The Problem With Fake News

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Messenger Archives - November 2004

The Problem With Fake News
by Jeremy M. Barker

These days fake news is taken far too seriously. Partly it's the result of so much fake news being passed off as real news in the lead-up to a misguided invasion of Iraq. And partly it's because of 9/11, which wiped away the decade's worth of apathetic slackerdom that spawned outlets like Comedy Central's The Daily Show and its print cousin The Onion. At first, the terrorist attacks seemed a death sentence to the anarchic disregard they showed toward politicians and social issues. Unable to ignore September 11, and equally unable to mock what happened, fake news - particularly The Daily Show - was forced to get serious.

The Daily Show has delivered the fledging news-parody genre even more credibility by becoming the toast of the media world - as beloved by reporters as it is by males aged 18-35, the Holy Grail of demographics, for whom it is the most popular TV news source. But as Frank Rich at The New York Times has shown, the popularity of Stewart and Co. has consequences. A few months ago, when the Bush Administration was backpedaling on all of its justifications for the war in Iraq, Vice President Dick Cheney began claiming he'd never suggested there was a link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11. It was left to The Daily Show to find clips of Cheney making exactly that claim no less than three times in his pre-war interview with Tim Russert on Meet the Press. What should have been a major story was thus dismissed because of who broke it, even as The Daily Show earned yet more respect among the media elite.

That's why it was so refreshing to see Jon Stewart abscond the real media on his recent, controversial appearance on CNN's Crossfire. When Tucker Carlson, the show's dorky, bow-tie wearing arch-conservative, began upbraiding Stewart for going "soft" on John Kerry when he was a guest on The Daily Show, suggesting what he "would have liked to hear [Stewart] ask," Stewart snapped back. "I didn't realize - and perhaps this explains a lot - that the news organizations look to Comedy Central for their cues on integrity."

Stewart went on to lambaste Crossfire's harsh partisan rhetoric for "harming the country." When the host once again tried to turn the tables, Stewart shot back, "You're on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls."

Stewart made a good showing, attacking the mainstream media for their failings and essentially stating that his purpose was humor, not news. Unfortunately, he looked so good it may just exacerbate the situation further. Still, it's good to know Stewart hasn't gotten above himself, and if he's gaining the credibility that some commentators attribute to him, it may just be The Daily Show's resident parodist who helps right the media. Here's to Jon Stewart hosting a presidential debate in 2008.