I wrote the bones of this piece in response to a Hulu member claiming that The Daily show has recently become "less meaty." I assumed by less meaty: he meant less challenging, and less impartial, which therefore in my opinion means that the member is wrong and here is the fleshed out version of how i responded that he is mistaken:
The Daily Show shows have been a lot less "meaty" for a long time because like the Republicans, who (un) scrupulously avoid slamming President Barack Obama on anything wrong he actually does or says, Jon Stewart has for 7 years (un)scrupulously avoided all opportunities to meaningfully, accurately and consistently criticize the current President. So Stewart, though he denies it, is just as biased and nearly as untruthful as most of our Congress members, Fox, CNN and virtually all cable broadcast news media.
I have never seen Stewart turn a hard skeptical light on Obama (except for one subject regarding the Veteran's Administration treatment of returning war verterans) who is after all that scourge we all love to hate, a politician. Slightly unfortunately for Stewart (only because nobody reads my blogs), I am pointing it out now, because nobody else has, that telling the truth is much more than reciting hand picked facts and getting them right, which Stewart has repeatedly publicly taken pride in saying he does. It's also comical, if very sad really, that we have Congressional members, Fox attacking both Obama and Stewart for a raft of false "fear button" "issues" of bias, supposed personality flaws and wrongdoing, but NONE EVER, criticizes either man for the actual bad things & lies they've done & said and in Stewart's case, actually what he has not said or done , which is the classic "sin of omission."
So what is the cause of all this nearly universal misdirection in the Mass Media, of this "pot calling the kettle black" routine that these powerful people (Stewart, other mass media, Obama,Congress) have? Is it the result of their power being their sole consideration for supposedly doing their jobs?
Therefore I take exception to Stewart's version of "the truth" and assert that real, honest to Gosh actual truth also must include the component known to journalism professionals (if you can find one these days) "fair and balanced." The concept implies that nobody is perfect, so if a journalist, commentator or comedian is going to ridicule one side, they must also be willing to equally examine and criticize the other side, otherwise, the body of their work as a whole soon becomes a misrepresentation of the truth. This tenant by my consideration, applies to anyone who ever broadly alludes to, like Stewart often does, his show's adherence to "the facts" otherwise known as "truth."
In short, I don't feel that when Stewart says his show never reports facts that are wrong, which is the same as saying the show always is truthful, actually is or has ever adhered to the same high standard of "truth" to befit my standard.
For instance, neither Congress, Republicans OR STEWART (to my knowledge) has ever said anything about,Obama's support of fracking (which not by coincidence the Republicans and many Democrats support).
Fracking, otherwise known as "The Poster CHILD for 'What Not To Do To The Planet You Are Living On'"; Obama's support for Trans-Pacific Partnership, Which was dubbed by an investigate reporter interviewed on Bill Moyers as "NAFTA On Steroids:" Obama repeatedly lying about natural gas being "clean," (it is in fact much cleaner than "clean" coal when burned, but ONLY if the 85% now leaked into the atmosphere from faulty pipes and fracking is ended); Obama's toothless bill he submitted to Congress to "prevent' another 2008 all the while claiming how meaningful his "reforms" were; Obama's appointments of people to important government posts who were part and parcel to or longtime apologists and legal enablers of the unparallelled institutionalized greed that led to the 2008 meltdown; Obama's private budget meetings with then House Speaker John Boehner, the breakdown of which CNN and Obama blamed on Boehner, but Frontline says Obama went back on his word, not Boehner and, last but by no means the least Obama's prolific lying career that The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is "affordable" and not just an amplification of the previous (and still current) "healthcare" scam designed just the same to empty the average person's pockets into those of the very well off. Only foreign news services aired on PBS and other shows there do stories about these things, such as the one on a foreign news network segment about the small business owner being forced to quit her old plan after being repeatedly assured that she could keep it. She was nevertheless forced to buy Obamacare or face stiff fines. So she quit her plan and bought Obamacare which was more expensive and covered than her previous plan. but you don't here Stewart, conservatives, FOX, CNN or any media channel here in the USA doing this story or anything meaningful on the subjects outlined above.
In fact, Stewart and CNN merely parroted Obama's lie in this regard, which was the opposite of what the later Frontline investigative piece said about the Boehner/Obama private budget talks. Frontline said not only that Obama, not Boehner reneged on the deal, but that in the course of the talks, Boehner was much more cooperative and willing to bend than Obama, the truth of which was ironically, with typical vitriolic flourish, trumpeted by Boehner (his right under the circumstances), Fox and the Republicans and ignored by Stewart and the liberal media who all blindly took Obama at his word. Talk about the "pot (Stewart, CNN) calling the kettle black!"
This brings up another standard of journalistic truth, the principle that ever fact appearing on air & in print must have at least two independent, verified sources. But Jon, mashugana, CNN and Obama, you know, media outlet you routinely skewer in your shows and the guy who is a politician just like Boehner, are not "independent verified sources" for your version of the "truth."
So when the Daily Show prides itself in being truthful, which I assert must include being impartial, and it isn't properly critical of the sitting president, then I am sorry, the show falls well short, is not entirely "truthful" and certainly not "meaty."
And I am not buying the excuse that compared to the Republicans, Obama, with all his lies is still a veritable peach (I do believe that as monsters go we would be better off with Obama for a dictator than with the situation now) because that is still not impartiality (truthful). Obama has shown himself to me, personally, with his damn lips moving, be a habitual liar (a typical politician). But neither Stewart nor the rest of the popular media think it is important to point it out, which means that all are biased and therefore untruthful.
Apparently most peole don't watch the type of investigative pieces I watch and read. Notwithstanding the Republican's habitual slurs and lies on Obama, the President is still a lying, obfuscating typical politician, a habitual liar nearly indistinguishable from the hard-core Conservatives and a fraud on these and other things too numerous to be listed. while it is true that the Republicans don't ever call him out on the true specifics that he needs to be taken to task for, he still needs to be taken to task for them.
But NOBODY is doing it in a comprehensive, day-in-day-out way the way Stewart does Congress, CNN and Fox because not even Frontline and other PBS Shows do so in the comprehensive, sustained way way that needs to be done. But why not? Stewart consistently takes to task the media, Congress and the Republicans, so why does he pussyfoot around Obama when the president doesn't deserve the pass and this country desperately needs to hear the truth?
Finally If I am wrong, then why didn't Obama's core constituency vote last time? Because 6 years in, they realize he's just another politician and they got discouraged. They should be thoroughly discouraged with The Daily Show and Jon Stewart as well.
The Daily Show shows have been a lot less "meaty" for a long time because like the Republicans, who (un) scrupulously avoid slamming President Barack Obama on anything wrong he actually does or says, Jon Stewart has for 7 years (un)scrupulously avoided all opportunities to meaningfully, accurately and consistently criticize the current President. So Stewart, though he denies it, is just as biased and nearly as untruthful as most of our Congress members, Fox, CNN and virtually all cable broadcast news media.
I have never seen Stewart turn a hard skeptical light on Obama (except for one subject regarding the Veteran's Administration treatment of returning war verterans) who is after all that scourge we all love to hate, a politician. Slightly unfortunately for Stewart (only because nobody reads my blogs), I am pointing it out now, because nobody else has, that telling the truth is much more than reciting hand picked facts and getting them right, which Stewart has repeatedly publicly taken pride in saying he does. It's also comical, if very sad really, that we have Congressional members, Fox attacking both Obama and Stewart for a raft of false "fear button" "issues" of bias, supposed personality flaws and wrongdoing, but NONE EVER, criticizes either man for the actual bad things & lies they've done & said and in Stewart's case, actually what he has not said or done , which is the classic "sin of omission."
So what is the cause of all this nearly universal misdirection in the Mass Media, of this "pot calling the kettle black" routine that these powerful people (Stewart, other mass media, Obama,Congress) have? Is it the result of their power being their sole consideration for supposedly doing their jobs?
Therefore I take exception to Stewart's version of "the truth" and assert that real, honest to Gosh actual truth also must include the component known to journalism professionals (if you can find one these days) "fair and balanced." The concept implies that nobody is perfect, so if a journalist, commentator or comedian is going to ridicule one side, they must also be willing to equally examine and criticize the other side, otherwise, the body of their work as a whole soon becomes a misrepresentation of the truth. This tenant by my consideration, applies to anyone who ever broadly alludes to, like Stewart often does, his show's adherence to "the facts" otherwise known as "truth."
In short, I don't feel that when Stewart says his show never reports facts that are wrong, which is the same as saying the show always is truthful, actually is or has ever adhered to the same high standard of "truth" to befit my standard.
For instance, neither Congress, Republicans OR STEWART (to my knowledge) has ever said anything about,Obama's support of fracking (which not by coincidence the Republicans and many Democrats support).
Fracking, otherwise known as "The Poster CHILD for 'What Not To Do To The Planet You Are Living On'"; Obama's support for Trans-Pacific Partnership, Which was dubbed by an investigate reporter interviewed on Bill Moyers as "NAFTA On Steroids:" Obama repeatedly lying about natural gas being "clean," (it is in fact much cleaner than "clean" coal when burned, but ONLY if the 85% now leaked into the atmosphere from faulty pipes and fracking is ended); Obama's toothless bill he submitted to Congress to "prevent' another 2008 all the while claiming how meaningful his "reforms" were; Obama's appointments of people to important government posts who were part and parcel to or longtime apologists and legal enablers of the unparallelled institutionalized greed that led to the 2008 meltdown; Obama's private budget meetings with then House Speaker John Boehner, the breakdown of which CNN and Obama blamed on Boehner, but Frontline says Obama went back on his word, not Boehner and, last but by no means the least Obama's prolific lying career that The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is "affordable" and not just an amplification of the previous (and still current) "healthcare" scam designed just the same to empty the average person's pockets into those of the very well off. Only foreign news services aired on PBS and other shows there do stories about these things, such as the one on a foreign news network segment about the small business owner being forced to quit her old plan after being repeatedly assured that she could keep it. She was nevertheless forced to buy Obamacare or face stiff fines. So she quit her plan and bought Obamacare which was more expensive and covered than her previous plan. but you don't here Stewart, conservatives, FOX, CNN or any media channel here in the USA doing this story or anything meaningful on the subjects outlined above.
In fact, Stewart and CNN merely parroted Obama's lie in this regard, which was the opposite of what the later Frontline investigative piece said about the Boehner/Obama private budget talks. Frontline said not only that Obama, not Boehner reneged on the deal, but that in the course of the talks, Boehner was much more cooperative and willing to bend than Obama, the truth of which was ironically, with typical vitriolic flourish, trumpeted by Boehner (his right under the circumstances), Fox and the Republicans and ignored by Stewart and the liberal media who all blindly took Obama at his word. Talk about the "pot (Stewart, CNN) calling the kettle black!"
This brings up another standard of journalistic truth, the principle that ever fact appearing on air & in print must have at least two independent, verified sources. But Jon, mashugana, CNN and Obama, you know, media outlet you routinely skewer in your shows and the guy who is a politician just like Boehner, are not "independent verified sources" for your version of the "truth."
So when the Daily Show prides itself in being truthful, which I assert must include being impartial, and it isn't properly critical of the sitting president, then I am sorry, the show falls well short, is not entirely "truthful" and certainly not "meaty."
And I am not buying the excuse that compared to the Republicans, Obama, with all his lies is still a veritable peach (I do believe that as monsters go we would be better off with Obama for a dictator than with the situation now) because that is still not impartiality (truthful). Obama has shown himself to me, personally, with his damn lips moving, be a habitual liar (a typical politician). But neither Stewart nor the rest of the popular media think it is important to point it out, which means that all are biased and therefore untruthful.
Apparently most peole don't watch the type of investigative pieces I watch and read. Notwithstanding the Republican's habitual slurs and lies on Obama, the President is still a lying, obfuscating typical politician, a habitual liar nearly indistinguishable from the hard-core Conservatives and a fraud on these and other things too numerous to be listed. while it is true that the Republicans don't ever call him out on the true specifics that he needs to be taken to task for, he still needs to be taken to task for them.
But NOBODY is doing it in a comprehensive, day-in-day-out way the way Stewart does Congress, CNN and Fox because not even Frontline and other PBS Shows do so in the comprehensive, sustained way way that needs to be done. But why not? Stewart consistently takes to task the media, Congress and the Republicans, so why does he pussyfoot around Obama when the president doesn't deserve the pass and this country desperately needs to hear the truth?
Finally If I am wrong, then why didn't Obama's core constituency vote last time? Because 6 years in, they realize he's just another politician and they got discouraged. They should be thoroughly discouraged with The Daily Show and Jon Stewart as well.
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