I missed it when it was published last Friday but the NYT gave Jon Stewart some well-deserved love in a lengthy article asking, Is Jon Stewart the Most Trusted Man in America?. He is in my book and the article makes clear I’m not alone.
It notes that in a 2007 poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, Stewart was the fourth most admired journalist. He tied with real network anchors Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and Anderson Cooper. Sure, there’s great humor that can move quickly from smart to juvenile and leave a smile on your face with either approach. But the story also grasps the aspect of The Daily Show that creates just as much admiration.
For all its eviscerations of the administration, “The Daily Show” is animated not by partisanship but by a deep mistrust of all ideology. A sane voice in a noisy red-blue echo chamber, Mr. Stewart displays an impatience with the platitudes of both the right and the left and a disdain for commentators who … parrot party-line talking points and engage in knee-jerk shouting matches.
In other words, the show tends to cut through all the bullshit and get to the heart of things, regardless of party or political persuasion. And can’t you just see Stewart and Stephen Colbert (quoted in the article) giggling because the NYT‘s stylebook meant they were always referred to as “Mr.” in the article?
Jon Stewart for President ’08
Bumper sticker on my vehicle
