Recount: A Magazine of Contemporary Politics

Jon Stewart: King of All Media

By Stephanie Wargin | Sep 30, 2004 Print

Bill O’Reilly: You know what’s really frightening?
Jon Stewart: You’ve been reading my diary.
O’Reilly: You actually have an influence on this presidential election. That is scary.
Stewart: If that were so, that would be quite frightening.
--- Jon Stewart on
The O’Reilly Factor, September 17, 2004

Poor Bill O’Reilly. He and his confused colleagues in the “real” news biz just can’t comprehend a world in which a satirical news show on Comedy Central, of all channels, actually matters. Jon Stewart has gone head to head with almost every major news anchor and pundit, and every time they ask, how? To which he chuckles and assures them that he and The Daily Show are not out to shorten their careers, that it’s just comedy, for chrissakes, and his viewers know it. For the real news, America will still turn to the old standbys, solid journalists like Dan Rather.

But just a few weeks ago, O’Reilly attempted to crack the Daily Show nut, to find out how the show could wield such a mighty sword.  As evidence of Stewart’s influence he cited the fact that John Kerry “bypassed” the Factor for The Daily Show, on which he appeared back in August. O’Reilly fretted that the “stoned slackers” who make up the majority of Daily Show viewers would be influenced to vote for Kerry in November, which would in turn possibly sway the election Kerry’s way. Stewart, as usual, said his viewers wouldn’t be influenced any such way; all they want are some funny jokes.

His assurances, while always delivered in the wittiest of ways, are true, but at the same time not true.  True, because most likely his viewers already know which presidential candidate they prefer. Not true, because his impact is less on the viewers and more on the mainstream press, which, in reality, can and does sway many voters with the stories it prints or airs.

The key to The Daily Show’s success is its unique use of satire. It’s highbrow mixed with lowbrow, but it’s not just quick one-liners. Instead, Stewart offers smart, incisive commentary delivered with raised eyebrows and a smirk, as he batters down blatant lies and unravels yard after yard of spin. He has no patience for it, and you shouldn’t either. But he, unlike others who unspin the spun, is not angry so much as incredulous. So his viewers laugh at his jokes; they relish his audacity to challenge the claims of authority. But, perhaps, they learn something in the process: the valuable lesson that the truth is out there, and to find it, the best man to trust is the guy who played the delinquent dad in Big Daddy.

Ultimately, what the show delivers is a more realistic and honest version of the news than what’s offered by most network and cable news programs.  No one—not Bush, not Cheney, and certainly not Robert Novak—is safe from The Daily Show’s sledgehammer of truth.

At some point, the media started to get the message that they were dropping the ball. You see signs of it here and there: reporters voicing stronger criticism of Bush’s rush to war, or challenging both Democrats and Republicans (and the “non-affiliated” but strongly partisan 527s) to substantiate their claims; writers offering real policy analysis. Now, I’m not claiming that Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, et al. have single-handedly (or multi-handedly, as the case may be) launched the catalyst that will change the face of news as we know it. But the stats have surely made the rounds of the networks, both basic and cable, that more young adults get their news from a silly comedy news program than from anywhere else. Yes, it’s funny, but it’s not just a quick laugh they’re after. The Annenberg Public Policy Center study found that Daily Show viewers are more informed about politics and political candidates than their non-DS-watching counterparts. (This may be a chicken-egg scenario, but does that matter?)

John Kerry got the memo. That’s why he and countless other big shots have deigned to sit on Jon Stewart’s couch, if only for a few minutes of airtime. But the question remains: Where, and how, will The Daily Show appear in the history-to-be-written of 21st-century journalism?

Once upon a time, there was another little Emmy-winning talk show called Dennis Miller Live on HBO. Each half-hour commercial-free show featured Miller talking with a guest, anyone from Dana Carvey to one-time presidential contender Bill Bradley, about topics as varied as race in America, baldness and sobriety—as well as a 1994 chat with Senator John Kerry on religion and politics. But the most brilliant part of the show was Miller’s solo rants. For just a few minutes, Miller let forth his distinct brand of hard-core political satire that made you want to read the encyclopedia, the dictionary, the world atlas, and the works of little-known philosophers just to keep up with the humor. It worked because he stuck to the truth, no matter the arcane references with which he delivered it.

Stewart and his staff of “senior” correspondents pick up where the now right-wing Miller left off, only this time the satire is more accessible. (Note the show’s just released America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction, a silly fake-history textbook that offers surprising insights such as: “William McKinley was our first African-American president.") It hits, as the survey says, a broader, and younger, target audience, including many who are just now starting to get the hang of the political game. Whereas Miller’s influence could only reach so far, and it’s doubtful he affected any major changes in the mainstream media, Stewart, befuddling as it is to his more serious-minded brethren (the actual real-live reporters and pundits), is prodding the press to rethink some of its recent indiscretions, and its lack of bravado in dealing with the Bush administration, as well as the dirty politics played by all sides. It’s hard to predict the lasting effect The Daily Show will have, but chances are, if the network execs are paying any attention, change is on the way.

Of course, as Miller would say, that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.


Stephanie Wargin can be reached at slw269@nyu.edu.

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