Jon Stewart's Impact on Society
Daily Show Star Voted Favourite Journalist! Too Bad He's a Comedian
Feb 16, 2009
“When News Breaks ... It’s News to Us” would catch a few eyes. “More Americans Get Their News from the Daily Show than Any Other Nationality” would incite a few laughs. “When News Breaks, We Fix It” and a tagline stops being a tagline and starts hitting a little too close to home.
To top it off, the man at the center of it all was voted in the top four percent on the list of America’s favorite journalists in 2007, and it will be a lot easier to digest that bit of information when it is forgotten that he is a comedian. As host of the satirical news program on Comedy Central, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Jon Stewart gets many chances to poke fun at the system.
Whether it is criticizing news casters and politicians around the world with witty lines and some clever juxtaposing (among other video effects) or making attention grabbing statements when he himself is a guest on another show, Stewart has a way of getting his point across. And in so doing, has educated American youth and gotten an Emmy or two out of the deal. After all, advertising and branding consultant Seth Siegel said, “There’s no journalist today, real or fake, who is more significant for people 18 to 25.” Undoubtedly, Jon Stewart has been far more influential than anyone might have thought and impacted society in more than one way.
A Journalist? Really?
First, the real question, is whether or not Jon Stewart is more than just a guy who gets paid to make fun of people. He told CNN’s Howard Kurtz, “That’s why I don’t have a tie. If I had a tie, I’d be a newsman”, indicating, then, that he does not view himself as a journalist of any kind. This is furthered by his saying, “I still think that’s a fallacy that they [younger audiences] get most of their news from us.” Contrarily, viewers of The Daily Show see the show as a very important source of news and young people who watch the show on a regular basis tested higher on political knowledge than people who do not watch the show. Additionally, according to research conducted by East Carolina University, those who regularly tuned into The Daily Show were more confident in their understanding of politics. So even if Jon Stewart does not think what he is doing is news or anything other than providing a laugh, his fans seem to think differently.
Why People Watch The Daily Show
The issue apparent is that people – mostly in the eighteen to twenty five age bracket – are watching shows like The Daily Show or even Saturday Night Live and, supposedly, using that as their source of news instead of conventional news sources. Though, when it comes down to it, are people really watching the show to find out what is going on, or are they watching because it nestles in nicely with their beliefs? People are going to view the shows that make them feel validated. Those with conservative leanings are more likely to watch Sean Hannity where as those with more liberal beliefs will probably choose to tune into Keith Olbermann each night. It works the same for those who are interested in hearing about what is going on and/or politics and those who are not.
As one blogger put it, “What I'm saying is, I don't think that watching TDS makes you more informed, but if you're informed, you gravitate towards TDS”; someone with convictions and who wants a good laugh will most certainly make the decision to watch a program that offers just that: a man with conviction who makes a good joke out of it. At the end of the day, however, even if the main reason young people are sure not to miss Jon Stewart and humor based critique of the media is so they have some idea of what is going on in the world, it begs the question of what the harm is. Knowledge is the cornerstone of democracy, and with an alarming drop out rate and so few showing up to the election polls, professional journalists should be thankful that someone is stirring interest in the younger generations. Maybe, too, they will take it as a hint and start to evaluate their own methods.
Sources:
1. Hollander, Barry. A. “Late Night Learning: Do Entertainment Programs Increase Political Campaign Knowledge for Young Viewers?” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media.
2. Kurtz, Howard, and Jon Stewart. “Jon Stewart zings the fourth estate; ABC News’ latest Superstar lands “Titanic” interview; Has the press inflamed a young boy’s tragedy?” Reliable Sources.
3. Campbell, Richard, Christopher R. Martin, and Bettina Fabos. Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication. Bedford/St. Martins: Boston and New York, 2008.
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