Stephen Colbert: Truthiness of the times

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12 word format

document in English

political science

presentation

published 08/10/2008

review : Completed

level : Advanced

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By any historical standards, the last decade has been an extremely eventful and difficult one for America. With the flawed and still-debated 2000 presidential election we witnessed a fault line in our democracy and the election of a politically radical president; September 11th forced many Americans to re-think our nation’s worldwide standing and global role; the war in Iraq tested our economic, military, and political power, opening deep fissures in public opinion in the process. A quick look at the voting results of the 2004 election, with the blue states in the West and North East, and the red states everywhere in between, seemed to show an increasingly divided nation. Much of the news media seems to support this. If one were to tune in to any of the dozens of talk radio programs, or turn the television to the virulently pro-Bush, anti-liberal Fox News channel, one could quickly become convinced that America was in the middle of a full-blown “culture war.” According to the Fox News channel, traditional conservative Americans are fighting a deeply rooted liberal conspiracy that is undermining the security and moral fabric of our fair nation. This could be a stretch, but Fox News isn’t worried about stretching. Their facts aren’t always correct, and their tactics aren’t always fair, but they don’t let these considerations get in their way.

Introduction.
Hosting The Daily Show .
Colbert - politician or activist.
Major passions - acting and comedy.
Stewart and controversy or the more serious side of politics.
The Colbert Report.
1. Funds and aggressive publicity blitz, backed by Murdoch's and Fox News President Richard Ailes.
2. The most blatant example of Fox's influence.
3. Jon Stewart - the first to demonstrate the less playful side of his comedic chops.
The White House Correspondents' Association's annual dinner on April, 29th, 2006.
1. The 20-minute routine performed by Colbert.
2. The audience's reaction.
3. Colbert - a well-known, well-loved, and well-respected satirical figure.
Announcing his intentions of campaigning for president.
1. The buzz following his announcement.
2. The reaction from politicians.
3. The rationales behind refusing Colbert's name on the South Carolina Democratic ballot.
4. The real Colbert - fact a registered Democrat.
Conclusion.