is going on in the world.

DOH!

[liberal N proud]

2. I like to watch the Daily Show whereas I can't stand to watch ORealy

This sounds like an attempt to diminish the voice the Daily Show and Cobert Report have.

[ColbertWatcher]

3. Why do they always forget The Greatest News Program Ever!?

[tigereye]

4. it's not stupid like those other "news" shows

Stewart actually asks very thoughtful questions and usually doesn't belittle people, like those other goons do.

He's actually a very good interviewer.

[Buzz Clik]

5. Remember when some "scholar" did an existential analysis of Willie Nelson's 'Redheaded Stranger'?

It's very possible to think to hard about certain subjects.

[ColbertWatcher]

12. Orly?

This new post by Buzz Clik is maudlin and derivative. It lacks the poetry of his earlier work. Yet the use of the word "to" instead of "too" has a surprising meaning.

It's as if Clik is asking his readers to think toward hard subjects, inspiring them to read beyond bumper stickers and t-shirts. While the message is nice, Click continues his obsession with Willie Nelson critics. Ever since Nelson's battle with the IRS, Click has ruthlessly attacked anyone who doesn't share his unqualified worship of the Redheaded Stranger.

This reviewer rates Buzz Clik's post

[KharmaTrain]

6. Other Live By "Conventional Widsom", TDS Mocks It

I'm sure many get informed on the Daily Show, but it's not News and Stewart is one of the first to admit it...he's a reporter on the sideshow...the game that drives O'Reilly and all the others..."Conventional Wisdom"...some edict from on-high that determines what "news" is "news" and whose up and whose down. The narrative isn't based on substance but flash..."who you'd want to have a beer with", whose a "straighshooter" or, inversely, whose all evil and a scourge on the nation...it's black and white...no grey permitted.

Stewart turns this genre on its head and shakes it...but doesn't try to be a part of it. Many here get upset when he's got a Gramps McHuggy Bear and doesn't hit him over the head with every serious issue...that's not his role. He's there to show the absurdity of the political "discourse" in this country...not to be a part or victim of it.

[MessiahRp]

7. I don't know that I believe this think tank's conclusion is not somehow politically tainted

Sure they admit TDS makes you think about the news but to even imply some sort of equality with the brainless BillO is sickening.

Rp

[lob1]

8. "The Project for Excellence in Journalism

also said it was surprised at how much the Comedy Central late-night program resembles "The O'Reilly Factor," "Hardball" and other cable news shows in content."

They are right. They're all comedy shows.

[angstlessk]

9. part of Pew Research Center...when I Google it..it gives me 10,000,000

Pew Research papers??? hard to find out what Pew is about?

[Ichingcarpenter]

10. That was the Week that was .... is another one we use to get on Pbs

That Was The Week That Was, also known as TW3, was a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963.

Devised, produced and directed by Ned Sherrin, the programme was fronted by David Frost and cast members included improvising cartoonist Timothy Birdsall, political commentator Bernard Levin, and actors Lance Percival, who sidelined in topical calypsos, many improvised in response to suggestions from the audience, Kenneth Cope, Roy Kinnear, Willie Rushton (then known as 'William'), Al Mancini, Robert Lang, David Kernan and Millicent Martin. The last two were also singers and the programme opened with a song – eponymously entitled That Was The Week That Was – sung by Martin to Ron Grainer's theme tune and enumerating topics that had been in the past week's news. Off-screen script-writers included John Albery, John Betjeman, John Bird, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Peter Cook, Roald Dahl, Richard Ingrams, Gerald Kaufman, Frank Muir, Denis Norden, Bill Oddie, Dennis Potter, Eric Sykes, Kenneth Tynan, Keith Waterhouse and others.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Was_The_Week_That_Was


I think the study is half nonsense.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

11. Hmmm, such piercing analysis. "They're not making jokes about Dan Quayle is dumb or Gerald Ford

is clumsy."

How much "grant" money was spent to come to that spectacular observation in their final "study?" :shrug: