Not Necessarily the News

I wrote this 2 years ago at Thanksgiving.  It couldn’t possibly be more apropos right now as we gear up for the most important election in our history.I'm fascinated by how we have had comedic news shows that lampoon the news for 50 years; about as long as I’ve been alive.  Since the news segment on Saturday Night Live, starting in the mid 70s, we've had jokes about the news presented to us in a newsroom format.It may be more polished and obviously topical these days, but even then the comedy news was a place where we wrestled with the news of the day.  TV audiences were dealing with the impacts of seismic and cynical cultural events like Watergate, the OPEC Oil Crisis, and the attempt on Reagan's life. We may see this as comic relief, pure entertainment, but I say the comedy news played and still plays a serious cultural role.  We increasingly rely on a daily admixture of comedy and truth-telling from these outlets.  The Daily Show and some great copycat shows help us untangle and organize reality in a sea of mis-and dis-information.  They ask the deep moral questions, they help us see how, when and if the Emperor wears no clothes. Now the late night talk shows get in on the act too to great results.In a time of fascism, racial violence and intentional political division, nothing could be more valuable than the spell-breaking capacity of comedy mixed with truth.  These outlets, like John Oliver's Last Week Tonight, take deep dives into the myriad issues of the day that affect all of us, and especially issues facing those less fortunate among us.  The truth is so under threat that our comedians had to erect a backstop against hate, misogyny, racism, demagoguery, innuendo, and the like.  To push back.  It's heroic, brilliant and purposeful.I argue that within the 50 year timeline, these comedy news spoofs have gone from mostly kidding and a touch pointed truth to very thorough investigative journalism with a healthy dose of funny.  The cultural importance and value cannot be underestimated.  My absolute favorite was the Colbert Report, which starred Stephen Colbert as a parody amalgamation of Tucker Carlson, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity.  This was stunning political theater and absolutely hilarious.  And it followed Jon Stewart's Daily Show, making the ultimate 1-2 punch.  We were so lucky.And there are others, like Bill Maher, who has played a vital role in our nation's discourse for 30 years.  His 2 shows, Politically Incorrect and Real Time were pioneers in topical tv shows that were funny but willing to make people uncomfortable. Not Necessarily the News was a fun show on HBO when I was a kid.  It was a true news spoof with great writing and funny commercials.  It was a template for the modern shows I mentioned.  But it didn't have a point of view, per se.  It was for fun's sake.  A parody for more entertainment value.So I am so thankful at the education I have gotten from tv and now Youtube.  I paid attention in school, but these outlets help me see the subtleties.  I believe comedy clarifies for us what is blurred by those who would hurry spurious arguments past our intellectual safeguards.This is not easy work.  Being funny about the news of the day while also making it manageable, clear and accurate.  Being a moral filter, entertaining, artistic, informative and fair is a tall order.  These shows do it day in and day out.This Thanksgiving I give thanks to all the tireless writers, investigators etc that put together these daily masterpieces of art, comedy, education and investigative journalism.  What an amazing combination of skills and knowledge.  And: it's funny.  Bravo! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greenmang.substack.com/subscribe