Jon Stewart’s (Healthy) Obsession with Facts and Truth

About three years ago on a special edition of Hardball (MSNBC), Tom Brokaw claimed this of Jon Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show:

“There are more facts and more truths told in the first eight minutes of The Daily Show than most political news conferences in Washington.”

More recently (July 2009), readers of Time magazine voted Jon Stewart The Most Trusted Newsman in America (post-Cronkite). Pitting Stewart and Co. against Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, and Brian Williams, the poll revealed that Stewart’s popularity lies not only in the expected Democratic states like Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and Illinois but also in traditionally “red states” like Texas, Oklahoma, and Utah (see map below).

While I’m fairly certain that the majority of The Daily Show‘s audience considers itself liberal or moderate, much of what the program offers actually supersedes left/right, liberal/conservative, Democrat/Republican. Specifically, its primary interests are deciphering political doublespeak, debunking empty talking points, and laying bare the facts; the writers will attack whichever party or side is presenting the erroneous information. Again, as Brokaw rightly points out, the 22-minute show generally presents more facts and truths about the media and American politics than any other news program out there. This week’s Fox News debacle is a case in point.

Apparently last week, Sean Hannity (of Fox News) used footage of Glenn Beck’s bigger 9-12 Project protest to make the GOP’s recent health care rally appear more heavily attended. The Daily Show writers/researchers caught this misrepresentation and exposed Hannity and Fox News for their incongruity.

First, Stewart shows his audience Fox’s take on the health care rally. Narrated by Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Sean Hannity, five consecutive shots reveal several groups of people civilly picketing the health care bill on the capitol lawn. After a few seconds, Stewart interrupts the footage to analyze it, informing his audience,

“When the clip started, it was a clear, fall day in Washington, D.C., not a cloud in the sky, the leaves have changed. It’s well attended but sparse.”

While continuing to screen Hannity’s “health care footage,” the host continues,

“All of sudden, the trees turn green again and it’s cloudy and it looks like thousands and thousands of people arrive. If I didn’t know any better I would think they [Fox] put two days together and acted like they didn’t. Wait! Where have I seen that last footage before?”

Finally, Stewart cuts to Glenn Beck’s coverage of his 9-12 rally, which reveals the exact same shots that Hannity used in his piece. You can watch the scenario unfold below or view it here.

By all accounts, this display is ridiculous. Fabricating a story to further the agenda of a news organization–rather than presenting the legitimate facts–is not fair and balanced; it’s disrespectful, and frankly, it’s childish. On a similar note, after Hannity apologized to Stewart for his “mistake,” Stewart shrugged that no apology was necessary since this type of reporting is expected from [Fox]. Then, the comedian suggested a new motto for the news network: “We alter real life. You are sold a preconceived narrative.”

Yes, liberals love this, and yes, they revel in the ways that Fox News (wrongly) manipulates its (unsuspecting?) audience. And yes, I’m pretty sure that most conservatives hate this and strongly dislike Stewart as well as his politics. But the thing about Jon Stewart and The Daily Show is that their obsession with facts and truth is not limited to the conservative news media. They repeatedly attack CNN, the notoriously liberal MSNBC as well as individuals like Chris Matthews and Jim Cramer. (Oh, poor Jim Cramer didn’t know what was coming, did he?!) But ultimately, despite what some conservatives might think, it’s not Fox News or the Bush administration or Sarah Palin that is the show’s sole target. A closer look reveals that The Daily Show and its host are much more fair and balanced than that. It’s truth and facts that they continue to seek, lies and contradictions that they continue to unveil.

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