Sense and sensibility

I think this is an important distinction.

What Jon Stewart has done by exposing CNBC's inversion of its fundamental responsibilities towards the public is significant, and sadly unique. But make no mistake, critics like Stewart cannot replace what networks like CNBC are meant to do. Hopefully, they can help shame them into accepting their responsibilities. But the state of journalism in America would not be so desperate if all we needed were more critics like Jon Stewart. What we need is for reporters do to our job better.

I was thinking about this recently as it is what Joe "Doucheborough (as Stewart called him last night)" and others on the Right don't get, and what led Fox News and the creator of 24 to such epic fail when they tried to clone The Daily Show. The Daily Show is not a political satire show. It's a media satire show. Although, contrary to claims, Stewart has pilloried the Obama administration, those on the Right reflexively think he was tougher on Bush. What they fail to understand is Stewart's primary focus was being tough on a press that fawned over George W. Bush during his first term and cheerleaded a war.