Jon Stewart Skewers CNN (Again)

I don't always agree with Jon Stewart, but CNN's big mistake on the Supreme Court ruling was what he was born for.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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"Yes, 'widely different'. There's what you've been saying, and then there's what happened."

Has Cable News Peaked?

Jack Shafer makes an interesting point about the future of the cable news business:

CNN isn’t the only network riding the down escalator when it comes to ratings. Over the same week, Fox News Channel attracted its fewest viewers in the important 25-to-54-year-old category since July 2008, the Times added.

Various observers have blamed the viewership downturn on the lull in the 2012 campaign, on viewers defecting to the season finales on the entertainment channels and on the lack of breaking news. But I interpret the falloffs as fresh evidence that the audience for cable news has peaked.

Despite my favourite (and pretty much only) TV show being on cable news, I see discussion like this with more curiosity than concern. Beyond a few bright spots, the format is starting to feel tired and predictable, and I'm waiting for some innovative multimedia format to become profitable enough to take off.

That's one of the reasons I'm drawn to television personalities who didn't originally come from television - who started out as professors or bloggers or writers. With a little basic talent you can always learn how to look good on TV, but I think if you want to stay afloat in the media over the next few decades you need to be able to evolve and do something out of the ordinary.

HBO's "The Newsroom"

Days after Keith Olbermann gets fired from Current TV, we get this spectacular teaser from Aaron Sorkin.
 

I'm hooked. Sorry, "Mad Men."

(I can see it now. Sorkin in interview after interview, saying "Why, my character is completely fictional! He's a combination of a range of different TV personalities! After all, he's a Republican!")

The Politics of The Hunger Games

I really may need to see this movie, and maybe even buy the books. Who doesn't enjoy a good old-fashioned political dystopia story?

And as the Hollywood Reporter points out, the best part is that everyone can read their own ideology into this future North America where the government maintains order by forcing children to fight to the death:

Occupy-Wall-Street liberals are loving the way the film portrays an extraordinary gap between the rich and poor as simply an innate evil. ... There’s plenty in Hunger Games for right-wingers, too. The most obvious message being that government overreach can lead to tyranny.

Here's my favourite, of course:

Writing for the Frederick Douglass Foundation, Mack Rights argues that there’s not only a powerful conservative message in Hunger Games but a Christian one, as well, since the story takes place after "liberals have succeeded in erasing God and Christ from the culture completely by successfully creating their own utopia – which is really a dystopian nightmare for anyone not in the liberal ruling class."

Throw in Lionsgate's blatant effort to cause fandom drama by comparing The Hunger Games to Twilight and you've got a lovely bit of political geek escapism.

Melissa Harris-Perry's "Nerdland"

Fair play to MSNBC. They're actually starting to seem a bit edgy - at least on the weekends.

I've loved watching Dr Harris-Perry as a guest and guest host on the network. As a tenured professor and a political scientist, she makes me feel like I should be taking notes and doing homework - a rare thing for cable news.

Now she has her own show, following the equally nerdy "Up with Chris Hayes". Michael P Jeffries writes in The Guardian that this proves MSNBC's commitment to education and intellectual debate:

The Harris-Perry show will not solve the deeply-rooted inequities that restrict access to higher education for so many Americans. But it does represent MSNBC's recognition that the public thirsts for earnest intellectual discussion, driven by data and evidence and facilitated by trained professionals. All members of the academy, regardless of discipline or political preference, should recognize the value of the Harris-Perry show, as its host explicitly acknowledges the different skill sets and demands of academic research and public intellectualism.

Sounds great. If we see more of this intellectual style brought into the primetime lineup, I'll be a happy news geek.

Charlie Brooker: How to Report the News

Amen on the vox pops, seriously.

One Foot on the Ladder

Making the transition from news junkie to journalist is a strange experience. I have insight now that I never imagined when I was just watching political shows and bumming around on the Internet - and there are a few guilty pleasures from my fangirl days that I can't get away with anymore.

Here are a few of the things I've learned:

• Controversial issues have a tendency to split into obvious, polarised and ultimately unhelpful factions. Reporters ought to find a different way to frame the debate while still getting ratings and page clicks. Good luck with that, reporters.
• Everyone thinks their favourite story should be on the front page or at the top of the news hour. Don't even try to please them all - but have a good reason for your decision.
• Humour, sarcasm and moral indignation are fun, useful tools that can backfire spectacularly.