From friend of the blog Rachel Sklar over at the Huffington Post:
Media Winners of 2007
Huffington Post | Rachel Sklar | December 31, 2007 04:20 AM
Stephen Colbert & Jon Stewart : Even though Stephen was named “Man of the Year” by the AP, these two have to be taken together because of what they represent: The voice of reason and reality cutting through the bullshit. Neither of them did anything breakout this year, per se – Stewart had no Crossfire moment, Colbert had no White House Correspondents Dinner – but they built on and consolidated themselves as outstanding truth-tellers and messengers of caring to this generation. Pillars of the MSM routinely laud them as a crucial element of the media (BriWi says they function “almost as a separate branch of government“); theirs were names oft-cited in dismay at what was being lost with the writer’s strike (oh, the untold Huckabee jokes!). Getting your news from Stewart and Colbert remained ever a staple (and believe me, I notice the lightening of my workload now that they are off the air). Here’s a random sampling of guests: Vicente Fox, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Al Gore, Gary Kasparov, Naomi Wolf, Jeff Toobin, Thomas Ricks, Tina Brown, Michael Beschloss, all of whom brought news and edification to their audiences (in varying degrees; Tom DeLay was on, too) (but then again, so was Jake Gyllenhaal. Mmm.) Never mind reliably hilarious moments that would be YouTube moments if Comedy Central clips were permitted on YouTube. Never mind that Colbert very nearly ran for President — and, considering the Republican field, could probably have won handily (or at least outclassed Romney and Huckabee with a firearm). Stewart/Colbert ’08!
Good honors to the both of them…but why no mention of “I Am America (And So Can You!)” ?
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I also loved how HuffPo honored BriWi (quite a nickname, indeed). He’s hilarious, which is probably not the best thing for a news anchor to be, but I think the New York Times is doing a piece on that one.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Ahh, The Giant Head of Brian Williams…those were good times.
I particularly like this quote about Jon, which appeared in one of the linked articles in the section noted above:
So no more begging off your responsibilities, claiming that as a “fake” newscaster the bar is lower. [...] You do not report fake news, you deliver commentary on the real news that is incisive and cutting, and it is hilarious and smart and real and for that you are very popular.
Well said, mediabistro.com. If Jon only realized how much power and influence he really has on our culture. I think he remains humble to stay as down-to-earth as he is, but I think sometimes he shortchanges himself and the show about their effect on American culture.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
I think it’s good Jon doesn’t realize- well he probably does, he just chooses not to act on it- how much power he has. …because with power comes responsibility…and I don’t think he wants that. He wants to tell jokes and provide some much needed relief from the train wreck that is the news.
Shout Out (Hey!):
0
Didn’t do anything breakout this year!
how about a presidential run and a new bestseller book?
Shout Out (Hey!):
0