US Media

[Eamonnca1]

If Fox News were held to the same standard that Brian Williams is being held to now, they'd have to fire the entire staff.

As for Jon Stewart, I don't think this is the end of an era at all. He has effectively created a whole new genre. Colbert had a good run on his own show. John Oliver's just hired another load of investigative journalists for his show. I hear Larry Wilmore has his own thing going with his new show. Two critically acclaimed spinoffs and another probably underway. Established as a launch pad for comedy careers. Not a bad record.

What I like about the Daily Show spinoffs is they're all unique.  Colbert was a caricature of a blow-hard conservative TV pundit who's absorbed by his own righteousness. Last Week Tonight takes complex issues and presents them clearly and hilariously with a long segment that still manages to keep your attention. (Dunno what Larry Wilmore's show is like yet because I haven't seen it.)

A lot of variety in there compared to the standard late night US TV shows which all seem to have the exact same format. (Live band makes a big deal about the presenter, lead singer/musician of the band banters with the presenter once in a while, presenter starts with a stand-up routine monologue discussing the issues of the day, lists the guests, then brings them on one at a time. Presenter sits behind a desk on the right with a big fake classic microphone on it, guest sits on a chair on the left. Each show is identical. I can't even remember which one is which TBH.) 

The Daily Show crowd has been nothing if not innovative. It'll be interesting to see how it evolves now. And I can't say I blame Stewart for getting burned out.

[Oraisteach]

Good assessment, Eamonn, but I think it's even broader than Fox News.  If those government members who knowingly lied about WMD before the Iraq War were had been held to the same standards as Williams, then a lot of famous people would've been out of circulation. 

BTW, I've seen the Wilmore show, and though it's amusing, it lacks the heft of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.  John Oliver, on the other hand, is excellent in the depth of his exploration of some serious topics. 

[Eamonnca1]

Jon Stewart actually picked up on that the other night. Says it's about time someone was busted telling lies about the war in Iraq!

As for Wilmore, it might take him a while to settle in and for the show to take shape. We'll see.

[The Iceman]

they're all mad. I listened to both MSNBC and Fox News radio for a good 4 hours on a drive through Oregon recently and the crap they both spin is unreal....

[tyssam5]

they're all mad. I listened to both MSNBC and Fox News radio for a good 4 hours on a drive through Oregon recently and the crap they both spin is unreal....

For future reference NPR is 91.5 in Oregon!

[J70]

Good assessment, Eamonn, but I think it's even broader than Fox News.  If those government members who knowingly lied about WMD before the Iraq War were had been held to the same standards as Williams, then a lot of famous people would've been out of circulation. 

BTW, I've seen the Wilmore show, and though it's amusing, it lacks the heft of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.  John Oliver, on the other hand, is excellent in the depth of his exploration of some serious topics.

Oliver is the obvious man to replace him, if he wants it.

He was excellent that summer he filled in. Remember "Carlos Danger"?! 

[J70]

Stewart will be missed though.  It was just hilarious watching him hang Fox News and the crazier right wingers night after night, merely by their own ridiculous words, logical fallacies and, especially,  double standards and hypocrisy.

[Syferus]

Stewart will be missed though.  It was just hilarious watching him hang Fox News and the crazier right wingers night after night, merely by their own ridiculous words, logical fallacies and, especially,  double standards and hypocrisy.

HBO are the cute hoors in all this. John Oliver was the heir apparent and if not for HBO stealing him Stewert and co would have no problems in continuing the show. His show just got a big renewal a couple months ago, I can't see him abandoning ship to return 'home' to exist in Stewert's shadow again. Just look at how much traction Oliver's HBO show has gotten, and rightly so. Now they may have to dial in a Hail Mary and hope for the best.

Thought Larry Wilmore's take on the satire format is good, one topic or theme that's discussed over the entire show. Quite different to Colbert, but still good. It's not a good place for Comedy Central to be in having to replace both Stewert and Colbert within a year of each other. The bar has been set ridculiously high.

It's like someone taking the money and the population from Dublin and still expecting them to be as good as they were..

[Eamonnca1]

My pick for hosting the Daily Show now would be Aasif Mandvi. I could see him bringing his own wry style into it, although it'd be intriguing to see him drop character to do the interviews. Unless he does a Colbert and stays in character through the whole show. Speaking of which, Colbert was so good at staying in character that it's almost unsettling to see the real him, which wasn't very often. It's like someone who always wears glasses and you knew them for years but then suddenly takes them off for a second and you can't help but gawk.

[whitey]

As a conservative the best show for balanced political commentary (imo) is Morning Joe on MSNBC.

Fox and CNN are both unwatchable and the mainstream news papers (NY Times and Boston Globe in particular) are so far left of center I wouldn't wipe my ar$e with either

[omaghjoe]

As a conservative the best show for balanced political commentary (imo) is Morning Joe on MSNBC.

Fox and CNN are both unwatchable and the mainstream news papers (NY Times and Boston Globe in particular) are so far left of center I wouldn't wipe my ar$e with either

Conservative suggests they would be sensible and balanced however in this country it seems to mean entirely the opposite for some reason.

But the media here always takes a disappointing slant to either one perceived side or the other. And is full of this annoying mock outrage at almost every story they run.

[muppet]

Anyone who thinks all mainstream media in the US is to the left, is either a billionaire or very easily led.

And I consider myself right of centre.

I suspect we will see a big jump to the real left everywhere soon, when people realise that the stuff in their wallets and bank accounts is worthless.

[whitey]

Anyone who thinks all mainstream media in the US is to the left, is either a billionaire or very easily led.

And I consider myself right of centre.

I suspect we will see a big jump to the real left everywhere soon, when people realise that the stuff in their wallets and bank accounts is worthless.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/05/12/president-obama-irs-scandal-watergate-column/8968317/

[muppet]

Anyone who thinks all mainstream media in the US is to the left, is either a billionaire or very easily led.

And I consider myself right of centre.

I suspect we will see a big jump to the real left everywhere soon, when people realise that the stuff in their wallets and bank accounts is worthless.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/05/12/president-obama-irs-scandal-watergate-column/8968317/

You didn't get my point.

The Democrats are not left wing, by any international comparison.

[whitey]

Anyone who thinks all mainstream media in the US is to the left, is either a billionaire or very easily led.

And I consider myself right of centre.

I suspect we will see a big jump to the real left everywhere soon, when people realise that the stuff in their wallets and bank accounts is worthless.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/05/12/president-obama-irs-scandal-watergate-column/8968317/

You didn't get my point.

The Democrats are not left wing, by any international comparison.

Whats your definition of left wing?

Left wing relative to what?

Whats your benchmark? Stalin?

Left wing socially, or fiscally?

Lost of ways to define left and right wing, depending on what your sarting point is!