Why Jon Stewart is the Most Trusted Name in News

Lots of folks have been pondering how it could be that, according to a recent Time Magazine poll (see above), Jon Stewart is the most trusted newscaster on TV.  Not only that, but this holds true well outside of his presumed bases of NY and LA.

According to Neatorama:

It’s a sad statement that the most trusted name in news is actually a comedian. I’m not sure if it speaks badly about Americans in general or about the state of our news media.       LINK

I’m sure Neatorama isn’t the only site with such a view but it strikes me as completely missing the point.  In fact, I have to wonder if the author of the above statement has every truly watched The Daily Show with any regularity.

The biggest reason people trust Jon Stewart is authenticity.  Stewart is, at heart, a skeptic who just wants everyone to please explain themselves.  He doesn’t have to portray either a fake neutrality like, say Brian Williams, or a hot-headed reactionary like Rush Limbaugh.  Instead, Jon is reasonable.  He is surprisingly centrist.  Most important of all, many viewers clearly believe that the Jon Stewart on the TV is the same Jon Stewart one would meet at a dinner party.

The lesson is that nothing sells like authenticity.  Unfortunately for many, however, authenticity can not be faked or learned.

Daily Show Nails New York Times for “Aged News”

There have been lots of posts about The Daily Show’s Jason Jones and his takedown on The New York Times on Wednesday night’s show.

For me, the deadliest moment came when Jason asked about the “aged news” in the paper.  He challenged an editor to show him anything in the paper that had happened today.  Clearly, he was unable to do this.

The point, however, is not that large news organizations are a dying breed but that the physical newspapers they continue to insist are their core business are basically obsolete.

Instead of worrying about how to charge for content online, newspaper companies should be wholly focused on how to get the hell out of the printing and distribution business.

Jon Stewart Rips Morning Joe Starbucks Sponsorship

Last night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart ripped into Joe Scarborough and his cohorts on the MSNBC’s  Morning Joe for their blatant and shameless Starbucks product placements and shout-outs, including a pandering interview with the Starbucks CEO.

Now, I can’t stand Joe Scarborough but I have to wonder if it’s really such a big deal.  Sure, if you are looking for unbiased and untainted reporting this is not the show for you but the Morning Joe team was more than upfront about the deal with Starbucks so there was not real intent to deceive the viewer.

For those who found it distasteful, there are plenty of other shows on the cable dial, each with their own degree of corporate or brand or sponsor interference.  At the end of the day, somebody has to pay the bills.

The danger lies in programs that do not publicly, and clearly, disclose who is paying the bills.

It’s interesting that Jon Stewart has never done a similar takedown of his old friend Stephen Colbert, who has made a sport of integrating sponsorships numerous products into his show, including Doritos.

I think The Daily Show is one of the finest programs on television but I’m not sure this particular attack is one that holds up to scructiny.  Besides, there are so many more valid and compelling reasons to take down Joe Scarborough.

Free Advice for Hulu: Play On

I just finished watching The Daily Show from last night on Hulu and happened to be in the middle of folding some clothes when the show ended.  After a brief ad, the screen went dead and offered up some static thumbnails of suggested viewing.

It dawned on me that Hulu was missing a great opportunity to either introduce me to new content or keep me viewing related content while increasing my potential time on the site – a big benefit when trying to sell advertisers.

So, Hulu, here is my free advice:

Once a program ends, if the viewer doesn’t intervene, just start streaming something else, just like you would do on TV.  Sure, I might not end up watching whatever it is…but I might.  Plus, you’ve lost nothing for trying.

Oh yeah, also, get your deal worked out with Boxee.  Installing these hacks is a pain in the butt and you’e not going to come out ahead by resisting.

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John “I’m a PC” Hodgeman Answers His iPhone!

Anybody else notice that John “I’m a PC” Hodgeman answered his iPhone last night on The Daily Show?  If not, you can check it out from the clip I’ve provided.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsT067y8Gdk&hl=en]

Man, first John Stewart uses an iPhone on the Oscars, than that picture of the iPod on the Space Shuttle and now this.  Apple just keeps kicking everyone else’s ass in the marketing department.