NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] When Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" Fake Journalism Backfires
When Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" Fake Journalism Backfires
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000919.html
I am not a fan of game applications aimed at children that include
in-app "game enhancement" purchasing features. Even with password
protections and controls, trying to entice kids into spending their
parents' money on silly digital animals or other similar doodads
strikes me as fundamentally exploitative and unethical.
On the other hand, I am a fan of Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show"
on Comedy Central. It frequently makes important points in humorous
ways, and I probably laugh out loud at segments from that show more
than pretty much anything else I see online.
What's the connection between these two seemingly separate topics?
A couple of days ago, The Daily Show ran an interview segment
featuring Gameview Studios co-founder Rizwan Virk, regarding their
"Tap Fish" game and its in-app purchasing features that indeed are
aimed at children. It was a hilarious and devastating interview,
accusing Gameview of behaving like a drug dealer, among other
disreputable attributes ( http://j.mp/rwaigT [The Daily Show] ).
Yesterday Virk responded on his own blog, accusing The Daily Show of
an "ambush interview" that was orchestrated and edited to misrepresent
the facts of the situation ( http://j.mp/sgZmyY [Zen Entrepreneur] ).
Much as I dislike Gameview's business model when it comes to children,
I have to admit that I do have some sympathy for Virk, because back in
2004, Comedy Central tried to screw me with a somewhat similar ambush.
In my case, I got a call from a producer who identified themselves as
being with MTV Networks. I was invited to discuss problems associated
with Internet spam, on a program she called "The Debate Show."
This turned out to be a fraudulent description. The show was actually
a Comedy Central production called "Crossballs," and the details of
the seamy way the show operated, and how I barely avoided the trap by
hours, are in this contemporaneous write-up that I posted at the time:
http://j.mp/kHEKQt (Vortex). "USA Today" also discussed my story in an
article about ambush TV: http://j.mp/lmDF4F (USA Today).
While the situations are not exactly parallel -- I was told I'd be
appearing on a serious program on MTV, while it is widely known that
The Daily Show is a humorous show on Comedy Central, interviews that
have been unfairly manipulated in shooting or editing are still
unjustifiable, particularly when guests agree to appear in good faith.
This all again spotlights the complex pitfalls that can occur when
entertainment and serious news subjects are intermingled. There were
plenty of ways to dig at the Tap Fish story without the kind of
interview misrepresentation that appears to have taken place in this
instance.
Comedy Central has some great programs, definitely including The Daily
Show. But I would argue that these programs can be successfully and
entertainingly produced without abusing interview guests -- even ones
who may in some respects definitely deserve degrees of disdain.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com