“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” is awesome – no question. It’s funny, smart and the primary news source of my generation. When we want to know what’s going on in the world, we tune in to Comedy Central at 11 p.m.
What’s wrong with that? We know that Jon Stewart calls his program a “fake news” show, but we still listen to what he has to say. Honestly, his comments on the daily news are by far the most palatable.
In fact, according to a 2009 survey by Time Magazine, Stewart is the most trusted newscaster today, widely edging out Brian Williams, Diane Sawyer and the like. Why might that be?
Nowadays, after the advent of cable and the subsequent ratings race, news shows are geared toward getting the largest shares of the evening’s viewership. It’s all about “infotainment” – the spicing up of the day’s news with personality, puns and manufactured melodrama.
Maybe Stewart is the most trusted newscaster in the media because at least he’s honest about his program being mainly about entertainment. Without Walter Cronkite, what choice do we have?
That’s actually why “The Daily Show” emerged in the first place – to fill the void of honest coverage with open wisecracking. In an age of talking heads on every channel, it’s refreshing to hear someone poking fun at the conventional media.
Also, Stewart’s jokes don’t come out of thin air. He draws on hard news. His coverage of the past four presidential elections has been praised by television critics and academics alike. Research has shown that there was little to no substantive difference between Stewart’s coverage and that of the 24-hour networks.
Moreover, Stewart’s coverage may have actually influenced how those elections turned out. Some studies of young voters have shown that their primary source of news about politics comes from “The Daily Show.” He’s telling us what’s happening and leaving us better informed than when we tuned in.
And really, that’s what news is about: reporting what’s happening. If Stewart focuses on the ridiculous aspects of what’s happening, allowing the jokes to write themselves, then that’s just his angle. Everyone has an angle, and Stewart’s is the funniest.
Today we live in what Stewart calls an “information osmosis.” The news is all around us.
Many of these sources are tailored to spout off certain agendas, whether conservative, liberal, or funny. To single out “The Daily Show” for being “fake” tends to ignore the show’s merits, the pitfalls of other shows and the general qualitative decline in modern journalism.
The Fourth Estate is changing, and with it we need to change our expectations of any given source. I find that satire can be as informative as any dry press release. If most people my age watch “The Daily Show” as their primary news source, they’re at least gaining a general understanding of current events.
Welch is a junior majoring in political science.
