Jon Stewart takes on the Ebola Virus
In this Youtube clip of his comedy news show, The Daily Show, Jon Stewart discusses the media’s take on the Ebola Virus. His point is that the media in America is overdramatizing the whole situation in order to frighten people and get them to watch more of the news. This will get these news stations higher ratings, which leads to them making more money through advertisements. The problem this leads to is that the information given by these news stations may not necessarily be true because their goal might be to get better ratings instead of being entirely accurate.
One thing that viewers of The Daily Show have to keep in mind is that Jon Stewart is a comedian and his target audience is young adults. It is true that he can make legitimate points while also being funny, but for the most part, his show is not meant to be taken as a serious news show. Instead, it is a satirical take on the mainstream media.
It seems to me that satire is an ethical rhetorical strategy, as long as it is not portrayed as unbiased facts. Jon Stewart does not try to hide the fact that his show is meant to be funny. For example, The Daily Show airs on the television channel, Comedy Central. I believe most people understand that Jon Stewart’s show is comedy and not purely news. However, this does not mean that he does not try to say anything important on his show.
Jon Stewart is a liberal politically and he definitely tries to convince his audience to agree with his own personal viewpoints. This is demonstrated by how he makes fun of Republican politicians more often than he does Democrats. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, but viewers of his show should keep it in mind as they watch. There may be more to the situation than the show portrays.
An interesting thing about The Daily Show is that it uses many clips from various news stations. This means that viewers can learn more about topics if they want to. Maybe Jon Stewart discusses a subject that you find funny or interesting. You can then watch news segments and read articles to get a more well-rounded view on the topic. His show can be a good way to learn about what is going on in the world as long as it is not your only source of information. This is true of all forms of media though. If you only look at one source, you will get a biased view of the topic.
If you think about it, Jon Stewart does use the rhetorical devices we learned about in the Bowden and Scott reading. He uses pathos because he appeals to the emotions of his viewers through comedy, he uses logos because he references a lot of facts and news articles, and he uses ethos because he appears as if he knows a lot about the topics he is discussing. Stewart and his team do a ton of research before every show and this raises his credibility. It is fascinating how the same rhetorical devices are used in every form of public writing, from the news to comedy shows like The Daily Show. These devices really are effective ways of making a convincing point.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QIWZ7HxuHc
Featured Image Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/06/jon-stewart-ebola_n_5653585.html
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I thoroughly enjoy the late night satirical television programs such as the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Its targeted towards young adults but anybody can enjoy and learn from any of their episodes. In fact, a new study showed that the Colbert Report does a better job at reporting issues than other “real” news shows. Like you said above, using clips of various news stations helps the audience get every viewpoint on an issue. Although there is usually a bias, it helps the viewer become more engaged in an issue. I would love to have more satirical news programs airing on television.
http://deadline.com/2014/06/stephen-colbert-super-pac-study-738885/
When you turn on the news, or go to read a news source online/in print it is often easy to get lost in the headlines. Bringing attention to issues in the manner that Jon Stewart does allows the audience be engaged in a different manner. Give your analysis on his presentation of the Ebola Virus I decided to look at some other clips of his work.
This clip about the nude celebrity photo hack is very entertaining yet informative as an example of his style of news delivery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxp4XXEX4Yw. It starts off with a comical introduction to really capture the audience. However, watching the whole clip does bring some facts to light. It discusses the security breaches within iCloud, next steps for Apple security, and what this means for online security. His approach to bring humor to the situation works exceptionally well.
Everyone’s style of delivery is different but what matters is the success of how it is received and understood. Although Jon Stewart may not present the information in a different manner than traditional news stations, it is well received and accepted. It gets people thinking and talking. To me, that is successful rhetorical strategy and implementation.