I get wanting to let us know they liked your shit, used you for contacts, then lied to you, but they didn’t rip off your shit. They RIFFED ON your shit (see what I did there?). You can tell the difference because their bit was overly long and not funny, sort of like most of their shit. However, this gets the “Cool story, bro” stamp for sure, somehow both sincerely and sarcastically at the same time.

I suppose I agree with that pretty much.

Maybe they're testing your resolve before they bring you on as Stewart's replacement.

I was thinking the same thing but I didn't want to jinx it by bringing it up.

Damn liberal media.

welcome to how it is, forever kid.

now you just have to flip it and figure out how to have other people generate your content...nevermind

Worst ever :-\ This is actually the reason I don't like to blog anymore. I hate to say it, but don't even bother getting all mad in their inbox. No matter how compelling the evidence of plagiarism they will just be like "WAAAAH! Suck my lawyers balls, crybaby" and you will feel worse for being a dupe AND a lil' bitch.

This is probably the extent of my crying. Eh, lesson learned.

Joz, remember when I told you about that bar tv show who were looking for shitty bars in Boston that might be up for going on a bar make over show. They called me up to ask for a list of them since they heard I wrote a book about dive bars.

Oh, ok, I said. So, do I get, like a credit or something on the show for helping out?

No.

I see...

I guess that is how TV works.

Wait, you don't blog anymore because tv shows kept using your ideas without credit?

I wish tv shows would use my ideas about bands playing at the Cantab.

The blog of a show and the NYT online but not print edition

That's some bullshit. Fuck Jon Stewart right in his thieving asshole. Kilborn never should have quit The Daily Show. Time to drop the Jewish card. We know you're not Jewish but they don't. Stewart can't go 2 minutes without reminding everyone. Get paid Schlomo O'Neil! Oy vey vat racisht?

mat jeff attorney at law is willing to take this case pro bono.

To get them back you should find something posted somewhere else on the internet (that was also posted somewhere else probably) and write your take on that thing you find, so that the humor is maybe in a similar vein to the way it’s also covered elsewhere but also your own unique point of view on the thing so that people couldn’t say you outright stole it.

@Fraiche sometimes a good idea is to instead of blog, find a place that will actually pay you for your ideas/content, if the whole “I don’t want people to rip off this thing I gave out for free” thing isn’t your thing.

I never even thought of using this on my list of reasons that I don't blog.

@anonymous: haha, yes, that is pretty much what myself and all bloggers in the world do, but you link to the thing you got it from, which is how internet ethics work.

If I was writing in my more professional capacity for someplace like the Globe or whatever, I would be in big trouble if I took someone else's idea and passed it off as my own. Even worse if I called the person and asked them for assistance on the story, then never mentioned that.

So, while I appreciate being told I'm a whiner and so on, because I'm certainly a pussy or whatever, there's a difference at work here.

Get an agent. You know, leverage and bargaining positions and shit.

I definitely get that Globe stuff, but like with that bar TV show thing, TV is a different deal. I know some other people who’ve been through similar, and been burnt in worse ways, and although I was ribbing (I guess I’m 50 now) you a little, I’ll admit it sucks. It’s just not surprising. The fact that they lied to you is the sketchiest part. But otherwise, what did you expect? I don’t mean that as a rhetorical question. I mean specifically. Did you expect money? Did you expect your name in the end credits? Did you just want an honest thank you for putting in some groundwork? Did you expect to be worked into the bit somehow? I think you deserve money or at the very least some kind of credit to point to. You, at least, deserved some honesty about the thing. You could probably throw “consulted on the Daily Show” on a resume without them giving a fuck, not that you’d find reason to do so, being established in what you do, etc.

Did you contact the producer about the matter? The fact that so many people produce free content just for accolades and/or to feel like a thing for a minute is pretty problematic and leads to this kind of thing. Since, as you pointed out some people might be happy just to have this as a story or whatever. But, maybe if you make it an issue they’ll do something about it.

Sorry for getting all into shit here when we should all be looking at boobs or whatever

No no, I appreciate the thoughtful response. I guess I just honestly don't know how TV works. I know how print journalism and the internet works, because that's what I do.

What did I expect? I think a standard thing to do is like show a 1 second cut out graphic of an article that you're riffing off of in the little box above your head on tv, no? I don't even need my name mentioned, just Slate and it would be fine. Pretty sure they do that on TDS a lot, right?

I emailed the producer yesterday to say "hi, saw the bit, looked good etc. Just checking to see if there was a reference to Slate or something in the credits somewhere I might've missed..." Very polite etc... No response.

No one's work is valued anymore, very true. I dunno, I don't want anything, just think it's an interesting subject to talk about.

The focus of the bit is this meathead character, so it’s supposed to be this human interest piece or whatever, and running “Based on this article from Slate” probably messes with the willing suspension of disbelief or what have you when it comes to creating this character. Not that they couldn’t have worked it in, but I can understand why they didn’t since it’s a fiction that’s supposed to look like some journalism and thus concerns for style probably trump objectivity. So, it’s kind of shitty. I feel for you and I swear this is my last bit on the bit. In other news, keep up the good work, etc. OBVS, let us know if that TV broad gets back to you, since this is totally a thing now, at least in my mind.

The weightlifter in the Daily Show piece is wearing a shirt for the same gym that made the video response you posted on Slate. So I bet the Daily Show read your piece, liked it, and then contacted that gym and asked them if they had any employees that wanted to be on camera making fun of Planet Fitness.

As for the individual jokes, I don't think they ripped of anything specific. Most of the humor comes out of the various interview bits.


As for how TV production works, it's pretty simple: producers don't pay anyone or give credit unless they demand it, in which case they'll probably throw out the material. You can charge for an image, or a piece of video, but an "idea" is fair game. Look at "The X Factor," which got sued only because it's an exact duplicate of "American Idol" and stars the same guy. Any less than that and forget it.

If you don't want to get ripped off by a tv company, don't talk to them.

Still hurts though. I feel your pain broski.

Emmy awards up the ass tonight! Congrats you guys! We did it!

damn dude. AND THEY WON AN EMMY LAST NIGHT! can't believe they take from the poor (so to speak).

That's show business :( sooo fucked.