POLITICAL TV HOST, CHUCK TODD, TELLS IT LIKE IT IS

 

The award winning comedian, Jon Stewart

 

Want the truth? Listen to the cable TV News comedians.

For years I have sometimes mentally yelled at the TV when many of the TV’s “talking heads” were interviewing our so called “public servants”.  First, I’m sitting there, then I’m standing there and in my head I’m screaming, “Why aren’t you asking them about this issue or that issue?”  “Why did he or she vote for this bill or that bill, or why are you not at least asking serious questions about what the public really wants to know?”

In a recent MSNBC show, Chuck Todd, the latest host of Meet the Press, had a very interesting segment featuring the comedians Lewis Black, W. Kamau Bell, and Laura Krafft.  Todd was trying to examine the influence and impact of comedians in American politics.

The point was that comedy news shows such as those of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, these comedians can usually get away with asking serious questions and with barking at the politicians.  This is as compared to the serious TV hosts, such as Mr. Todd, who usually never get into those sensitive areas.

Mr. Black had stated correctly that, like it is in Hollywood, Washington politicians live in a very big bubble. Lewis Black then took a whack directly at Chuck Todd and all of the traditional mainstream media news.  Mr. Black said. "I don't know how you do it [Chuck]. Because, as a comedian, I would be barking at them. But you or other TV hosts just sit there as the politicians go [blah blah blah]' and you just sit there saying nothing."

Mr. Todd then made it clear why he and other main-stream political hosts don’t ever go after the politician’s jugular while interviewing them on the air.

Todd interjected. "We just sit there because we all know the first time we bark is the last time we do the show [with them]. ... All of a sudden, no one comes on your show."

This is a true statement.  In fact, the situation has gotten so bad that many times the elected politician’s staff will give the show hosts a list of items that they do not want to be asked about on camera or on the record.  If those requests are not honored, it may be the signal for, as Chuck Todd said, the last time that individual will agree to appear on that show.  It’s a blatant case of political blackmail or the politicians dealing from the bottom of the deck.

Comedian Bell then interjected an interesting point. He said that many times the traditional mainstream media will use a comedian's satire comments to say what they dare not say themselves. In effect, comedians then get to ask serious questions or to do the barking. He then pointed out the interesting exception.

 

The weird exception is that Fox News sometimes gets to do the barking, but they do tend to do it in their less than truthful approach. Then Bell put in, “But on the other political side, the left-leaning media is usually too afraid to attempt any serious questions or any barking."

So, why does some bizarre outfit like Fox News get to ask questions or bark?

The reality is that Fox’s comes from the same group such as the conservative billionaire Koch Brothers who are representatives of the top 1%, and they just take the approach that the rules don’t apply to them.

This is the key issue of how our media works, but it hasn’t always worked out that way.  However, it is how we all now need to process our so-called media news today in the context of what the talking heads are allowed to say in order to stay on the air.

Yes, it’s sad but true, that if you only depend on TV to get all your political info, this lack of clarity on the issues is what we are dealing with today. 

It’s also why the internet is so important and that people today must do their due diligence when looking into any political issue.  No, don’t get me wrong.  Just because it’s on the internet, it is not necessarily true.  But you can find that truth if you pursue the informational avenues that are usually found to be trustworthy.  If you still don’t think you have all the right info, spend more time searching out the details.

As I was told years ago by a radio host that I trusted.  That individual said, “Don’t believe me in whatever I say.  Always, check the important issues out for yourself.”

I have learned just how very good that advice is today.

Copyright G.Ater  2015