Jon Stewart Daily Show Questions Landry Brown 1.

. When Bill Moyers comments that Jon Stewart has said many times, [I] dont want to be a journalist, what is Stewarts response? He responds by saying that he does not want to be a journalist and that he is not a journalist. 2. What does it mean to function as a sort of editorial cartoon? What does Stewart mean when he says that we [the show] are a digestive process? This means that he and his staff work to illustrate, exaggerate, or make fun of a certain topic in hopes that their work serves as a form of social or political commentary. When he says that they are a digestive process, Stewart means that that the writing staff breaks down complex or confusing governmental/political news and presents it to the public in ways that they can understand the material, whether this be with humor or a more journalistic approach. 3. Why might the young people who work for [Moyers] think they get better journalism from [Stewart] than from Sunday morning talk shows? Young people might think they get better journalism from Stewart because of the way the information is presented. The information is presented via a younger, more hip medium: satire. This satire knows no bounds. Stewart is not afraid to cross lines and present subjects in a risqu way, garnering the attention of many young adults. This captures the audience and leaves them wanting more, more so than a talk show on a Sunday morning. 4. Stewart comments that he does not see himself and his show as warriors in their cause, but instead that they want to write jokes about the absurdity that we see in government and around the world. What then are Jon Stewarts targets? Stewart has a very broad target range. He stated his targets are any absurdities in the government and political realm as well as absurdities seen around the world. In the video, Stewart targets George Bush and his involvement in the War in the Middle East as well as Alberto Gonzales and his court trial. However, these are not the only targets of Jon Stewart. These were just the two that were at that time most recent. 5. What is Stewarts purpose for writing the jokes on Daily Show? Stewarts purpose for writing jokes on the Daily Show is to highlight the absurdities of policies, ideologies, and personal statements of major political and world figures. He also criticizes national and world affairs that he feels the public has been made unaware of. He writes the jokes in attempts to draw an issue to the American public and present it in a way that informs and educates the public, while allowing them to draw their own inferences on the topics presented.

6. Stewart uses a variety of the techniques we were introduced to in lesson 1. As you view the clips and commentary from Stewarts jokes about Bush and Alberto Gonzales, pay attention to the techniques that he uses. Do you see sarcasm? Irony? Understatement? Hyperbole? Stewart uses sarcasm and hyperbole. He uses sarcasm in his description of Bushs view and policy about funding the war in Iraq. He shows the digression of Bushs stance on the War in the Middle East, which he purposely puts out of order in order to garner a certain reaction from the audience with phrases such as were making great political progress in Iraq and were showing no political progression in Iraq. He also uses hyperbole when discussing Alberto Gonzales by referring to him as a low-functioning pinhead. Stewart then goes on to exaggerate the election process, referring to the countrys election process as the American public saying, We'd rather you be President than that guy. He exaggerates and satirizes some of the processes of the American government.