Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - Astroturfing
Organizations can hire fake advocates who create the illusion of real support for their message. It’s a shady practice called astroturfing that can warp the public perception of anything...even astroturfing.
= new reply since forum marked as read
It's much appreciated for those of us that don't, can't get HBO anymore.
I know a lot of DUers don't get HBO and some don't have TV, so I started posting the late night shows because we sure need some humor these days more than ever! And John Oliver always puts together a terrific show - funny and informative... 
Some Trump scandals are too big to ignore, but he gets those out of the way fast so he can spend the majority of his show on the major issue he's interested in - he addresses one each week. I know that a lot of us were disappointed he didn't take over The Daily Show when Jon Stewart stepped down, but I think Trevor Noah is doing a stellar job addressing the neverending breaking Trump scandals while John is taking on some weightier subjects.
And I've been posting the late night comedians for awhile - I think we sure need the humor these days - and I know which accounts aren't apt to disappear. You can search the forum or access my journal for the previous ones I've posted and they'll still be there. I agree that he's a unique talent - takes on some serious issues, but he's still very funny! 
p.s. I also post Bill Maher - when he's on - and he's been back for the last 2 weeks.
John provides a valuable service to us all. I really enjoy his shows and am gutted that we can't get HBO over here. I watched him and Bill Maher every week they broadcast. It was the reason (besides movies) that I insisted that we have HBO. I know they have HBO go but it's not available in Europe (yet).
We watched Jon Stewart every night too and I miss him but I'm happy that he's got another life. Wasn't he supposed to have an HBO special coming up? If you know anything about that, please share.
Thanks so much! 
On serious subjects. And that's what I watch on HBO, too - Bill Maher and John Oliver, when they're on. They seem to take a lot of long breaks. Before I started posting them, I'd forget that John Oliver was on at all - it was so long. 
And I was once lucky enough to be in Jon Stewart's studio audience - back in 2008. It was smaller than it appeared on TV with clocks of the world on the walls. There was also a lot of security to get in. They expected people to take off belts and I regretted bringing my purse, though the pleasant guy security finally gave up on it, LOL. And Jon was very friendly, no big surprise, chatted and joked with the audience before the show. He's also a nice guy - one lady in the audience asked about the notes he uses and he remembered, made a point of giving them to her after the show. 
I'll keep an eye out for a special, though they didn't make Bill Maher's available in its entirety. He does show up on Colbert's show now and then, too. They're obviously good friends and it's my impression that he has a standing invitation to make an appearance whenever he wants one.
Like Jon Stewart said about The Daily Show, John's show attracts viewers who may not watch the news - he's very funny, but still takes on important issues!
