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.

CNN or YouTube?

There is a pretty amazing post over at Neatorama that features a YouTube video of a group of young women looting a store during the riots earlier this week in Belgrade.

“It’s yet another peek into another world that we would be less likely to see before the age of internet and YouTube. How is society changing with the barrier to entry for broadcasting to millions of people around the world set so low?”

I’d say that is a pretty excellent question to consider.  I’m actually reminded of a book by Christopher Buckley called Little Green Men (it was made into a bad movie with Randy Quaid).  In the book, the Earth is invaded by little green men from Mars.  Instead of bringing horrible weapons or disease, they have the ability to teleport instantly to anywhere.  This allows them to spy on anyone they want to.  Once they’ve finished spying they immediately go and share what they’ve learned with the offended party.  The effect of all of this is that secrets become impossible and all the world powers are forced into a completely open position.

(Actually, I am not totally certain that is actually the plot of the book, but that’s how I remember it… )

I really wonder if this isn’t sort of what is happening with the combined proliferation of the internet along with mobile phones that capture video.  There are phones now that can capture and post the video simultaneously, making anyone capable of becoming a live, uncensored, on-the-scene reporter.

CNN can kiss my ass.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VWZoKWBYXE&rel=1]