Jon Stewart Is Not A Journalist

As a rule, I like to say that lists are a shameful practice in journalism. Sure they’ll attract readers who want to see who made the cut or didn’t but such rankings are rarely informative or fullfilling at all. They don’t serve the public in any substantial way, and often the way the lists are constructed is based on little or no criteria —sometimes whoever is making the list just decides that someone is the most influential, the second et cetera. All of which is a roundabout way of saying that I think The Daily Beast’s ridiculous two-part list series on the most influential liberal journalists (they did the conservative ones last week) is a mistake.

Beyond the fact that the list doesn’t seem to have any methodology for putting Eric Alterman before New York magazine editor Adam Moss, the list also lists Jon Stewart as a liberal journalist. This is simply false on two counts. Stewart isn’t a journalist, he isn’t even a pundit —although his comedy is so insightful these days it’s often treated as one. Stewart doesn’t seek to inform the public or act as a watchdog in Washington, he’s trying to make his audience laugh. I would label him as, well, a comedian and maybe a commentator when he’s hosting someone like John Yoo or Rod Blagojevich. Beyond that though saying Jon is liberal is ridiculous. Correct me if I’m wrong but in 2000 he said he would have supported John McCain had McCain won the nomination. Hardly a liberal’s comment. And Stewart has regularly lampooned the White House and the Democrats in Congress. Now, I’ll concede that Stewart’s targets are more often conservative than liberal and perhaps he does lean to the left quite a bit but is he liberal? Is he trying to further the progressive agenda? No.

The reason he’s categorized as a liberal journalist is because the public treats him as one. Stewart’s audience (me included) look to him the way we also look to Paul Krugman or Hendrik Hertberg (both of him deservedly made the list but, again, were put in odd places, underscoring their influence.). It’s true that when Stewart hosts a guest like Newt Gingrich he conducts acts of journalism by interviewing them but doing something journalistic does not make you a journalist. Stewart is still trying to find the funny while simultaneously share some insight. Still though, in every one of those interviews it’s clear that laughter is the first priority and journalism a far second.

–Daniel Strauss