Monday, March 23

Who Says Comedians Don't Ask the Tough Questions?

And the more important thing to ponder: Why does it take a Comedy Show, a News Show Parody, to ask the questions that need to be asked? Jim Cramer whines about how CEOs lied to him, but (and feel free to speak up if you disagree) isn't it the job of the REPORTER to check facts and figure out if the people they're getting their info from are lying to them? If all you're going to do is parrot the lines that CEOs and other executives give you, then aren't you really, for all intents and purposes, nothing more than a Publicist? The companies have PR to spread the news they want people to know. I was under the impression (from my high school newspaper classes and Veronica Mars) that reporters were supposed to research their stories and substantiate their facts with evidence. I say, Jim Cramer, stop your whining. You have the power of the press behind you, learn how to run a fucking financial background check (or whatever they call it). No intelligent CEO is going to go on national TV and say "My company is full of shit and we're going to crash and burn and all your money will go POOF!" It should be taken as a given that they're putting the most positive Pollyanna spin on whatever they tell you. The job of the reporter is to sort the lies from the truth and tell us "the viewer" which is which to the best of their knowledge. As Jon Stewart points out, "Isn't that financial reporting?" and later, "I'm under the assumption and maybe this is purely ridiculous, but I'm under the assumption that you don't just take their word at face value. You actually then go around and try and figure it out."
The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c
Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 1
comedycentral.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesImportant Things w/ Demetri MartinPolitical Humor
The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c
Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 2
comedycentral.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesImportant Things w/ Demetri MartinPolitical Humor
The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c
Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 3
comedycentral.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesImportant Things w/ Demetri MartinPolitical Humor
 You gotta admit it. Jon Stewart definitely showed up Jim Cramer, who came across--to me anyway--as a wishy-washy flip-flopper who just says what he thinks people want to hear and whines when anyone points out the inconsistencies. (Side Note: I think that Jim Cramer started this whole thing, took Stewart's original criticism that was aimed at CNBC in general personally, as a publicity stunt to try and get the ratings for his show up. Sad, pathetic man.)
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 24, 2009 at 12:00 PM

    You are absolutely correct. It is the job of the reporter to ask tough questions and check their facts. Never take anything for granted (and this is something every journalist usually learns the hard way). The trick is to ask questions they have to answer, and make sure your source is accurate. For example, I would trust the PR person of a company to tell me what their best-selling product is, how many have sold over the last year. I would not trust the PR representative to tell me how much money the company has lost in the last quarter, or that they are specifically refusing to hire women or minorities.

    This is where investigative reporting comes in, an art form that is practically lost. The job of any journalist is to press on if the question is not answered. Double check your facts, record statements, and question your source.

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  2. JaxxMarch 27, 2009 at 11:02 PM

    So the question arises, have the people at these news networks not passed Investigative Reporting 101? :-)

    ReplyDelete

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