# Jon Stewart vs John Stossel -ouch **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798 "2004-03-17T04:47:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/21 "2004-03-17T23:33:26Z")
Stossel is like Dennis Miller, an extremist liberal born again into an extremist conservative. Pulitzer prize winning Jon Stewart was very liberal, but instead of swinging toward the extremism of conservatism, he’s now an avid moderate who skewers those living at either end of the spectrum. Peace. ---
**Author:** ![Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@Moo\_the\_Magic\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moo_the_Magic_Cow)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/22 "2004-03-18T00:14:21Z")
The oversimplifications Stossel made were just really ludicrous. I couldn’t imagine _anyone_ holding their tongue. I like Jon better when he can actually make a joke without sounding like he’s not paying attention. and moriah - I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. The fact is that politicians from either side tend to ignore common sense far too often. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/23 "2004-03-18T02:30:02Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’d rather he talk to the politicians, his talents aren’t used as well when he’s talking to an actor. They typically have nothing to say except “go see my next movie.” I don’t know. He was interviewing Val Kilmer a while ago, and Kilmer was being a bit of a dick. When Kilmer asked him if he had seen his new movie, he said: “Are you kidding? Ten bucks for that piece of sh\*t??”. It was hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/24 "2004-03-18T02:53:04Z")
John Stossel actually makes Geraldo look dignified and ethical. One of the greatest moments in the history of television was when John Stossel got bitchslapped to the ground by a pro wrestler named Dr. D. Stossel should do more interviews like that. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/25 "2004-03-18T03:04:26Z")
> [@seriousart](#): > > Well, like so many DS pieces, they took a real story and then take it a little too seriously. Colbert started quizing her on the many drugs she may have taken, starting with real ones, then just making up names of increasing ludicrous drugs, like Goofballs and “faggadrems” (IIRC). > > Stossel didn’t seem to get the joke. You kids today. “Goofballs” is 60s drug slang referring to barbituates. Not that some of the others weren’t made up. As for Stewart and other guests, he’s been pretty gracious and polite with many of the conservatives I’ve seen on the show. The Gingrich interview was very jocular and civil, as was McCain, Dole, etc. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/26 "2004-03-18T03:08:36Z")
Bob Dole was actually genuinnely _funny_ on TDS a few weeks ago. He’s been on a few times in the past too. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/27 "2004-03-18T03:48:47Z")
I noticed Jon started getting serious guests on after 9/11, like he realized that he had the duty to edjumacate us idjits that get our news from Comedy Central (not that I blame him). I think he feels that the gap between fake news like himself and “real” news is shrinking (thanks in part to folks like Stossel), and it scares him. Jon’s liberalism peeks out during interviews, and he doesn’t try to deny it, really (the news segments are about as evenhanded as you can get on a satire program in a tiome where conservatism rules). I remember a while back a conservative guest got booed for pro-Bush statements, and Jon apologized and politely bitched out the audience. He’s as fair and gracious as he can be. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/28 "2004-03-18T03:55:57Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Pulitzer prize winning Jon Stewart Are you sure about that? What year did that occur? ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/29 "2004-03-18T05:42:58Z")
> [@Menocchio](#): > > I noticed Jon started getting serious guests on after 9/11, like he realized that he had the duty to edjumacate us idjits that get our news from Comedy Central (not that I blame him). I think he feels that the gap between fake news like himself and “real” news is shrinking (thanks in part to folks like Stossel), and it scares him. I believe I remember him cracking wise about how hard it was to book celebrities, post 9/11. Most of them probably didn’t want to appear all happy and movie-promoting a short distance away from Ground Zero. And probably a lot of them just didn’t want to be in NYC at all in fear of what could happen next. There was definately a shift in guests, though, after 9/11. And I think it’s a better show for it. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/30 "2004-03-18T06:02:46Z")
> [@SMTWTFS](#): > > Are you sure about that? What year did that occur? Oops. Unlike O’Rielly, I’ll readily admit my mistake: I meant Peabody award. (And multiple Emmies.) [Here.](http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3769869) Peace. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/31 "2004-03-18T06:03:11Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I lost all respect when he admitted that he received a $250,000 grant to repair a beach house that he knew was built on an unsafe location, then panned the program. As I recall, Stossel did the show panning the program, and then mentioned in the last minutes that he owned the beach house. Still managed to give me a stunned look, because with that line Stossel admitted that his TV special, ostensibly made to create outrage about a stupid govt program, would have _no effect whatsoever_. But what I love about Stossel is that he can’t control his fuzzy little dog, despite repeated visits with a behaviorist! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/32 "2004-03-18T06:03:30Z")
> [@SMTWTFS](#): > > Are you sure about that? What year did that occur? Pretty sure the poster meant Peabody, not Pulitzer. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/33 "2004-03-18T06:48:00Z")
[/quote] I don’t know. He was interviewing Val Kilmer a while ago, and Kilmer was being a bit of a dick. When Kilmer asked him if he had seen his new movie, he said: “Are you kidding? Ten bucks for that piece of sh\*t??”. It was hilarious. [/quote] That does sound very funny. It does sometimes get bad when the guests think they’re funnier than he is- anybody else remember Paul Rudd’s disgusting stories a month or two ago? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/34 "2004-03-18T07:01:40Z")
Dammit! ---
**Author:** ![beajerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@beajerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beajerry)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/35 "2004-03-18T16:48:36Z")
On last night’s show, Ralph Corddry, made fun of the show _and_ Stewart with Stewart’s participation. It was not only hilarious, but was possibly meant to point out, yet again, that the show is a news parody show and to not take anything on it seriously. However, many times they don’t even have to try; they just show clips of other news shows and let their ridiculousness stand on their own (like the msnbc coverage of Martha’s trial outcome). But with his interviews, especially the non-celebrity ones, Jon Stewart shows more intellect than most television interviewers. I’d put him up there, sans the comedy quips, almost with Charlie Rose. ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798/36 "2004-03-18T17:13:05Z")
> [@beajerry](#): > > On last night’s show, Ralph Corddry, made fun of the show _and_ Stewart with Stewart’s participation. It was not only hilarious, but was possibly meant to point out, yet again, that the show is a news parody show and to not take anything on it seriously. > However, many times they don’t even have to try; they just show clips of other news shows and let their ridiculousness stand on their own (like the msnbc coverage of Martha’s trial outcome). Last night was pretty classic in it’s own right. The whole bit about “story packages” from the Republicans being sent out masquerading as real news was pretty deplorable. And a story that seems to be largely ignored, as usual, by the major media outlets. Above all, it was hilarious the way they skewered it, in their own, self effacing, way. I spend the better part of my slower days surfing google news to keep up with curent events. I count on the Daily Show to catch the stories that the most of the media chooses to ignore. I swear, if I posted something on here every time I thought TDS did something notable, I’d have quadrupled my post count. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-vs-john-stossel-ouch/234798.md?page=1)