BojanglesPaladin: "Stewart. Colbert. Maher. These are today's leading truth tellers."

Oh good grief.

I have a serious man-crush on Colbert, and I think all three of these guys (though Bill Maher least) are very effective and important satirists and comentators.

But Today's Leading Truth-Tellers? Not even close. Too often they need to slant and mischaricterize for comedic effect. To often an intentionally biased take is funnier than an objective one, and let's be honest... None of these guys is even pretending to be unbiased.

I think it's great that we have guys like this, and honestly, I Dig Colbert for being very bold and holding no punches even when he's face to face (hello Bush). but these guys are not "truth tellers" by any stretch.

And it makes me a little sad that so many people can't see the difference.

Bias is the point! They aren't objective journalists (do they exist anymore?), they are political satirists (in my opinion a much more difficult and important job; like a royal court Fool). The ridiculousness of their words illustrates the truth that politics today are well beyond the absurd. And look at how...

I don't think it's a stretch to call these guys "truth-tellers" at all.

Mrtraveler01: I do learn more from NBC and CBS than I do the Daily Show

I go with POTUS live feeds, Charlie Rose and Newspaper Articles. I've almost entirely given up on broadcast news. Between news readers and field reporters who barely made it out of broadcast school and don't understand anything about what they are covering, I figure I can read the AP Wires myslef without watching them read them off a teleprompter.

One of my favorite national news reader moments: A hurricane is heading to the Gulf Coast. National Network Reporter on the scene says "Well Bob, one of the reasons that Galveston Island is so succeptable to flooding is that is ALMOST entirely surrounded by water". If these idiots can't figure out how an island works while standing on one, I don't trust them to report on socio-economic issues.

So I stick with shows where I can get unedited, non sound-bite full reporting, or qualified expert opinion where no one is trying to prove someone else wrong.

And then I watch Colbert, becasue he's perhaps the smartest man on televisioon right now. I gave up on Stewart long ago because he's way too predictable to be funny. And while I once appeared on his show, Bill Maher has never been that clever or that funny, and he's too much of a bitter, whiney biatch for my tastes.

Mrtraveler01: BojanglesPaladin: Mrtraveler01: Compared to how dumbed down the rest of the news is, I learn as much from The Daily Show/Colbert Report, that I learn from the actual news.

What do you watch for your "actual news"?

If anything, I watch the networks like NBC and CBS, I don't even bother with cable news usually and the times that I do watch CNN, my brain tries to commit suicide over the banality that channel seems to have anymore, and I don't even bother with MSNBC and FOX because I just want the news and not some asshole telling me what I should think about it.

I do learn more from NBC and CBS than I do the Daily Show, but I'd think it's safe to say that I learn as much from the shows on Comedy Central than I do from Cable News.

Every try PBS? They have some of the best TV news bits remaining today, and without the rampant commercialism!

Koch's next move will be to buy Comedy Central. Replacement auditions will begin for Colbert in 3,2 1

BojanglesPaladin: I think it's great that we have guys like this, and honestly, I Dig Colbert for being very bold and holding no punches even when he's face to face (hello Bush). but these guys are not "truth tellers" by any stretch.

And it makes me a little sad that so many people can't see the difference.

Know how we know you don't know what "speaking truth to power" means?

'Cause that literally just happened here.



But you do sound concerned.

quatchi: Which isn't to say that the American media landscape is a complete desert, of course,. just that the oases are few and far between.

I get all that. I'm just pointing out that it is absurd, and somewhat disheartening that so many people think that this is "truth".

This is satire and comedy. And like all good satire, it contains some truth.

But it should not be confused with Fact. Anymore than we would confuse Rush or O'Reilly with fact, even if it may be closer and funnier.

Smackledorfer: Urbn: Colbert is seriously one of the best political minds alive right now. It will be Colbert who is able to reach out to younger voters and get them to notice - and also CARE - about how corrupt our country has become; he will also be the one who shows them you can fight back and shine the light on these shenanigans.

If the daily show hasn't accomplished this already, I don't know what Colbert will be able to change. That's a knock at apathetic douchenozzles, not Colbert.

I don't disagree that the Daily Show really was what got the ball rolling and does good things, but I think of Stewart as kind of good cop to Colbert's bad cop. Stewart stays mostly polite, which is great, but Colbert has developed a character that doesn't have to play it polite or safe, and I personally think Colbert is a bit more courageous and willing to go to the mat than Stewart. Plus, Colbert's SuperPAC is an ingenious idea for getting the attention of younger voters or people who might think all this campaign finance stuff is too complex and mysterious for an ordinary citizen to understand.

El Pachuco: Know how we know you don't know what "speaking truth to power" means?

'Cause that literally just happened here.

What the fark are you trying to start a slap fight here about?

I farking love Colbert, and I give him mad props for publicly mocking Koch to his face just as I did when he did it to GW TO HIS FACE.

Colbert has some big swinging brass ones, and I'm glad we have him.

YOU however.. The point - you have missed it if you think that Colbert can be relied upon for objective "truth".

Cuchulane: The whole thing

Interestingly enough, the Pulitzer Committee did not give out an award for fiction this year, which is surprising since both Rumsfeld and Cheney released there memoirs.

colbert has such horrible spoken grammar

BojanglesPaladin: And while I once appeared on his show, Bill Maher has never been that clever or that funny, and he's too much of a bitter, whiney biatch for my tastes.



Think I may have caught that episode.

/Hot.

Stephen Colbert seems to be filling the same role that the court jesters played in olden days. He's the only one in the position where he can speak truth to power directly to their faces and not only get away with it, but get invited back to similar events.

KOS kids??? who reads the KOS kids?????

quatchi: Think I may have caught that episode.

Oh I wasn't a guest. I briefly appeared on a couple episodes becasue I was on the front row for a few episodes back when he was on broadcast TV.

BojanglesPaladin: Mrtraveler01: Compared to how dumbed down the rest of the news is, I learn as much from The Daily Show/Colbert Report, that I learn from the actual news.

What do you watch for your "actual news"?

You should check out al-Jazeera if you have any interest in international news. They have the best coverage of Asia and Africa, for example the recent coup in Mali.

Mentat: No one, no one has done more to control women's bodies, except maybe Cardinal Dolan.

Cardinal, congratulations, sir, you are a feminist icon.

LOL

cameroncrazy1984: He's more truthful than CNN, Fox and most newspapers, that's for sure. Remember how WaPo ran the Steve Doocy doctored quote? Our news media is much further from the truth than our satirists are.

Right. Got it we agree.

But he is a satirist. And doing that effectively means distorting things to reflect them back to us and show it in a different light.

It should NEVER be confused with factual truth. Funny, sure. Enlightening, absolutely. Derived from turth and facts, very often. But their work is to facts and truth as gold-foil chocolate disks are to actual money.

BojanglesPaladin: quatchi: Which isn't to say that the American media landscape is a complete desert, of course,. just that the oases are few and far between.

I get all that. I'm just pointing out that it is absurd, and somewhat disheartening that so many people think that this is "truth".

This is satire and comedy. And like all good satire, it contains some truth.

But it should not be confused with Fact. Anymore than we would confuse Rush or O'Reilly with fact, even if it may be closer and funnier.

Like you I've long given up on talking haircuts delivering news on network teevee and mostly stick to the print media. Think a lot of the audience who watch TDS and TCR are also relatively highly informed news junkies. You almost have to be in order to get the full benefit of watching their shows. Jon and Stephen pointing out unacknowledged hypocrisy or irony behind the headlines and giving us "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say one can sometimes lead to viewers achieving a deeper understanding of the issues than they had from the straight news alone.

Rush and O'Reilly are simply political apparatchiks there to sell a pre-fab narrative in order to promote a specific political party and their agenda. They are the opposite of truth tellers most days.

/Sometimes when reading through Fark threads I try to figure out what stories I'm reading today are gonna make it on TDS/TCR that night and am always happy when I've gotten it right.
//Anyone else do that?

dahmers love zombie: /winterwhile is the only person I have on ignore
//if people stop quoting him, he'll go away

I take him to be useless Fark meme now.

/Best part.....forever!

cameroncrazy1984: So you didn't "appear" on his show so much as you watched his show from the audience.

On the old show, the audience was in close, and so frequently appeared on camera. Nothing special or unique about it, as it's true for a ton of people, I imagine.

I did not say I was a guest. Glad we got that clarified. Not sure how relevant it is though.

cameroncrazy1984: winterwhile: KOS kids??? who reads the KOS kids?????



BEST PART

FOREVER?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????



FTFY

dahmers love zombie: /winterwhile is the only person I have on ignore
//if people stop quoting him, he'll go away


To be fair, and ironically, you ended up quoting him.

Something about dividing and zero.

cameroncrazy1984: I don't think that's true at all.

You really don't? You have never seen instances where Stewart or Colbert exempt some facts, give a biased take on something, extrapolate beyond the strict facts, etc. in order to draw attention to some aspect of current events or simply to make it funny?

Do you for instance, believe that Bears are the greatest threat facing America today, and that a cured ham with glasses can be relied upon for political advice? Of course not. Becasue we can clearly identify that TDS and Colbert "take liberties" with stories in order to make it funnier or moe impactful.

Which is OK, and very useful. But should nevereverever be confused with the genuine article.

Which of these is a photograph of a real skunk:



I take no issue with Colbert and brilliant commentary, satire, and shining a light on our system.

I'm only disputing the articles's comment that "Stewart. Colbert. Maher. These are today's leading truth tellers." I think that is wrong. And sad because so many people thing that comedy shows can be relied on for unbiased facts.

Thank you Time magazine for honoring the truly deserving billionaires of America.

Please go old school and put Hitler on your cover again. These two brothers aren't that far away from him.

Opiate of the Lasses: Rincewind53: I want to have wild, hot, gay sex with Stephen Colbert.

And I'm not even gay.

I came here to say exactly this.

Funny how supposedly not gay men immediately go to gay sex to compliment a man they're attracted to.

TheShavingofOccam123: These two brothers aren't that far away from him.

1) Godwin lame fail.
2) Perhaps you should read up on this Hitler fellow a little before using him in comparisons.

Mrtraveler01: winterwhile: KOS kids??? who reads the KOS kids?????

Ah, here come the right-wing trolls now...

Your butthurt amuses us.

did you ever code in APL?

NeverDrunk23: dahmers love zombie: /winterwhile is the only person I have on ignore
//if people stop quoting him, he'll go away


To be fair, and ironically, you ended up quoting him.

Something about dividing and zero.

AH

another eject eject eject liberal


dang

BojanglesPaladin: On the old show, the audience was in close, and so frequently appeared on camera. Nothing special or unique about it, as it's true for a ton of people, I imagine.



BojanglesPaladin: I take no issue with Colbert and brilliant commentary, satire, and shining a light on our system.
I'm only disputing the articles's comment that "Stewart. Colbert. Maher. These are today's leading truth tellers." I think that is wrong. And sad because so many people thing that comedy shows can be relied on for unbiased facts.

Eh, the writer is obviously in love with these guys, but the hyperbole isn't necessary. He's already preaching to the converted or they wouldn't be reading that site. I could do without the fanboy worship myself. Just say that you think he did a great job or something.

winterwhile

seething...........butthurt...............and fail

best part..............

BojanglesPaladin: El Pachuco: Know how we know you don't know what "speaking truth to power" means?

'Cause that literally just happened here.

What the fark are you trying to start a slap fight here about?

I farking love Colbert, and I give him mad props for publicly mocking Koch to his face just as I did when he did it to GW TO HIS FACE.

Colbert has some big swinging brass ones, and I'm glad we have him.

YOU however.. The point - you have missed it if you think that Colbert can be relied upon for objective "truth".

You're doubling down on looking stupid - you said "these guys are not "truth tellers" by any stretch."

And that's a stupid thing to say, and you're stupid for saying it, as M. Colbert would tell you.

C literally told Koch to his face, "you are corrupting our democracy by buying elections, and you set up the system just so you could do that."

You. Don't. Get it. And that's sad.

....forever!

BojanglesPaladin: TheShavingofOccam123: These two brothers aren't that far away from him.

1) Godwin lame fail.
2) Perhaps you should read up on this Hitler fellow a little before using him in comparisons.

Perhaps you should read up on the Matewan Massacre and the resulting carnage resulting from rich people hiring a few to keep the many down. Or maybe you'd like to read up on American billionaires financing and profiting from their little anti-Semitic friend in Berlin. You can start with Henry Fords's Dearborn Independent newspaper



Henry Ford had The Protocols of the Elders of Zion published in it. I believe it was the first American publication of that work. It certainly was the widest circulation at the time.

You're right. I should be more understanding of how much money guys like Koch made off of guys like Hitler. GM, Ford, IBM....they all helped the Nazis greet our soldiers at Normandy. And they were well payed for it.


Besides, Time started it, not me.