Jon Stewart Critiques Media’s Blame Game in Wake of Mass Shootings
On the latest episode of The Daily Show, host Jon Stewart took a sharp jab at the media’s tendency to immediately assign blame to political factions following the tragedy of mass shootings.
Stewart began the segment by highlighting a grim statistic: six mass shootings had occurred within a mere 24-hour period. He elaborated on the predictable cycle that typically ensues in the aftermath of such violence, noting that, historically, “we express our shock, we express our sadness, we offer thoughts and prayers, we spend a day or two arguing about the appropriateness of discussing guns at all, and then we do nothing until the next wave of horror comes.” However, Stewart pointed out a disturbing evolution in the public discourse, dubbing it “what this one yours?”—a new ritual of attributing political motivations to the shooters.
To illustrate his point, Stewart shared clips from various news segments where pundits eagerly jumped to label the political affiliations of shooters, declaring statements such as, “The guy is a right-wing Trump-supporting evangelical Christian,” or “He is a Biden supporter. Case closed.”
“It’s America’s new gender reveal tradition,” Stewart quipped, humorously flipping the narrative. “Boom! It’s blue! Ha ha! I’m so happy to blame you! For violence!” He remarked on how this game of blame is played so swiftly now, often even before the identity of the shooter is confirmed.
Stewart reminisced about a time when media coverage approached such tragedies with greater caution. He recalled the “good ol’ days of mass shootings” when news outlets made an effort to refrain from glorifying the attackers: “They wouldn’t shower attention on acts designed to get attention.”
The host displayed archival clips of past news broadcasts, where commentators stated, “We will not name the gunman, nor will we show his photograph” emphasizing the notion of reducing the spotlight on perpetrators in an effort to discourage copycat actions. “We don’t like naming the gunman because so often they do things just to get attention,” they would explain.
“That’s right, boys and girls! When I was a boy, there was a brief period in American media where not only wouldn’t they say the suspected killer’s name, they wouldn’t constantly show the suspected killer’s OnlyFans hot shots!” Stewart exclaimed, humorously juxtaposing his anecdote with a shirtless image of a man identified as Luigi Mangione, a commentary on how attention can skew perspectives.
Watch the full segment below.
