Tom Brokaw: Jon Stewart's Role Is "Important"

Tom Brokaw gave The Daily Iowan an interview, and one of the subjects they discussed was the role of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert in disseminating news to a younger generation. Brokaw said he has spoken to Stewart about this and reassured him that "what he is doing is important":

DI: A lot of the younger generation are getting a lot of their news from "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report." Is that eroding into the nightly news?

Tom Brokaw: Jon Stewart and I have talked about this a lot, and it troubles him a lot because he is a very serious consumer of news. I keep reassuring him, because I don't think he really needs to be reassured, that what he is doing is important because what he is doing is bringing people to the subject matter, and they can't watch Jon for half-an-hour, and they can't watch Stephen for half-an-hour, without having some interest what else is going on in the world.

Watch the full interview here.

Related: Tom Brokaw: Evening News Today Is "A Struggle"

Comments

[Durango]

What is Stewart's role?

To be an intelligent commentator on the news? Something you find no where else on television?

To be, apparently, the only media personality with a memory? The only one who, when a politician lies, can manage to go back and find the clips and play them?

To interview people with respect, to try and have an honest dialogue on the issues? And not play gotcha? (that's Colbert's job.)

Jon is terrific. He is intelligent, he is funny and he has the best political mind in America. He can see through the crap.

But why is he alone? Why are the rest of the media hacks so bad? Russert, Stephanopolis, Brokow, Williams. They are all terrible in comparison to Jon.

This country is in BIG TROUBLE.

[bitabingbitabangbitaboom]

It`s called: Freedom just another word for nothing left to loose

[izAriver]

He may be overrated but I think he's funny as hell! Brokaw's also right. Stewart and Colbert make it easier to stomach the real news. At least I can see some humor in what the right-wing extremist mass media dishes out and I'm encouraged to seek out more sources from all sides.

[DELICIOUS]

REICH WING MEDIA IS SCARED OF STEWART AND COLBERT. THEY EXPOSE THE TWISTED VIEW THAT SO MANY BRAINWASHED CONSERVARATS HAVE BEEN FED AND THEN BELIEVE. CONSERVARATS ARE A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY IN THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

As much as I like your comment, please take off the CAPS... after reading 50comments... it's really tough to focus on caps....plus, it's considered shouting.

[verlaine]

Jon Stewart is the most overrated comedian on Earth.

[YankeeCanuck]

You may be right. But he's not just a comedian. He's a satirist. There's a difference, you see, in substance.

[mediamarv]

Also, he's a writer. With talent.
Not something demonstrated in a lot of posts here.... not that I'm pointing fingers or anything.

Actually his greatest service is training would be talking heads how to do it.... watching his outtakes is a great education on how not to be a tv talking head. Very important public service, in my opinion,

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

Excellent point Yankee! Sattire indeed.

[quixoto]

and I'm sure he's really offended by that comment.

[dadw5boys]

yeah he is laughing all the way to the bank.

[glaze]

... and so would you, given the same opportunity.
And so would I.
What a strange capitalist country this is... where we are trained FROM BIRTH to get, buy, consume, get the latest, biggest, shiniest most expensive stuff, all the money and the status that goes with it (and inwardly denegrate anything that has a whiff of altruism)... and then when someone ELSE* makes it big in aquiring lots of the same stuff WE want... well, they're just show-offs, opportunists, overrated, undeserving, over-priviledged, untalented, just lucky, blahblahblah...

My point is that I believe we humans sadly lack the strong CONSISTENT ability to judge others on character, not on material stuff. I believe The Big Guy really screwed up in that regard.

I also believe Jon Stewart for one deserves any gain he has made from his efforts.

*e.g. Bill Gates, J. Paul Getty, J. P. Morgan, Showbiz types, Wall Street types, Stash Pyrinkowski the plumber from Mount Prospect (have you SEEN his Lexus?), blahblahblah...

[brainlego]

http://www.tvbloggen.com/archives/751#more-751
Hilarous...Jon on celebrity jeopardy. The joke and the timing on the alzheimer joke he nailed perfectly.

[GoCards1978]

Obviously you failed to see his "Parade of Wrights" bit last week. His commentary was incisive, constructive criticism of our MSM that channeled Mark Twain. This episode is my Emmy nominee, up to this point.

[swift goat pet for truth]

Watch the last interview Stewart did with McCain.

It is has more real substance than ANYTHING Russert ever did in his whole life.
And, of course, by this measure, Chris Wallace does not even show up.

The country could do worse than have:
"LIVE: The 2008 Presidential Debates - presented by Comedy Central.
Your moderators are Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert "
(important: Colbert must be in character)

You rather watch that, or something schlepped together by ABC ... or NBC ... or CBS?

[plainsman]

McCain is on again on Wednesday. I wonder if John will be as hard hitting this time around.

[Durango]

He doesn't need to be hard hitting. (although I hope he is)

He needs to be honest and direct. And not settle for spin.

And on his worst day he is better than anyone else on television. Except Bill Moyers that is.