Liberal journalist Jorge Ramos interviewed HBO’s John Oliver for his Fusion TV program America with Jorge Ramos on Tuesday night and eagerly praised the liberal comedian for having “more credibility than reporters.”
Ramos, who also anchors Univision’s nightly news program Noticiero Univision as well as the Sunday political news program Al Punto, opened his show by touting how Oliver “tackes” left wing issues like “climate change or net neutrality for more than 10 minutes and make[s] it funny.”
When Ramos finally spoke with Oliver, the two discussed the HBO host’s recent interview with Edward Snowden to which Ramos wondered“[w]hy do you think he chose you and not a, should I say, a respected journalist?”
Oliver pointed out that he's "not a respected journalist because I’m not a journalist....I’m a comedian.” The liberal Univision anchor pushed back and insisted that Oliver was “doing the job of a journalist” to which the HBO comedian stressed that he’s "doing the job of a comedian, so I make jokes about the news. So, I’m pretty clear about the lane that I’m in.”
Rather than accept his liberal guest’s response, Ramos continued to cheer on Oliver and maintained that he had “more credibility than most journalists here in the United States and I would say in many other countries.”
Given the liberal nature of Oliver’s comedy, it should be no surprise that Ramos was quick to tout his HBO show. Since his show began last year, Oliver has blasted the privatization of prisons, promoted net neutrality, relentlessly mocked Republicans, and scolded the federal government for not paying off all student loans.
Ramos himself is no fair-minded reporter and has repeatedly used his journalism platform to advocate for liberal policies. In November of 2014, Ramos gave a speech in which he stressed the importance of advocacy journalism and said that “neutrality helps the oppressor.”
In December of last year Ramos sat down with President Obama and asked whether or not his predecessor George W. Bush “betray[ed] American values” following the release of the CIA’s torture report. More recently, Ramos openly belittled Republican opposition to President Obama’s executive action on immigration as “anti-immigrant.”
See relevant transcript below.
Fusion TV’s America with Jorge Ramos
May 12, 2015
JORGE RAMOS: Something seems to be wrong with American journalism when some comedians have more credibility than reporters. That’s the case of Jon Stewart and John Oliver. Oliver, of course, is the host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight. In his weekly show he tackles the tackles the most complicated issues in a long format. For example, he can talk about climate change or net neutrality for more than 10 minutes and make it funny. That’s some talent. So, I went to New York to talk to him and yes, he’s funny, and no, he’s not a journalist.
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RAMOS: Why do you think he [Edward Snowden] chose you and not a, should I say, a respected journalist?JOHN OLIVER: I really appreciate the–you’re right, I’m not a respected journalist because I’m not a journalist.
RAMOS: Are you a journalist?
OLIVER: No, no I’m not. I’m a comedian.
RAMOS: But you’re doing the job of a journalist.
OLIVER: No, I’m doing the job of a comedian, so I make jokes about the news. So, I’m pretty clear about the lane that I’m in.
RAMOS: But let me just say that you have more credibility than most journalists here in the United States and I would say in many other countries.
OLIVER: But that is more of an insult to the current state of journalism than it is a compliment to the state of comedy.
RAMOS: It is, it is. I agree with that.
