We Depend on Comedians to Ask the Questions Newscasters Won’t
Truth slips through the cracks. Could anyone have imagined that when we had 24-hour news broadcasting, we’d actually be getting less news? Well, we are. With fatuous, reactionary, and pandering coverage from news media, they’re no longer reliable sources. Corporate ownership, competition, and their fear of losing access to newsworthy politicians make today’s journalists barely journalists at all.
Fortunately, we have comedians like Lizz Winstead, comedian and co-creator and former head writer of the Daily Show.
So we’ve learned to turn to the “fake news” of Last Week Tonight, The Daily Show, and The Nightly Show. Reality is so much more complex and challenging than what we see on the news that it helps if it’s at least funny. It’s also important, Winstead notes, that sharing a laugh makes you feel less alone and crazy. So just watch how Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver is sure to slip in a broad, goofy joke just after each disturbing chunk of information.
No joke: Comics have stepped in before when media has failed at critical moments in the nation’s history. This may well be one of them.
Headline image: D Dipasupil
