If Jon Stewart is the Walter Cronkite of the ever-expanding world of fake news, then Stephen Colbert is the Bill O’Reilly. In fact, Colbert models himself on O’Reilly –- loud, boisterous, flag-waving and ridiculous. With today’s announcement of the Colbert Report's host seven figure book deal with Warner Brothers, one can’t help but wonder if Colbert will be able to deliver the goods in print like both O’Reilly and Stewart have before him? I say yes.
When it comes to television satire, Colbert is in a position all to himself. While Stewart often injects biting political commentary into his sarcastic humor, Colbert keeps it 100% ridiculous 100% of the time. That’s what we can expect from his book.
"This book will have the same noble goal as my television show: to change the world one factual error at a time,” he said. The man is incapable of being serious, which why people love him. But that also makes one wonder if success in television is possible without being unabashedly over the top.
Stewart, O’Reilly and Colbert are bigger than Anderson, King and Couric. Maybe it’s because the first three report fake news (O’Reilly the possible, but unlikely expectation), or maybe it’s because television success, and the ability to garner seven figures for a book deal, is predicated on just how absurd you can be.
Tracy Steel @ Tue, 03/21/2006 - 3:39pm
I think the success of these "fake news" reporters comes from the fact that Stewart and Colbert are also entertainers and comedians. After all, The Daily Show is on Comedy Central, not MSNBC, and have you seen The 40 Year Old Virgin? Fiction just sells better than reality.