The Daily Show has achieved an undeniable cultural significance. Want the real deal on fake news? Want to know how Jon Stewart stacks up against public intellectuals past and present? It’s time to tak
United States of America (Press Release) September 7, 2007 --
New York, NY –September 7, 2007 – In a new book to be published by Wiley-Blackwell, “The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen in the Art of Fake News”, September 20, 2007, editor and contributor Jason Holt has assembled an impressive team of seventeen fellow philosophers who, in 19 chapters, take a good look at the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning “fake news” program, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”.
"First of all," says Holt, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Communications at Acadia University, “The Daily Show is funny. It provides a unique take on the media and culture. It taps in where other shows don't – even though this is admittedly a 'fake news' program."
Chapter Two, “The Fake, the False, and the Fictional: The Daily Show as News Source,” starts with a Jon Stewart quote form March 18, 2003: “Welcome to The Daily Show, if you’re in a certain demographic” and ends with the conclusion that “…the moderately attentive viewer leaves the show better informed about the world, especially the political climate and the current state of the media. It’s fake news conveying real messages, and great entertainment to boot.”
Another chapter, “Amusing Ourselves to Death with Television News: Jon Stewart, Neil Postman and The Huxleyan Warning”, recounts Stewart’s famous retort to an accusation by Tucker Carlson on CNN’s Crossfire, who claimed that Stewart had been soft on John Kerry during a 2004 interview. Wide eyed, Stewart remarked that he didn’t realize that news organizations look to Comedy Central for their cues on integrity. "There is a parallel between Jon Stewart and Diogenes and the Cynic School of Philosophy", Dr. Holt claims, "Stewart makes no bones that the media is not doing enough. They're failing to live up to their potential."
Although H.L. Menken stated that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the public The Daily Show assumes a fairly high level of political knowledge on the part of its audience. Dr. Holt contends, "There is an intelligence that goes into constructing this humor and an intelligence that goes into understanding it. The program makes informed comments on the culture at large. However, meaning is presented, not stated. Neither does it suggest solutions. The audience is left to figure it out."
"First of all," says Holt, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Communications at Acadia University, “The Daily Show is funny. It provides a unique take on the media and culture. It taps in where other shows don't – even though this is admittedly a 'fake news' program."
Chapter Two, “The Fake, the False, and the Fictional: The Daily Show as News Source,” starts with a Jon Stewart quote form March 18, 2003: “Welcome to The Daily Show, if you’re in a certain demographic” and ends with the conclusion that “…the moderately attentive viewer leaves the show better informed about the world, especially the political climate and the current state of the media. It’s fake news conveying real messages, and great entertainment to boot.”
Another chapter, “Amusing Ourselves to Death with Television News: Jon Stewart, Neil Postman and The Huxleyan Warning”, recounts Stewart’s famous retort to an accusation by Tucker Carlson on CNN’s Crossfire, who claimed that Stewart had been soft on John Kerry during a 2004 interview. Wide eyed, Stewart remarked that he didn’t realize that news organizations look to Comedy Central for their cues on integrity. "There is a parallel between Jon Stewart and Diogenes and the Cynic School of Philosophy", Dr. Holt claims, "Stewart makes no bones that the media is not doing enough. They're failing to live up to their potential."
Although H.L. Menken stated that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the public The Daily Show assumes a fairly high level of political knowledge on the part of its audience. Dr. Holt contends, "There is an intelligence that goes into constructing this humor and an intelligence that goes into understanding it. The program makes informed comments on the culture at large. However, meaning is presented, not stated. Neither does it suggest solutions. The audience is left to figure it out."
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