I have decided that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is now my favorite television news program. (John Kasich may find it disheartening that the former president of his fan club would say such a thing so please refrain from informing him.) Seriously, I stopped watching network evening news years ago; it's too depressing and biased. At least The Daily Show doesn't try to hide the fact that evening news programs are more concerned with ratings than informing viewers. In fact, it embraces that fact and makes the program very entertaining. And The Daily Show actually does offer some great news segments, they're just coupled with witty humor. Perhaps years of political involvement has made me jaded and I now look at all the seriousness through cynical eyes. But at least I can now laugh at the futility of it all.
Honestly, I get more out of Jon Stewart's interviews with presidential candidates than I ever have from the rehearsed sound bites they offer on Meet the Press. Jon Stewart has figured out that if you can get the candidate off message, you'll discover the true character (or lack thereof) of the individual. Can they laugh at themselves? Can they be lighthearted? Or are they political hacks who derive no pleasure out of life because they force themselves to stick to the script? Ronald Reagan would have had a great time on The Daily Show.
Granted, The Daily Show should not be your main source of news. I've heard that most college students consider The Daily Show their main news source. This is a cause for concern as The Daily Show is far from the most comprehensive news source, especially on issues that really matter. I still listen to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity everyday. The Drudge Report is my internet home page (definitely my main source of news). I read World and the Wall Street Journal every week. But when it comes to television news programs, I'd rather watch The Daily Show than Bill O'Reilly any day.
Monday, January 19, 2004
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