What does it say about the on-going relationship between the media and the political class

that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert offer more insight than can be found almost anywhere else.

The whole gay in the military as being more dangerous to our democracy than torture was spot on.

I guess this development shouldn't come as a surprise. Down through history the jester or the fool always had leeway to criticize the crown. I guess the more things change the more they stay the same.

No offense to either of them, I like them and think they're funny.

But it's not a new practice to have satirists who make jokes about controversial issues, while the rest of the media, or voice of the people, is censored.

in bed with the ruling political party for the most part.

No-one dares censor them.

It could happen!

I loved Stewart tonight, and he concentrated on teh gay issue, which should be changed by my favorite pres. I hope this is an alternate learning experience.

with the people in the news, that keeping those relationships is more important that reporting.

It says that the networks are so used to putting public relations people in key positions that all they seem to know how to do with information is spin it to protect this one or attack that one. Comedy Central obviously has researchers in key positions. They don't care if everything is vetted properly and spun to fit an agenda. They are too busy checking the information for accuracy, and looking back for historical consistency.

It says that network interviewers are so comfortable with simply promoting themselves and their guests that they don't see any reason to go any deeper, and they don't think their viewers need any deeper information than that. With their lack of researchers they don't have any way of getting beyond the surface level knowledge of the people they interview, so the interviews are shallow by necessity. Comedy Central has people doing homework, so the hosts are prepared. They usually know so much about the people they interview, and what those people do and have done, that they can dig deep. Comedy Central also believes that there is a value in digging deep and that viewers want to see them dig.

It says that you can tell a whole lot about what is going on behind the scenes by watching what makes it on the screen.

It says a whole lot of sad things about network television and their priorities. :(

I trust TDS 10x more than anything on CNN/MSNBC.