The media is now paying some attention to Colbert's devastating critique of the Angry Decider and the Cowardly Media. Yesterday, the Times had a story about how the media, and especially the 'liberal' Times, ignored the Colbert critique.
Five days after Colbert spoke truth to power, the story continues to occupy the number one and number two position at Technorati. Below is a smattering of the accolades and one or two of the whines.
In a piece called, Making Colbert Go Away, Joan Walsh over at Salon looks at the cowardly, lame, inept and accomplice-to-the-preemptive-war media's failure to acknowledge or get the significance of Stephen Colbert's show-and-tell illustration of what journalism is supposed to look like. If anything, the liberal media is more guilty than the conservative, and that goes double for the Timid Times.
Here's your teaser, Salon:
The docile press corps was offended when Stephen Colbert dared to expose Bush's -- and their own -- feet of clay. But how to respond? Voilà: "He wasn't funny."
Colbert's deadly performance did more than reveal, with devastating clarity, how Bush's well-oiled myth machine works. It exposed the mainstream press' pathetic collusion with an administration that has treated it -- and the truth -- with contempt from the moment it took office. Intimidated, coddled, fearful of violating propriety, the press corps that for years dutifully repeated Bush talking points was stunned and horrified when someone dared to reveal that the media emperor had no clothes. Colbert refused to play his dutiful, toothless part in the White House correspondents dinner -- an incestuous, backslapping ritual that should be retired. For that, he had to be marginalized. Voilà: "He wasn't funny."
. . . For those who think the media shamed itself by rolling over for this administration, especially in the run-up to the Iraq war, Colbert's skit is the gift that keeps on giving. Thank you, Stephen Colbert!
Media Matters:
Consistent with other media outlets, ABC's Good Morning America has completely ignored comedian Stephen Colbert's scathing routine at the April 29 White House Correspondents Association dinner -- in which he went after President Bush, the Bush administration, and the press -- while highlighting Bush's performance at the same event. . . [T]he ABC morning show has not once mentioned Colbert, the featured entertainer of the night who appeared in character as the bombastic, Bush-supporting cable news host that he plays on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report.
Editor & Publisher:
NEW YORK E&P's mailbag is full, massively full, over-the-top full, with readers' opinions on E&P's coverage of Stephen Colbert's speech at the the White House Correspondents Association dinner Saturday night. The traffic from that article gave our site possibly its highest one-day traffic total ever, and the biggest one-day supply of letters. Yesterday we published a bunch of them, and here is another sampling....more to come.
It doesn't get any better than Michael Scherer's tribute to Colbert at Salon:
The truthiness hurts
Make no mistake, Stephen Colbert is a dangerous man -- a bomb thrower, an assassin, a terrorist with boring hair and rimless glasses. It's a wonder the Secret Service let him so close to the president of the United States.
Kung Fu Monkey: (via The Sideshow)
If Colbert "bombed", it was because the audience didn't like him. And you know what -- they WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO. We have been treated to toothless feel-good comedy for so long, we have forgotten what the court jester's job was: he was the only guy who could mock the King. And, seeing as we now have a President who acts like a King, it's only fitting that Colbert revive the tradition in its truest form. If I remember correctly, the toady court followers were also fair game for the Jester, and we could hardly call the modern media anything less these days, can we?
Crooks and Liars has the video of Colbert's commentary on the response to his devastating critique:
Colbert: The crowd practically carried me out on their shoulders, although I wasn't actually ready to leave...
Funny man, Richard Cohen at the WaPo, says Colbert was "rude":
Colbert was more than rude. He was a bully.
Steve Gilliard:
Colbert walked into a room of people he sees as despicable cowards and killers, and told them that. Of course you didn't like the jokes, but be glad he was making someone laugh. If he had told the truth, Bush would have only been the first to flee the room.
Colbert was being nice.If you doubt that, just get a tape of the Crossfire Stewart was on. At least Colbert had the courtesy to disguise his contempt in the form of jokes.
YouTube had to pull down the Colbert video, so here's another one. This one pays more attention to Bush's face. Heh.
Finally, Gawker declares: Colbert Is a Great Patriot, Now Scientifically Proven!
After 24 hours and some 11,000 votes — by a long shot Gawker’s most popular poll ever — the answer is clear: Stephen Colbert’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner performance was one of the most patriotic acts you’ve witnessed of any individual.
And from the patriot, himself:
"Truthiness is what you want the facts to be as opposed to what the facts are. What feels like the right answer as opposed to what reality will support."
--- Stephen Colbert
Thank you Stephen Colbert!
UPDATE: Hilarious photos (and Video) of the Distressed Decider's face while Jester Colbert ripped the Haughty Emperor to shreds.
TGW Posts on Colbert:
Bush Furious Over Colbert Critique
Dem Says Colbert 'Crossed the Line'
A Funny Question About Stephen Colbert
The Colbert Report on the State of the Union's Media
Stephen Colbert Arrested
Tell Stephen Colbert 'Thank You'
Colbert Was Brutal to Bushie
Stephen Colbert Media MSM Bush Colbert White House Correspondents Dinner Colbert Report Media Blackout Video Politics
