The Daily Show: Insightful Commentary or Lowering the Standard
 

I'm wondering what your opinion of the Daily Show is. I happen to enjoy the show but I'm wondering if its corrupted the national dialouge.

I feel as though thoughtful exchanges has decresed while snarky one-liners that are more obviously clever, than funny have increased. I think its become harder to have a debate of ideas with most folks more interested in getting the zinger in that actually coming to the root of something.

Is the Daily Show to blame? Am I out of line? Has this always been around? Is there another source to point fingers at?

Discuss.

I fall into the category that's more interested in comedic value than political value when it comes to political shows airing on a comedy channel.
I both agree and disagree with political points being raised on the Daily Show, but I don't really look at the show as any type of source material to fuel my internal fires regarding politics.
It's funny, I laugh, I go on with my life.

Fox News and MSNBC have been just as guilty of it for just as long, but the difference is they're supposed to be serious journalists.

If you consider The Daily Show your news source, than that's your problem. It's a comedy show, and it's funny. That's all that should matter. God forbid these Stewart and Colbert guys have the nerve to poke fun at the ever so pompous world of politics.

Political satire has always existed, but now overly self serious douchebags are acting like it's total blasphemy.

It's ridiculous.

Stewart and Colbert don't try to be real journalists, but they at least invite intelligent guests onto their programs every now and then, that's more than I can say for anyone else. Like this Mark Levin idiot whom FoxNews are pretty much in love with at the moment.

But you wouldn't say that you've experienced a "snarkification" (coined!) of issues?

i think i got past the stage where i'd consider the Daily Show a legitimate news source in seventh grade. now it's just more of a contest to see how quickly i groan.

I used to think Daily Show was funny, then I saw Colbert Report. It's overly liberal though, and never offers any sort of unbiased coverage.

It's a comedy show.

Since when is comedy ever supposed to be unbiased?

If you're expecting serious journalism from shows that air right alongside a cartoon which features characters like a pot smoking towel and an anthropomorphic piece of fecal matter in a Santa hat, then you have problems you need to deal with.

I summed that all up in my response to the OP.
We need an "I agree" smiley so people can just stop typing things.

Right so, the question wasn't "is it bias" it's "is it lowering the civil discourse."

And by the by, The Daily Show often hides behind it "being a comedy show" but much like books and music, once its out there (broadcast in this sense) the creator no longer gets to determine what it is.

If its watched as a news source, its a news source. It is the viewers source for news.

Why is it the fault of the creators if some dumbasses think it's a serious news source?