Pundit RPS - Fanlore

Pundit RPS

Name(s): Pundit RPS, Punditslash
Scope/Focus: The Daily Show (TDS), The Colbert Report (TCR), MSNBC, CNN, and associated sources
Date(s): 2003 to present
See also:
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Contents

Pundit RPF is a blanket term that encompasses several American news-based source texts: mainly, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, CNN primetime, and MSNBC primetime. The fandom has significant cross-over with associated texts such as politics and former professional relationships.

There is also a small amount of FPF in the "Colbert Report"-verse.

Writers tend to focus on slash relationships between characters, though femslash, het, and gen are also represented.

Fake News and Real News

Because Pundit RPF encompasses sources with varying focuses, the fandom is often divided into two smaller categories. Entertainment-based sources such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are referred to as fake news, while information-based sources such as Anderson Cooper 360° and Countdown with Keith Olbermann are referred to as real news.

Fans do not always follow fake news and real news sources with equal regularity, nor do they always participate in fake news and real news fandoms in ways that correspond with their viewing habits. For instance, a fan who follows fake news and real news sources with equal regularity may only write stories featuring real news characters.

Fake News

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are the most popular fake news source texts in pundit fandom, with Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert being by far the most popular pairing in both fake news and pundit fandom at large.[1] Its FPF/RPF counterpart that pairs the fictional "Stephen Colbert" with Stewart is the second most popular fake news pairing.[1]

The Daily Show has a number of past and present correspondents who also appear in fic. John Oliver/Rob Riggle is a popular pairing featuring correspondents,[1] and Oliver is sometimes paired with host Stewart. Former correspondent Steve Carell, now of The Office, is sometimes paired with fellow Daily Show and Second City alum Stephen Colbert.

Real News

Real news source texts in pundit fandom include, but are not limited to, Anderson Cooper 360°, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and The Rachel Maddow Show. The most popular pairing in real news is Keith Olbermann/Anderson Cooper.[1]

Despite pundit fandom's apparent preference for sources that lean toward the American left, Fox News host Shepard Smith and contributor Tucker Carlson also have followings within pundit fandom.

The Pundit Round Table

The Pundit Round Table, also known as the PRT, is a shared universe in which New York-based pundits Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Anderson Cooper, and Keith Olbermann socialize, oftentimes meeting in public to share meals or drinks. The stories may be gen, slash, or het, and the concept has been incorporated into alternate universes or crossovers.[2]

Scrunchy created the Pundit Round Table in September 2006 with the five things Sports Night story Five Reasons Casey and Dan Can't Live Without Cable.[3] While the original story did not include Stephen Colbert, the author later stated this was an oversight,[4] and Colbert has since been considered one of the PRT's four core members.

Pundit Round Table stories sometimes feature appearances from guests such as Dan Patrick,[5] Brian Williams,[6] and Rachel Maddow,[7] who later became a member of the PRT[8] following the August 2008 announcement of MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show. Stories that include Maddow as the round table's fifth member are sometimes labeled PRT+.

Pundit RPF and The Fourth Wall

Pundit RPF fandom has a relatively weak fourth wall separating it from the pundits, particularly on the fake news side. The fandom was outed on a popular blog in 2005, and both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report have made various references to fan fiction. Comedy Central's official Colbert Report site includes a Fan Fiction, Art & Games section on its forum.

Fan reaction to the crumbling fourth wall is mixed. Some fans have engaged with the pundits on the topic of fan fiction,[9] while others opt to keep their fan works locked in hopes of going unnoticed by bloggers or pundits.

Outing by Wonkette

In February 2005, the political gossip blog Wonkette outed Pundit RPF fandom by quoting and linking to stories posted on the LiveJournal community TDS RPS.[10] The quoted story was a Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert piece by zenified entitled Boy Interrupted, and the linked stories were dream_aloud's Stephen Colbert/Paul Dinello/Jon Stewart story Live Feed and earenwe's Jon Stewart/Anderson Cooper story New Years Greetings.[11]

Later that year, Colbert cited Boy Interrupted when asked if he had ever read fan fiction about himself.[9]

Ana Marie Cox, the editor of Wonkette during the outing of pundit fandom, later began appearing on MSNBC shows and is occasionally featured as a character in Pundit RPF.

References to Pundit Fandom and RPF

Stephen Colbert referenced fan fiction while promoting an interview with Anderson Cooper, saying, "Also guaranteeing the success of CNN's report, Anderson Cooper himself will be on my show this Thursday. So gentlemen, start your fan fiction now."[12]

During an appearance on The Daily Show, Brian Williams said to Jon Stewart, "This was the night it was going to go well between us. There's a whole online community set up like 'Do they get along?'"[13] Williams is a frequent Daily Show guest, and the playful nature of his appearances has led to Jon Stewart/Brian Williams fan fiction, although the pairing is somewhat rare.

Community executive producer Dan Harmon reports that TDS correspondent "John Oliver told me he heard there is Daily Show slash fiction, and that he is ALWAYS the one 'catching.'"[14]

Colbert, Stewart, and Stewart's correspondents are not the only people at Comedy Central who are aware of pundit fandom. Comedy Central Insider, part of the official Comedy Central site, has linked to Daily Show and Colbert Report slash[15] and also posted images of fans who cosplay Colbert and Stewart.[16] Additionally, the official Colbert Nation site featured an interview with a fan artist upon its redesign in early 2010.[17]

RPF Cross-Overs

Many of the past The Daily Show correspondents have moved on in their careers, yet remain fan favorites in fiction. For example, Steve Carell links TDS with The Office RPF. Past associations are also popular, particularly Stephen Colbert with his former cast mates Paul Dinello and Amy Sedaris from Second City and Strangers With Candy; and Keith Olbermann with his former SportsCenter partner Dan Patrick.

Other RPF personalities that are found in Pundit RPF fanfiction often come from Political RPF, such as Rahm Emanuel, or are people who appeared as guests on one of the programs.

Stephen and "Stephen"

On The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert portrays a fictional pundit named Stephen Colbert. Because the background and demeanor of the actor and his character are different, they are written as separate people. The fictional Colbert is denoted as "Stephen" (in quotation marks).

Another fictional character from TCR who is sometimes written is Tad the Building Manager. Tad is portrayed by Paul Dinello.

Fiction Resources

Fake News Fan Fic (Livejournal comm)

Punditslash (Livejournal comm)

TDS RPS (Livejournal comm)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 sarken. Pie (charts)!, published on 22 January 2010. (Accessed 30 August 2010.)
  2. ↑ melannen. USS Bill of Rights, published 14 May 2009. (Accessed 30 August 2010.)
  3. ↑ scrunchy. First anniversary's paper..., published 5 September 2007 at camera3. (Accessed 29 August 2010.)
  4. ↑ scrunchy. untitled comment, published 6 September 2006 in four more five things. (Accessed 29 August 2010.)
  5. ↑ scrunchy. The Contract Lunch, published 16 February 2007 at camera3. (Accessed 29 August 2010.)
  6. ↑ scrunchy. Press Gangs, published 20 June 2007 at camera3. (Accessed 29 August 2010.)
  7. ↑ lucia_tanaka. Peeping Tom, published 22 January 2008 at fakenews_fanfic. (Accessed 29 August 2010.)
  8. ↑ lucia_tanaka and polaris_starz. Five Reasons Anderson Kind of Hates Rachel (requires membership), published 21 August 2008 at fakenews_fanfic. (Accessed 29 August 2010.)
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 apis_cerana. Untitled (requires membership), published on 25 October 2005 at TDS RPS. (Accessed 31 August 2010.)
  10. ↑ Haber. "Back To You, Jon": 'Daily Show' Gay FanFic, published on 17 February 2005 at Gawker. (Accessed 30 August 2010.)
  11. ↑ Sicha, Choire. Daily Show Slash Fiction, published on 17 February 2005 at Wonkette. (Accessed 30 August 2010 via Wayback Machine.)
  12. ↑ Kinaesthesia. Episode 3132 (10/16/2007), published on 17 October 2007 at No Fact Zone. (Accessed 30 August 2010.)
  13. ↑ Brian Williams, published on 2 February 2010 at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Official Website. (Accessed 30 August 2010.)
  14. ↑ @danharmon. Twitter status published on 16 August 2010. (Accessed 31 August 2010.)
  15. ↑ Kittenpants. Read This and the Nerd Cells in Your Body Will Rise Up and Defeat You, published on 19 January 2007 at Comedy Central Insider. (Accessed 31 August 2010.)
  16. ↑ Matt Tobey. I Believe the Children Grown Adult Women Dressed as Stewart and Colbert are Our Future, published on 10 August 2010 at Comedy Central Insider. (Accessed 31 August 2010.)
  17. ↑ DB. The Colbert Nation "Home" page relaunch, published on 6 April 2010 at No Fact Zone. (Accessed 31 August 2010.)
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