Jon Stewart: 'Daily' dose of bias

    Jon Stewart is one of the worst figures in American media and is damaging to our national discourse.
    The source of Stewart's noxious influence is in his ability to have everything both ways. On the one hand, he claims to be just a comedian, interested only in entertainment. But on the other, he clearly commands enormous influence. No amount of coy denials from Stewart about his status as a "real" journalist will change that.
    His interviews with guests typically feature as many solemn monologues as they do jokes. Inevitably, his opinions are liberal. Throughout eight years of the Bush presidency, the administration was the constant target of a gleeful Stewart, with little said of the Democrats.
    Defenders of the show rightly point out that it's easier to make fun of those in power than the opposition. But has the recent victory of Barack Obama resulted in "The Daily Show" changing targets?
    Of course not. Now, it is critics of the administration who are the constant butt of Stewart's jokes. His recent showdown with CNBC's Jim Cramer, the business world's version of a shock jock, is a prime example. The always-self-righteous Stewart chastised Cramer for recommending his viewers buy Bear Stearns not long before its collapse, and recited the usual pieties about the responsibilities of the media.
    Why was Cramer targeted? It can't be that "The Daily Show" has only recently noticed that his stock picks aren't always very good. Politically liberal and an Obama supporter, Cramer has not suffered the show's wrath before. But then he made the mistake of criticizing Obama's stimulus package. Now his trustworthiness is suddenly of great interest to "The Daily Show."
    It should be abundantly clear to everyone, if it wasn't already, that Stewart is partisan. His studio audience wildly applauds everything he says, practically before he finishes saying it. Could he say anything that would give them pause?
    Then again, most of the time he says nothing at all. His trademark is a smirk and an eyebrow raise, which is invoked whenever a politician says anything. It is a gesture that is flattering to the vanity of young people. We love to be in on the joke.
    But by dismissing other people as unworthy of his consideration and encouraging his audience to do the same, all Stewart does is help to close minds. His simplistic arguments are passed off as profound, and they benefit from being paired with heavily edited clips from the opposition.
    Yet who in the media could call Stewart out? By hypocritically portraying himself as just a comedian, Stewart makes himself immune from criticism. The show doesn't need to be fair or intelligent because it's all just a joke, wink wink. At least the O'Reillys and Olbermanns of the world have the courage to take responsibility for what they say. The next time Stewart accuses someone of a lack of integrity, he should take a look at himself.