While Jon Stewart's Daily Show certainly was not the first news parody show out there, it unquestionably became the most influential show of this type around the globe in recent memory, or at the very least ever since the legendary British satirical puppet show Spitting Image went off the air. There were several reasons for this. Thanks to the Internet and the budding social media, any locally produced content could now reach viewers around the world, Stewart's own simultaneously humorous and heartfelt persona had an aura of integrity, and his remodeled concept of the show (Stewart was not the original host) proved that, instead of simple mockery, news parody can and perhaps should actually be a brutally honest critique of both the hypocrisy and corruption that modern politics propagates and which the voters and often the media for the most part tolerate. Furthermore, many saw this show as the soul and conscience of a lost and traumatized post-9/11 nation, as well as the main source of news and inspiration for the new generation of young people who previously felt disassociated from the world of politics in general. In a word, the show offered not just entertainment (or infotainment) but also true catharsis. Jon's voice became the voice of a common man who had enough of the political and media status quo which at that point was only ensuring that the system continues to rot away even further instead of looking for ways to fix it.
The show was so influential in fact that it produced many clones and spinoffs, not just in America, but around the world. From Egypt to Australia, every aspiring politically-oriented comedian or even just a normal anchor wanted to give his or her best shot at being their countries Jon Stewart.
In America, most people who worked on Jon's show as correspondents eventually left to start their own similar shows. While many failed, some have actually managed to create their own successful spiritual sequels to Jon's show, such as John Oliver with his eponymous HBO show.
Meanwhile, in Croatia, a group of aspiring young comedians and satirists started producing content under the banner of NewsBar. What began as Youtube sketches eventually turned into an actual television show, first aired on Croatian state television, HRT.
Since the gang focused on political satire and humor, the new government under the leadership of right wing HDZ decided to put an end to their non-PC shenanigans which resulted in their cancellation. Thankfully, they later found their new home on the regional independent private television, N1. The cast changed throughout the years until the show found its Jon Stewart(s) in two of its members, Borna Sor and Domagoj Zovak, two millennials who are not afraid to, just like their older American colleague, tell it like it is in a brutally funny and poignant way, even if it hurts the national pride of a common Croat, who does not understand that he and everyone else should always question their government and even the entire system if systemic problems exist and threaten to become permanent because thanks to or even because of the political elite.
When you have the country of 300 million, there will always be enough people to support and even celebrate your "heretical" work, but when you have a country of four and a half million, that's far less likely, if not completely improbable. That's why Jon's crusade made him famous and successful, while Borna and Domagoj are closer to being infamous (if anyone even knows who they are) and struggling to make ends meet. This means that when you, as a journalist, Croat and human, wish to aspire to become the symbol of truth, justice and honesty in a place that by no means guarantees the liberties that most Americans can usually rely on (such as free speech), you risk everything including your life and economic and mental well being, since in an injust place, you are the enemy. That's why people like the two Prime Time hosts deserve much more respect and support even than Jon, because their brilliant little comedic effort fills in the place in society left by the crumbling opposition, bought off media and lack of conscious citizens willing to do something and take back the control over their and their nation's life from the paws of corrupt interest groups that finance the parties in power and most large media outlets that support them.
In conclusion, 'carry on, boys!', because like the song 'We Care a Lot' by 'Faith No More' says "oh, it's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it" and in the Balkans (and most other places in the world, unfortunately), it's mostly the investigative journalists and the comedians that care at all, both about the truth in general and their country's fortune.
11 out of 11 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
