"The Daily Show"

The Daily Show usually picks on Fox News the most. TDS will of course pick up clips from other liberal sources such as MSNBC, but it is usually something that pokes fun at bad journalism, a stupid story that shouldn’t even be covered, or anything else that can be “spun” into a bit of humor. But when Jon Stewart picks on some of the pundits on Fox News, it is usually an ideological parody, where liberalism and conservatism clash. The opportunities for various projects on the issue of “fake news” sources are seemingly endless.

Many people still don’t take such a crass show seriously, but Stewart’s target audience is of huge interest for many people – especially politicians – and is gaining a lot of attention lately. The show doesn’t blatantly assume a liberal bias, but since most of its viewers are in a very liberal-leaning demographic, it can be safely assumed. When Bill O’Reilly had Jon Stewart onto his show a few years ago, he dug into Stewart, demanding an explanation for his lack of journalistic integrity (as if Bill O’Reilly has any), but Stewart curtly responded that “we come on after a show about puppets making crank calls.” The format of Stewart’s show allows him much opportunity for getting his own ideas across, even though I don’t typically notice this because I tend to agree with Stewart.


“The “it’s just a joke” argument that protects comedians such as Stewart (who has used this defense on numerous occasions) while simultaneously allowing them to voice unofficial criticism needs further investigation, particularly in relation to the mean-spirited use of comedy already deployed by official news people, such as Bill O’Reilly.”


The idea that there are now fake news people is pretty awesome. It is true that sometimes when I have a lazy week I’ll pick up an Onion or watch Stewart or Colbert and pick up a few sprinkles of “journalism.”





#1

Though Stewart’s writers are trained professionals, I think that high school students could employ programs such as imovie to gather some past blunders and absurd moments on major news channels, and then create a montage by clipping it exactly where they want to in order to deliver punch lines and put their own twist to the story. I’d carry this assignment out in the following fashion:

* Show a few critical strategies that the daily show employs to get a laugh out of his audience. Spend a little time discussing why certain zingers are actually funny by referencing the nature of the story as the official national media portrays it.

* Have students search for relevant clips online, but first have them choose from a list of items recently discussed in class, whether it be sexism, racism, or issues with gender.

* Create a working storyboard.

* Final clips should be between 3 and 5 minutes per group.
This would be great practice using different technologies, and the final project could even be posted on a blog or wiki. By looking into the sheer parody of news shows such as The Daily Show, students will look more critically into issues such as bias, corporate interest, and even get a few crash courses in history as they look into issues that the Daily Show has covered over the last ten years.

#2

As a literature teacher I’d love to somehow incorporate Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” into my class. Even though it is almost 200 years old, the whole essay uses devices that are used by The Daily Show today, such as constantly qualifying information with prestigious and authoritative sources (“our senior political analyst John Oliver reports…”). In “A Modest Proposal,” Swift contends that he has heard all of these awful things from “A very knowing American of my acquaintence in London” or “So many good Protestants.”

I would have students compose an essay that explains how irony and satire are effective means of criticizing an opposing viewpoint. I’d allow them to let the essay take its own course, but have them focus on John Stewart (or Colbert) and Swift as men who have an agenda, and have them explain exactly what that agenda is.