The Daily Show has become a hallmark of the ability to both convey the news and poignant information while at the same time making the target audience laugh. This essay focuses on the capacity for Jon Stewart to bring a balanced effort to the often bipartisan news environment.
In the Daily show episode ‘The Government Shutdown’, there is a broad message that is brought forward in a comedic light (The Daily Show 1). The highlights during the beginning of the show utilize the full range of acting ability that Jon Stewart possesses. Through this medium, the capacity to communicate matters of substantial import to a target audience that, in the past, did not pay much attention is a substantial transformation. Prior to the cable news outreach, many of the news outlets such as Fox and O’Reilly were left unchallenged when it came to areas of fact and truth.
Secondarily, the Daily Show utilized a politicians own words against them in order to prove the truth of the situation (The Week 1). The people that have created the Daily Show go to great lengths to ensure that the material is both topical and hard to argue with. Any typical new outlet has found itself in the partisan divide of the modern political establishment in America, yet the Daily Show thrives. The Daily Show straddles the divide, albeit in a liberal manner, in order to reveal the real facts behind the issue at hand.
In this special edition, The Daily Show, uses the very words of the Senator Cruz to discredit and illustrate the lack of education and insight that the man has (The Daily Show 1). Utilizing simple and effective methods such as pantomime and hand gestures, Jon Stewart does a very able job of characterizing the actions of the Senator as an ill-informed and poor choice of leadership. This show allows the presentation of meet the needs of the people in a format that shows both entertainment and truth brings new information and truth to the populace.
The Daily Show episode ‘The Government Shutdown’ goes on to use props such as a countdown clock to emphasize the seriousness of the emerging situation in Washington (The Daily Show 1). This tool denotes the time remaining and serves to focus the audience on the impending government shut down. Clips taken from the day’s news services, serves to provide a real world assessment of the politician’s positions on the issues of the day. The Daily Show goes to great lengths to make sure that any politician that speaks, or states a position on a controversial matter is held to those words. Often times, Jon Stewart has taken a public figure to task, both Democratic and Republican, for the stances that they have first taken and then later denied.
This attention to detail and unswerving dedication to truth on both sides of the aisle, by the Daily Show, has forged a path that many other news outlets would do well to emulate. Setting aside the sometimes exaggerated stunts that the Daily Show uses to prove their points, there are very few detractors that can mount a defendable argument against the production of the Daily Show. While many on the right side of the political aisle find themselves hating the coverage, there is widespread recognition that the Jon Stewart abides by an ethical standard that serves to endear him to a very wide ranging audience for many seasons.
A demonstration that very clearly illustrates the strength of the Jon Stewart effort is found in the staff that he has surrounding him and his production (Mediate.com 1). The Daily Show unerringly utilizes smart, talented and very relatable elements to convey the message of the show. In more than one case the ability for the Daily Show to credibly address an issue has been through the talent of their reporter. With alums such as Stephen Colbert, the long term range of the show can be felt in nearly every corner of the American political establishment.
Finally, the fundamentally balanced approach taken by the Daily Show only adds to the depth and trust that it engenders in a nation and around the world. Not afraid of the right or the left, there is a real sense of dedication and reliability in the episode that questions the very fabric of the US culture. Yet, this is the very nature of the democratic process, there must be a voice that enables the masses to identify the truth of the matter and find a means to communicate the often times multi-tiered data that comes with any emerging issue.
In the end, the Daily Show began as an answer to corrupted news sources. As a balanced method to reach the most audience, Jon Stewart has found a means to both communicate and motivate his target audience. Fusing comedy, fact and talent, the staff at the Daily Show has accomplished a rare feat: a quality news program.
Works cited
"Daily Show's Samantha Bee Grills GOP 'Traitor' Scott Rigell | Mediaite." Mediaite.com, 2013. Web. 7 Oct 2013. <http://www.mediaite.com/tv/daily-shows-samantha-bee-grills-gop-traitor-who-voted-against-shutdown/>.
"Special Edition - A Look Back at the Government Shutdown." The Daily Show, 2013. Web. 7 Oct 2013. <http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/fri-october-4-2013->.
"Watch The Daily Show rip Fox News over its shutdown coverage." The Week, 2013. Web. 7 Oct 2013. <http://theweek.com/article/index/250457/watch-the-daily-show-rip-fox-news-over-its-shutdown-coverage>.
