‘The Daily Show’ Becomes News of Choice for Younger Generation
Today’s NYT has a fascinating article about how Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” has now moved from being shunted onto the the McCain overflow bus eight years ago — described as “a repository for outcasts, misfits and journalistic bottom-feeders” — into Stewart coming in fourth last year as the news journalist Americans most trust (tied with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Brian Williams and Tom Brokaw of NBC, and Dan Rather of CBS.)
Not only has the “The Daily Show” (and its sister show “The Colbert Report”) has become a must-stop venue for political types who appear on the show, including Republican soon-to-be presidential nominee John McCain, but the show has changed the style of traditional cable news networks, who now compile clips of the boneheaded things candidates and their surrogates say during their press appearances.
Moreover, while those traditional news outlets are still drawn to sensational news like child disappearances and crime, “The Daily Show” mostly stays focused on politics and ignores most tabloidy reporting. Finally, Stewart has a uncanny knack for drilling down into scandals like the John Edwards affair and actually finding the humor in the situations.
For a taste of Stewart’s coverage of the Russian/Georgian conflict, watch the video below.
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