Jon Stewart Mocks Media's Coverage Of Flood: "Human Dipsticks"

Jon Stewart mocked the media's coverage of the Midwest floods on Wednesday night's "Daily Show." He cataloged the media's attempt to characterize the flood simultaneously as "the flood of the century," "the great flood of '08," "a 500-year flood," "a 1,000-year flood," and "the worst flooding in the Midwest since the last record flood15 years ago." Stewart also took a shot at reporters who sprung to action and placed themselves, literally, in the middle of the flood to do their reporting.

Watch:

Comments

[johnnyjust]

The ad hominem attack.

The refuge for the unintelligensia.

[schicklett3]

Jon Stewart is my hero!

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

Ditto! He's so on the money with this one.

[JennMostrom]

Mine, too. Of course his writing staff is to be commended as well, but it's clear from interviews (my favorite being his appearance on Bill Moyers), that he's perceptive, well-read, thoughtful, and insightful, and also obviously very concerned about the responsibilities of the media and the government.

Stewart has often stated that he believes that the one thing for which he is mildly better than others is making wisecracks -- I highly doubt that, but I'm certainly grateful for his satire. Love him and wish there were more like him.

[Durango]

A one hundred year flood simply means that there is a 1 in 100 chance of a flood occurring in any given year.

Similarly a five hundred year flood means a 1 in 500 chance.

I was in Louisiana 2 years in a row when they had hundred year floods. I think on the Amite or Comite Rivers.

So it is not that odd to have a hundred year flood followed up by a 500 year flood. And it could happen next year as well. Or next month for that matter.

What I find different is that these floods are the result of just rain. Not rain on top of snowmelt.

There is a high pressure situated over Colorado slingging these storms east to the Midwest. Sure wish we would get some of this rain in the Southwest. We could use it and the Midwest doesn't need any more.

[Durango]

I heard on NPR yesterday that they have had 15 hundred year floods in the past century. Which means their calculations are way off. What they are calling 100 year floods are more like 20-25 year floods.

Attributable to the levy systems created and engineered by the Army Corps of Engineers.

I would bet that Harry Shearer gets a whole lot of agreement from Midwestern folks the next time he blogs about the criminal responsibility of the Corps for the levy failures in New Orleans.

[Vurz]

I have been mocking the MSM for hopping in the water too. Although I haven't been laughing at them, I've been yelling "Get out of the water!" every time I see one of them in it.

With all the warnings that the water is a mix of herbicides, pesticides, sewage and fertilizer you would think that they would be smarter than that. What they hell are they thinking?

[AJTheReverb]

They were thinking "this would be an awesome stand up to ad to my audition tape".

[blurredtruth]

Well it could be, but maybe he should try living in their shoes...citizens who are suffering what their flooding. How come the press isn't agaga like New Orleans?

[andvoodoo2]

How many people have died in the Midwest floods? Last I heard, it was 4. More than 1600 people died when the levees failed in New Orleans. Are there any Midwesterners trapped in their attics, on their rooftops, on Interstate overpasses or in something like the Superdome? Has a major metropolitan area with more than a million residents had 80% of its homes flooded with 4 - 16 feet of water? Shall I go on or are you started to get the picture?

[JTyroler]

Hopefully, none of the levees break around the St. Louis area. There might be fewer deaths, but potentially more damage.

One of the bigger issues with the floods is what we'll be dealing with in the very near future - food prices. How much corn is grown in Iowa and Illinois? How many food items have corn syrup? How much fuel has 15% corn-based ethanol?

[V4Vigilance]

HUMAN DIPSTICKS?!? LOL! THAT'S THE MSM, ALRIGHT...

Oh wait, "dipsticks"? I thought he said something else.

Never mind.

[darker]

Dipsticks? Oil, HIGH GAS PRICES?
find out why you're a human dipstick...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugss-PcNomg

[RedEyes]

This bit would've been so much funnier during/after Katrina i think.

But, be that as it may, "George Bush hates Farm people!!!"

[andvoodoo2]

Oh sure, it would have "been so much funnier during/after Katrina". Until one of the 1600+ people that drowned after the levees failed floated by.

[Matt7]

Love his work. Not one of his best. "human dipstick" bit kinda OK, though.

[radicalcentrist44]

There is a real big difference between how the media is covering this flood compared with New Orleans. Wonder why? Has Wolf Blitzer said anything close to "Too poor, too black"?

[glaze]

THREE out of four ain't bad.
1. The mockery of the various talking heads and the different ways of quantifying the damage, and how they all still say the same thing.
2. The dope who keeps saying "This isn't funny" because HE'S the one who winds up looking the stupidest.
3. The clip of Bush fighting off the brain fog.
But Number 4? MEH... Satirizing the local, well-meaning TV reporters and crews standing in the water, just trying to give a visual scale to the scene? I'm not saying it's cruel, and maybe it's funny because they all do the same thing. The label 'human dipsticks' is clever, but it's also a perjorative if and when it's applied WITHOUT the intended pun. For me the humor comes from how they are so similar, not from what they actually are doing to show the story.
And before someone asks, please rest assured I am a HUGE Fan of Jon Stewart.

[pinkyboo]

Yeah it was not that funny - the gay marriage bit between John Oliver and Jason Jones was great though!

[incontempt]

Stewart, i love your work..watch every night, you have to do something about this....no one seems to be listening

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#25252591

[laurelei23]

As someone who is smack dab in the middle of that Flood of the Century, I've noticed the "correspondents" spend so much time in front of the camera, there's no time to really show the devastation and the people who live there. Lots of helicopter shots, but then it's always easier to look at things from far away....

(And since when is one journalist's death a national tragedy? I'm sorry for Russerts' family, but NBC has gone way over the line. This is about their narcissism, not a colleague's death.)

[pinkyboo]

I agree about the Russert comment- reminds me of the 5 day funeral for Ronald Reagan.

[Durango]

Saint Ronald Reagan

[fflores]

The death of Tim was a hit on different fronts... a death of a beloved person, the death of a well known father/son. the death of one of the few people that brought politics to the average joe, and that was fair to all that came on his show.

I myself, though never really too involved with politics until the last couple of years, couldn't get enough of MTP... and now i can't get enough of the tributes of such a great man/journa­list/fathe­r/son

[Danny]

I have nothing nice to say so I will say nothing about Tim Russert. He was a "great" at a time when there where no "greats"in serious TV punditry, including him. I thought the national coverage was out of proportion for a mediocre talking head. Who was the likable kind "you could have a beer with". Like our prez.

[Jason357]

Stewart is the man!!! Human dipsticks...cracks me up. MSM reporters are such goofs.

[hugs4u]

Al I can say is GW bush is coming here today, and I hope he doesnt promise us Iowans, the same stuff he promised the people in Katrina. They are still waiting for it to happen.

[thatsitfortheotherone]

Well if his adminiscastration funks this up like they did Katrina, the GOP can kiss the heartland goodbye forever. Sorry if it takes another GOP disaster.

[Durango]

Wasn't the FEMA screwup of hurricanes in Bush Seniors term crucial to Bill Clintons win in 1992?

[JTyroler]

At least there hasn't been someone in a canoe while people walk pass in the background.