Daily Show host blasts media for treating the “most mundane bulls**t” as “Earth-shattering”

Comedian Jon Stewart on Monday launched into a fiery rant aimed at the media coverage of former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial in the latest episode of “The Daily Show.”

Stewart spent a portion of Monday’s segment lambasting media outlets for their coverage of Trump’s criminal trial unfolding in Manhattan, in which prosecutors have alleged that he falsified business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election.

“This trial will obviously be a test of the fairness of the American legal system, but it’s also a test of the media’s ability to cover Donald Trump in a responsible way. A task they have acknowledged they’ve performed poorly in the past,” Stewart said before showing a montage of clips from notable outlets like CNN and MSNBC acknowledging that they need to give less obsessive attention to the former president’s every antic.

    • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Even when I’m consuming my straitlaced NPR, I do enjoy a little Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me making fun of this case. Tragedy straight is pretty crushing. I need some comedy to sprinkled in so I don’t give up in complete despair.

      • Mongostein
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        2 months ago

        Sure, and you can get that from shows like The Daily Show on The Comedy Network.

        The news is supposed to be informative.

        • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          The news has had stuff like this in it since the dawn of the printing press.

          IMHO, the problem isn’t infotainment, it the quantity of infotainment.

    • lennybird@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Eh it’s 24/7 news.

      Jon nailed it that covering this stuff isn’t necessarily an issue unless something more important comes up.

      And sure we could say these news outlets could cover a range of topics if not just teach civics when nothing is happening… But they’re viewer/profit driven.

      • Mongostein
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        2 months ago

        But they’re viewer/profit driven.

        That’s the problem right there.

        • lennybird@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Absolutely. I didn’t mean to sound like I’m excusing it as Jon also noted the problem is how everything is a crisis and breaking news and it just exhausts what actually is urgent.