Seriously Funny ... Exercising First Amendment freedoms through comedy from the desk of ‘The Daily Show’

Jon Stewart

“Seriously Funny: From the Desk of ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’,” on display through Dec. 31 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., explores humor as a protected form of free speech under the First Amendment.

When I visited the “Seriously Funny” exhibition during Thanksgiving weekend, I saw firsthand the lasting influence that Jon Stewart, former host of The Daily Show, had on political satire. It could be seen through the list of comedians that Stewart mentored during his tenure: Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Samantha Bee, Hasan Minaj and current The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, among many.

The centerpiece of the “Seriously Funny” display of more than 50 artifacts is The Daily Show desk and globe that was part of the set of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. There’s also an original Newseum-produced short film that goes behind the scenes at The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and shows how a typical day’s program is developed and produced.

During his years sitting at the anchor desk of The Daily Show, Stewart exercised his First Amendment freedoms through comedy and spurred his audience to think critically about the world. Night after night, he found humor in serious matters. No doubt, there were many who trusted Stewart’s satirical take on the news more than actual broadcast journalists. Imagine that!

Highlighting his tenure as host, Stewart guided us through the tragedy of 9/11, two wars and four presidential elections. He challenged both politicians and the press to do a better job. Later, he became a passionate and vocal advocate for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Among many who have praised Stewart’s work, former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw said: “There are more facts and more truths told in the first eight minutes of The Daily Show than most political news conferences in Washington.” Also, David Remnick, editor in chief of The New Yorker, noted: “He set out to be a working comedian, and he ended up an invaluable patriot. He wants his country to be better, more decent, and to think harder.”

“Welcome to ‘The Daily Show,’ Craig Kilborn is on assignment in Kuala Lumpur. I’m Jon Stewart.’” With those words spoken on January 11, 1999, the comedian Stewart became anchor of The Daily Show, broadcast on cable’s Comedy Central. From opening night through 2015 when he stepped down, Stewart transformed the program from what had been a modestly successful parody of TV news into a cultural treasure. Through Stewart’s use of funny, often-pointed video clips and pointed and poignant commentary, The Daily Show became a trusted source of news for many Americans. Over time, Stewart became just as comfortable in satirizing current events as he was in interviewing newsmakers – from world leaders and Nobel laureates to best-selling authors.

I learned that a 2004 video of The Daily Show host became so popular it helped inspire the creation of YouTube a year later. By 2007, a Pew Research Center study ranked Stewart alongside CBS News’ Dan Rather and CNN’s Anderson Cooper as “a trusted source for news.” Stewart was the cover subject of many American magazines, including Rolling Stone, which in October 2004 dubbed him “The Most Trusted Name in News.” In the Rolling Stone cover story, Stewart said, “We need a news organization that puts country over partisanship.” In his last week as host, Stewart compared a Republican presidential candidate forum to a scene from the popular Pixar movie “Toy Story.”

Looking back on Stewart’s 16-year run as host of The Daily Show, he challenged viewers “to think about politics and the press while laughing at the absurd. Whether advocating for legislation, challenging the powerful and political elite, or launching a new generation of comedians, Stewart had a vast impact on American culture.”

MSNBC prime time host Rachel Maddow praised Stewart by saying: “I think his work on The Daily Show at Comedy Central has made our country a better country. I think it has made politics more accountable. I think it has made the news media sharper and more self-conscious and ultimately better.”

On his very last show, Stewart’s parting words were matter-of-fact, bordering baffled anger. He expressed, “So I say to you, friends: The best defense against bullsh*t is vigilance. So if you smell something, say something.”

Credits: Photos by Michael Dickens © 2019. Videos courtesy of YouTube.com, Comedy Central.

A Great Debate ~ imagination vs. knowledge

Albert Einstein / Imagination will take you everywhere.

Albert Einstein once said that imagination is more important than knowledge.  "Knowledge," he stated, "is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there will ever be to know and understand."

Put into a modern context, in our ever-changing, "wired" world of 24/7/365 news and information, technology and culture, does Einstein's vision of imagination over knowledge still hold true?  I would like to think so. After all, imagination gives us impetus to create.  Yet, I do believe imagination often owes a debt of gratitude to knowledge.

Here's an example: Knowledge is Thomas Edison developing the means for improving the audibility of the telephone. Imagination is Steve Jobs taking Edison's body of late 19th/early 20th century knowledge and ~ with a world of imagination (and some great marketing) ~ turning it into the modern creation of the Apple iPhone 4, a smart phone for the 21st century.  The Apple iPhone 4 is not only a telephone, but also it's a camera, an mp3 player, an information receiver, organizer, and a communications device all-in-one ~ and just slightly more portable than Edison's telephones ever were.

Here's another example: The American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of New York's Hayden Planetarium and host of the PBS series Nova scienceNOW, has studied the great debate of imagination versus knowledge.  He understands and appreciates the benefits that both sides contribute to the study of science and physics.

"You can explore (what's already been explored), but your life is not at risk for having done so," deGrasse Tyson said, explaining the worthiness and human spirit of adventure in sending man to explore Mars at a time when a return to Moon may be less risky.

During a recent appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, deGrasse Tyson, a popularizer of science, expounded on the imagination versus knowledge debate:  "When you are on the frontier of knowledge between what is known and what is unknown ~ reaching out into that abyss ~ sometimes, you do actually have to make stuff up that might be true so that you can organize a research plan to find out whether or not it is."  

A false bridge?  Maybe, but it comes with good intentions and involves a bit of risk taking.

"This is the creativity of discovery," deGrasse Tyson concluded.

Which brings us back to Einstein, the German born American physicist with the whimsical facial expressions, who developed the special and general theories of relativity ~ no small fete ~ and won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.  "The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination,'' Einstein said. "Imagination is the preview of life's coming attractions.

"Logic will get you from A to B.  Imagination will take you everywhere."

Life's an adventure.  The journey continues ...

Photo of Albert Einstein taken in 1953, Ruth Orkin/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.