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Friar's Lantern

The Student News Site of Malvern Preparatory School

Friar's Lantern

The Student News Site of Malvern Preparatory School

Friar's Lantern

John Oliver: The Truth

John+Oliver+on+HBO
John Oliver on HBO

Over the past number of years, trying to watch the news is almost painful.

You flip to Fox News and hear nothing but Republican praise and depictions of liberals as godless, soulless heathens who want nothing but to destroy the country. On the flip side, the likes of MSNBC or CNN are no better. Wherever you go, you run into a brick wall of bias, exaggeration, and spins.

To the independent mind, it is enough to make you bang your head against the wall. Is there no sanity anymore, no independent thought? What happened to actually reporting the news, not spinning it.

In this age of painfully biased “news”, John Oliver is a breath of fresh air.

Oliver’s new weekly news show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, began airing this past April on HBO. At first glance, it appears to be a mere spin off of Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, where Oliver was formerly a correspondent. However, Last Week Tonight is so much more.

Oliver’s broadcast could be compared to the likes of Stewart’s, but smarter and more focused on actually reporting news. What perhaps makes Oliver’s show so fantastic is his almost complete creative freedom, as HBO’s ad-free subscription model means Oliver has the freedom to criticize any corporation he wants. Oliver’s rants against the likes of FIFA, native advertising, Uganda, and Dr. Oz are not only packed with humor, but more importantly information. Oliver not only makes news interesting and funny, but impactful to the viewer.

Oliver’s real strength as a broadcaster is his honesty. While he undoubtedly is biased, as all people are, his bias seeps into his broadcasts minimally. Furthermore, he appeals to the common viewer. His witty humor is smart without seeming arrogant or self-important. He is quick and current with his jokes without being afraid to dip down into the gutter every so often. Perhaps most appealingly he isn’t afraid to make fun of himself, and he doesn’t act like he is some all-important “God of News” (*cough* Bill O’Reilly *cough*).

Right now, Oliver is in a small minority of television newscasters who tell it like it is with no strings attached. Nevertheless, Oliver gives me hope of a day when the John Olivers of the world force the Rachel Maddows and the Bill O’Reillys back into the dark caves from which they came.

That day won’t come soon.  So in the meantime, lets kick back, relax, and simply enjoy the novelty and wit of Mr. Oliver.

A favorite: John Oliver’s primer on Net Neutrality

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  • Z

    ZarkOct 1, 2014 at 9:34 pm

    love this show almost as much as i loved this article #dontleavescotland #whydocopshavebearcatsandtanks

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