Jon Stewart Slams Media’s Partisan Framing of Shootings

On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart excoriated both left- and right-leaning media for immediately turning recent mass shootings into a partisan “was this one of yours?” blame game, noting six shootings in 24 hours and citing the year’s tally. He argued coverage has shifted from a ritual of shock and “thoughts and prayers” to a frenzied effort to guess shooters’ political leanings—often before identities are confirmed—and used clips from Fox, MSNBC and CNN as evidence. Stewart blamed social media’s fast, speculative “detectives” for accelerating that rush and warned left–right framing ignores the real drivers: a complex mix of mental-health problems, easy access to guns, attention-seeking nihilism and algorithmic radicalization. He contrasted today’s spectacle with an earlier period when outlets withheld names and photos to avoid glorifying killers and mocked the normalization and politicization of gun violence, calling it “America’s new gender reveal tradition.” Stewart urged a sober rethinking of how shootings are covered, saying politicized coverage fuels polarization and gives shooters the notoriety they seek.