The Sophistry of Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart told Chris Wallace of Fox News that he does not have to be accurate when he comments on the news because he is primarily a comedian who is looking for absurdities. That means he is free to leave out the things that do not serve to heighten the absurdities. Stewart says his humor is “informed by his ideological background,” but it is wrong to say he is a liberal activist. However, Stewart claims Fox News is a right-wing propaganda delivery system.
Wallace asked if Stewart was willing to make the same claim about the New York Times, Washington Post, ABC, NBC and CBS. Stewart said no, because these organizations had sensationalism as their primary goal. When Wallace asked why the Times and Post asked for volunteers to search through Sarah Palin’s emails, but did not bother to examine the 2,000 page health reform documents, Stewart said it was because they hoped to find something sensational involving Palin.
For some reason, Stewart seems to think Fox News is an exception, in that its most important goal is to spread right-wing propaganda. This conflicts with a recent article in New York magazine, which said Roger Ailes was primarily interested in ratings. He favored conservative politics but this interest is secondary to having a large audience. If this is correct, Fox News would also not have any responsibility for accuracy, because news reporting ranks below the desire for good ratings.
Hollywood is heavily committed to liberal causes, but since entertainment is their primary goal movies do not have to be accurate. This is interesting, because David Mamet agrees with this view in his book (Secret Knowledge). He said that when he wrote plays attacking capitalism he did not need to have any direct knowledge of business. He relied on his imagination, and his purpose was to persuade, not inform.
What Stewart is saying, without stating it openly, is that Americans are being misled by the blending of news and entertainment. Young people look to Stewart for news, but he is giving them a distorted version, under the cover of being a comedian. We could say this is not really Stewart’s fault, since Americans should know better than to trust the media.(It is surprising that Stewart wants to be known as the Jackie Mason of television.)
Wallace asked Stewart : “What about me?” Stewart said Wallace is a competent interviewer who is at Fox to give the network an aura of integrity and professionalism. Ostensibly, this is a compliment, but actually Stewart is accusing Wallace of allowing himself to be used for a nefarious purpose.
Finally, Stewart said studies show that Fox viewers are the worst informed in the nation. I am certain Bill O’Reilly will be asking tonight where these studies can be found.
One Response to “The Sophistry of Jon Stewart”
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My favorite part of the interview was when Wallace played a clip of a raunchy Comedy Cebtral roast of Pamela Anderson, as if to make some moral
point against Stewart’s network. This from the host of a program that airs on
the same network as Family Guy. My view is that of course FOX has an agenda. Whether it’s the O’Reilly Factor, Hannity, Family Guy, Glee, Avatar,
American Idol, or the Simpsons, the agenda of FOX is to make money.