Jon Stewart And Brian Williams

Today’s outcome for both Jon Stewart and Brian Williams saddens me. And, in the end, shouldn’t it be all about the viewer?

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A real one-two punch today. Brian Williams suspended for six months, then Jon Stewart announcing he’s leaving The Daily Show. I’ll start with Stewart.

Shocked!

There was no way I saw this coming. It would be different if Rosewood, his directorial debut, had gotten rave reviews. He is walking away from the goose tha lays the golden egg!

Today Jon Stewart is a powerful political force. Attention from The Daily Show can swing public opinion.

He undoubtedly understands the powerful voice he commands doesn’t leave the show with him. Just ask Glenn Beck, Howard Stern or Oprah. They left over-the-air broadcasting for positions with less visibility and influence.

Fifteen years is a long time. Stewart, especially after the movie, doesn’t seem as passionate. There are more movie star interviews and fewer examples of Stewart as TVs only interviewer who actually read the book. Better to quit before that lack of drive becomes too obvious?

I will miss The Daily Show. It’s the only show I watch even if I can’t fast forward through the ads.

Selfishly, I’ll be sad.

Brian Williams situation is a little more complex. NBC says he’s suspended for six months without pay. He’s a union employee. Suspensions only happen like this if negotiated with Williams’ full agreement and everyone signs off.

I’ve never met Brian Williams, but I know folks who’ve worked with him. I’ve never heard a bad word–and I would have. He’s always been cited as the kind of guy you want in your newsroom.

We all fall victim to puffery. Everyone inflates their resume a little. This is more than most. Maybe it is an actionable offense?

However, Brian Williams deserves to have his transgressions weighed against the total of his professional life. There’s a little Geoff self pity in that last sentence.

Should Brian Williams’ penalty be a life sentence? I don’t think so, but not strongly enough that my opinion might not change over time.

Today’s outcome for both Jon Stewart and Brian Williams saddens me. And, in the end, shouldn’t it be all about the viewer?

Why Must I Wait For The Daily Show You’ve Seen?

Out here on the west coast we get mostly leftovers. If there’s voting in a show, usually we can’t. If the font screams LIVE, probably not for us.

Stewart Mocks Obama  Can’t He Condemn Russia Just a Little Faster    Mediaite

Like clockwork, every night asap Mediaite.com posts most/all of Jon Stewart’s first block. It’s 8:53 PM PDT as I type and what you see above is now online.

The Daily Show doesn’t air here for another two hours!

I’ll admit it, this is a first world, 21st Century problem. But it gnaws at me.

Out here on the west coast we get mostly leftovers. If there’s voting in a show, we can’t. If the font screams LIVE, probably not for us. Facebook and Twitter conspire nightly to spoil all the tube’s surprises.

This kind of TV worked 20 or 30 years ago. There’s no good reason to hold back now, except to protect someone’s outdated business model.

I’m waiting for the show. Stewart is best watched in context. He’d better be funny.

Matt Drudge Is A Slimy Weasel

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Matt Drudge is a slimy weasel and the poster child for why America’s so damned angry. The screengrab above is from Drudgereport.com, Thursday evening, 8:08 PM PDT. His headline, “‘HOPE AND CHANGE’ TURNS TO RAGE”

As is normally the case, Drudge isn’t promoting his own story, but one published elsewhere. His link is to Britain’s Mail Online and describes what happened yesterday, not tonight.

Heavily armed SWAT police trained their guns on the public and fired tear gas in Ferguson, Missouri, last night as racial unrest over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen rocked the St. Louis suburb for the fourth night running. (emphasis mine)

An inflammatory photo of Michael Brown, the unarmed young man shot by a Ferguson, MO policeman sits above the headline, his middle finger unfurled. The headline itself is a dig at President Obama. It’s a Drudge twofer!

But, hold on. Brown was a high school graduate getting set to attend trade school for HVAC repair. He had no criminal record. In other words, he was training for a job. He was no thug.

cjmusickAttorney C.J. Musick came up with “#IfTheyGunnedMeDown,” a hashtag which quickly went viral on Twitter. Black men (and a few women) posted two shots of themselves–one which could be interpreted as threatening and another more mainstream and docile.

The attached photos on the left shows Musick with President Clinton and with a bottle of cognac. Which would be used #IfTheyGunnedMeDown, he asked?

Drudge can’t be bothered with tonight’s turnabout to peaceful protests under the supervision of the Missouri Highway Patrol and with a less militarized police presence. That doesn’t fit his narrative.

The press should be free. Drudge is entitled to slant the news as he wishes. It’s our right. It’s his right. But, someone’s got to call him out on it.

I can’t guarantee tonight will stay trouble free. But I won’t purposely blind myself to the truth as Drudge has.