Politics

[Lyanne]

I worry when a lot of people get their education on current events from a comedian that is decidedly partisan.

LOL, no worries. I don't consider Jon Stewart education.

[CLEP101]

I am a raging liberal,

I like you already! :roflol:
As conservative as I am, I have to say that most of my best friends are hard core liberals, or Progressives as they like to call themselves.

[burbuja0512]

I worry when a lot of people get their education on current events from a comedian that is decidedly partisan.

I tend to get my news from CNN and my commentary from a mix of Fox and MSNBC.

Lol Ryoder.. .not sure that anyone who watches Jon Stewart consider it education, we just consider it entertainment, but also enjoy how he uncovers so much BS. I watch him nightly but it's just to laugh (well that and my not-so-secret crush on him. DH knows and is ok with it.. we even managed to conveniently schedule business trips in DC the week of his rally. Yes DH and I were there)

Good call on watching a mix of news networks. Very few people do that. I don't think I could stomach quite that much news, but if you can, it's nice to see both sides. Although I wonder if any of the extreme opinions really represent more than 5% of the country. CNN is a lot more moderate, but they're still more interested in ratings than providing genuine journalism.

I like you already!
As conservative as I am, I have to say that most of my best friends are hard core liberals, or Progressives as they like to call themselves.

The funny thing about that is in spite of what appear to be major differences, I think that true conservatives have more in common with hardcore liberals than a group of moderates. I think it's why I like Ron Paul so much.. lots of what he says makes a lot of sense to me. If you go back and look at the Republicans of the Goldwater era, I really like their ideals more than most of today's GOP.

Of course I don't really like today's Dems either. All of the major politicians out there are totally bought out by large corporations and I truly believe that there was a deeper reason as to why Ron Paul didn't get any press over his success in the straw poll. My hunch is that he doesn't have a corporate sponsor and so therefore the networks are "encouraged" to give others the spotlight.

[dcan]

I've come to find that CNN is "ok", and NPR is actually quite good at real news analysis, especially On Point which seems pretty fair and even-handed on most occasions. The host even tries to temper his own bias and just moderate true discussions. Fox and MSNBC are right out.

Of course I don't really like today's Dems either. All of the major politicians out there are totally bought out by large corporations and I truly believe that there was a deeper reason as to why Ron Paul didn't get any press over his success in the straw poll. My hunch is that he doesn't have a corporate sponsor and so therefore the networks are "encouraged" to give others the spotlight.

Exactly!

Just remember, this is how we get our news now:



Relevant:

• John Stewart on Crossfire explains exactly what the problem is
  
• Roger Ailes designed the prototype for Fox News in 1970 as a propaganda arm of the Nixon administration. The plan was found in the Nixon Library.
  

He knew that ‘people are lazy’ because they were reading fewer newspapers - and with television the ‘thinking is done for you’.

[ryoder]

Taken from:

Daily Show and Colbert Report Replacing Traditional News Sources? | Indecision Forever | Political Humor and Satire Blog | 2012 Election | Comedy Central

Here's some kind of depressing news about The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Apparently, an unsettlingly high number of people think they're capable of replacing traditional news sources…

Thirty-two percent (32%) of adults ages 30-39 believe this to be true, while 42% disagree, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Thirty percent (30%) of those ages 18-29 say programs like the two Comedy Central shows that feature news reports with a comic twist are replacing traditional news outlets, but 35% disagree and another 35% are not sure.

What percentage of those people do you think understand the difference between making fun of news reports for 22 minutes four days a week and actually reporting news stories?

Listen, I'm not disparaging the subtle art of looking into a camera and saying a bunch of idiotic nonsense in a silly voice. I do realize that Wolf Blitzer will always have his place.

But he and Jon Stewart are doing two entirely different things. And it's scary to think that nearly a third of all Americans don't get that.

[burbuja0512]

Taken from:

Daily Show and Colbert Report Replacing Traditional News Sources? | Indecision Forever | Political Humor and Satire Blog | 2012 Election | Comedy Central

Here's some kind of depressing news about The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Apparently, an unsettlingly high number of people think they're capable of replacing traditional news sources…

Thirty-two percent (32%) of adults ages 30-39 believe this to be true, while 42% disagree, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Thirty percent (30%) of those ages 18-29 say programs like the two Comedy Central shows that feature news reports with a comic twist are replacing traditional news outlets, but 35% disagree and another 35% are not sure.

What percentage of those people do you think understand the difference between making fun of news reports for 22 minutes four days a week and actually reporting news stories?

Listen, I'm not disparaging the subtle art of looking into a camera and saying a bunch of idiotic nonsense in a silly voice. I do realize that Wolf Blitzer will always have his place.

But he and Jon Stewart are doing two entirely different things. And it's scary to think that nearly a third of all Americans don't get that.

I agree and disagree at the same time. As much as I love Stewart and Colbert, they are comedians, not news. Stewart will frequently mention this on his show. I have literally watched him every day for years.. I DVR him and watch him on the weekends if I don't have time to see the show during the week. I can honestly tell you that he references the fact that he's a comedian often and I have heard him say on several occasions that people should not get their news from him.

However, I've also seen other comedians such as Bill O'Reily and Rachel Maddow posing as serious journalists on Fox and MSNBC respectively. If you're watching Comedy Central and two very obviously fake news shows, even if you agree with everything that Stewart and Colbert are saying, it's pretty difficult to think that you stumbled across a real news network. Fox and MSNBC are more deceptive in that many of their viewers trust that since they're watching a news channel, that what they're watching is real and legitimate.

I also don't think that CNN is all that... they're supposed to be the neutral ground, according to them anyhow, but if you watch their stuff, they're just as guilty of poor reporting as Fox and MSNBC. Perhaps they're not obviously trying to push a party, but they're still fighting for ratings.

More than anything, people turn to Stewart and Colbert because they're just so darn sick of what's out there. We already know that we can't take news channels seriously and many people unfortunately feel that there isn't a lot of difference between MSNBC, Fox, and Comedy Central. I really feel that it's the disillusionment that people are feeling with current journalism is pushing people towards Stewart/Colbert, not the fact that the average American is incapable of realizing that it's Comedy Central.

[CLEP101]

However, I've also seen other comedians such as Bill O'Reily and Rachel Maddow posing as serious journalists on Fox and MSNBC respectively.

I like watching Bill O'Reilly, but he is NOT a journalist and he has not said that he is. He used to be back in the day for CBS and ABC. He clearly says that he is a political commentator (leans conservative IMO even though he says he's in the middle) and is not news. He just points things out and leaves it to the viewer to decide. (sounds like a talking point)
How can you not like Bill O'reilly, it's always a shouting match.
The funny thing is that everytime I watch Rachel Maddow, and Keith Oberman it's just a repeat of what Bill just finished saying before them, except of course pointing out what was wrong.
But either way, I haven't watched TV since April, just read internet news. I've noticed that I don't have headaches anymore. :roflol:

[burbuja0512]

But either way, I haven't watched TV since April, just read internet news. I've noticed that I don't have headaches anymore. :roflol:

:iagree: :iagree:

I lived in Mexico for six years back in the late 90's/early 00's. When I first moved there, I barely spoke Spanish... definitely not enough to understand the news. Those were the most stress-free years of my life. When I came back to the states people were honestly shocked that I would ask questions such as "Who is Jon Benet Ramsey?" and be totally serious.

[FinancialWorld]

But either way, I haven't watched TV since April, just read internet news. I've noticed that I don't have headaches anymore. :roflol:

Same here. When TV signal went from analog to digital, my family and I didn't even bother updating. We just didn't (and don't) watch TV anymore. Its just so boring. Anything that's worth listening to, can be found and watched on the internet in less time (no commercials). For news and information, I use only the internet and a little of the radio.

Can I just drop a name bomb? Rush Limbaugh....:leaving:
I don't like listening to him, but I agree with a lot of things he says. I see him the same way as I would see Glenn Beck. They are entertainers, and while their points are usually (not always) spot on, their shows are still only based on entertaining. Its still the people's job to make changes.

I'll just let that bomb simmer for awhile

[IgnazSemmelweis]

I also don't get the "I watch MSNBC AND FoxNews to get an even mix" as if that's somehow better than just watching one or the other. You just have to watch two steaming piles of shit instead of one.

Watching the Daily Show and Colbert Report would be better than most anything else on TV right now politics related liberal bias or not.