Rupert Murdoch Is A Giant Tool

The subject of this Nozzlatory disquistion arose from an article on Digg.com and a questions posed by one of the Diggers there:

http://digg.com/politics/Colbert_Stewart_Provide_Better_News_Than_O_Reilly_Dobbs?OTC-ig

"But seriously, what does this say about people and the media in general if they would rather watch Comedy ***** Central then news networks?"

It's obvious really. For the same reason I watch South Park. Behind the potty humor is a show that consistently takes on the current issues of the day and provides sane discourse on serious topics and insane discourse on the crap the media is obsessed with that doesn't deserve the air time People would rather watch Stewart and Colbert because mainstream news is no longer about journalism and hasn't been for some time. They manage to inform while they entertain. Additionally, dumbasses aren't watching these shows to begin with because they wouldn't get the humor, which is usually based on the facts of the stories.

I was employed in TV in the early 90s and noticed two distinct camps I call the journalists and the broadcasters. The former were passionate about journalism and the mission they had to bring the important, appropriate news to the people. The latter were more about ratings and making the jump to the larger market or they were just too young to understand what the implications of stories were to the audience. Asking a 22 year old line producer to make judgement calls about things they have no experience of is a recipe for disaster.

And while I'm at it... who really gives a shit what Cokie Roberts has to say about anything!?! Its just the DC insider people lubing up and strokin' their tools. The White House press corps members are hamstrung by their need for access to the players in the government... the newsman who tells the painfull truth will be shut out, so the answer is to "go along to get along."

Ultimately, I blame the British. That's right, the Brits and their damn tabloid journalism! That was the precursor to "A Current Affair" (which starred future douchnozzle extroadinaire, Bill O'Reilly) which spawned a whole other carcass full of maggots. You could argue that Rupert Murdoch is behind the lion's share of this and you'd be right... but remember, although he's Australian, he was educated in Britain and therefore kinda British. From Wikipedia: "When the daily newspaper The Sun entered the market in 1969, Murdoch acquired and converted it into a tabloid format, which by 2006 was selling three million copies per day." He did the same thing with the New York Post and also created that bastion of journalistic integrity STAR Magazine.

So, to return to the Daily Show, and the Colbert Report; There is more intelligent, insightful journalism hidden in the bits and gags contained therein than there is in most of the "mainstream" news shows. These shows will call a spade a shovel regardless of the politics involved. They are able to draw attention to the absurdities of our government in action precisely because they are not too close to the players to step on toes, and that's what real journalism does. It shows you the facts without regard to whom it will piss off.