Jon Stewart hates the news

Did you see Jon Stewart on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace? He was pissed. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him not funny for that long.

“The embarrassment is that I’m given credibility in this world because of the disappointment that the public has in what the news media does,” Stewart said.

“I don’t think our viewers are the least bit disappointed with us,” Wallace said. “I think our viewers think, finally, they’re getting somebody who tells the other side of the story.”

“Who are the most consistently misinformed media viewers?” Stewart shot back, his voice rising. “The most consistently misinformed? Fox, Fox viewers, consistently, every poll.”

Here are some thoughts on the polls Stewart was talking about.

Wallace was trying to get Stewart to say that FOX News has no more of a conservative bias than the mainstream media has a liberal one. Instead, Stewart hammered FOX News and said that the mainstream media is obsessed with sensationalism, conflict, and laziness.

I would like to see a poll on how many other news sources FOX viewers turn too. Many of the FOX viewers I know feel like the network is the only one that “gets them.” I guess what I’m saying is that I believe that FOX viewers are the most loyal and their unwillingness to look for news elsewhere contributes to the damning poll numbers Stewart referenced.

I watch FOX. I also watch CNN, MSNBC, BBC, Al-Jazeera, and tap into a world of news outlets via Twitter. I don’t always agree with the politics or viewpoints provided by all of these outlets. But whenever I find myself immersed in a world of people and pundits who see the world exactly like I do, I know I need to poke my head out of my bubble. I’m in danger of drinking some spiked Kool-Aid.

Agreeing with someone who thinks like you is easy. Considering an alternate viewpoint actually requires thought and may lead to learning.

I explore media stereotypes here.

 
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