This first part is mostly for my professor: Professor Cohen, i'm sorry I haven't been blogging very much, I just got done with writing two ten-page papers, and my life has kind of been consumed by them. They're done now, so I'm back to blogging.
I'm constantly amazed at how the best reporting on national events, the best let's-get-to-the-bottom-of-this reporting comes out of Comedy Central. Why is it that John Stewart, on a comedy show, has the ability to show the contradictions and hypocrisy that plague politics on a consistent basis. Why can't anyone else do this?
It's because as a comedy show, Stewart doesn't have to worry about being too politically correct, or worry about asking people questions that are too hard so they won't have to come back. Because his biting social commentary come in the guise of comedy, he can do essentially whatever he wants, have whoever he wants as a guest, and ask whatever he chooses. He also just flat-out has more courage than most people in the news industry because he knows that no matter what he does, Comedy Central won't come down on him and people will continue to watch his show.
In short, he can do what he does because he doesn't have to deal with corporate pressure, and he has a dedicated fan base. If only people who did "real news" had the freedom he enjoys, then we might actually really be able to see some worthwhile reporting.
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