Online Poll: Jon Stewart Is America's Most Trusted Newsman

Well, in a result that he will probably accept as downright apocalyptic for America, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart has been selected, in an online poll conducted by Time Magazine, as America's Most Trusted Newscaster, post-Cronkite. Matched up against Brian Williams, Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson, Stewart prevailed with 44 percent of the vote. Now, if we're being honest, he probably managed to prevail as the winner precisely because he was the odd man out in a field of network news anchors. Nevertheless, I think Jim Cramer should feel free to SNACK ON THAT.

Brian Williams drew the second largest percentage of votes, with 29 percent. Gibson and Couric finished third and fourth, respectively, with 19 and 7 percent of the vote.

Time has helpfully broken out the results, state-by-state, so if you want to muse on some anomalous results, feel free. Brian Williams won Arizona, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota, Florida, South Carolina, Indiana, Delaware and Vermont, and tied in Kentucky and Alaska. Charlie Gibson was big in Tennessee and Montana. Katie Couric pulled off the Mondalian feat of winning one state: Iowa.

Stewart finished no lower than second place in all states, except, curiously, Vermont.

To view the results, click here.

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Comments

[screamingpalm]

As big a fan as I am of both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, Amy Goodman is easily the most "Trustworthy Newscaster". What a useless poll.

[Soniafaye]

The court jesters are the only ones who can speak truth to power.

[Liberterna]

The poll is accurate, i would trust Jon Stewart over any of those other "anchors" who have their highly paid journalist copy and paste Reuters and AP feeds into the teleprompter.

[Jonatan Cruz]

Actually Reuters can be trusted sin ce is UK and Canadian based, it's when the brainless tv anchors that put their opinions in the news, or give some new more importance that another when it become biased.

[The Cam]

Did anyone else have as comprehensive report as the Daily Show on the Iran elections? Were there any other mainstream American journalists in Iran? Has any other mainstream media ever tried to portray Iran as anything other than an extreme Muslim country? I don't buy this "it's sad when a comedian is the most trusted to give an objective view." That is what the greatest comedians do. George Carlin, Bill Hicks and Lenny Bruce were all straight shooters shooting through the BS. Jon Stewart is no different. He helps to expose the lies told on other networks.

[Liberterna]

well said, the daily show may be categorized as "comedy" but there is more true journalism in it than most other networks.

[Special K]

From his position on the Daily Show Jon may have some credibility, oddly enough, but what he does not have is accountability. At the end of the day, his raison d'etre is to entertain and he is not bound by a mission to report information objectively or ethically.

Still, this was an online poll.

[The Cam]

He has accountability to his audience. Viewers from all over the world. He's trying to give people what they want, the way they want it. He's giving them Truth in a way that does not take itself seriously.
Is it always objective? No, but it connects with a lot of people and helps connect them to some of the relevant topics of the day.

[Paul Berry]

i actually find i agree. comedy has a great way of telling the truth if you use it right. 236.com had a great ability to do that as well but john stewart is the daily wrap i often find i want to veg out to

[alansky]

Jon Stewart is terrific, but when a comedian is the most trusted newsman in America, anyone who doesn't think there's a serious problem should have their head examined.

[Bendra]

and Jon Stewart has said this many times.

[Lavina]

That is because Vermont's Congressional representatives inform their constituents with the truth.

[robbyJ]

From Vermont. I love John Stewart. I don't know 1 thing Peter Welch has said or believes.

[DRTraveler]

Jon has an amazing grasp on the ridiculous and helps us all see the world though his humor and, sometimes, insight. I enjoy watching his news shows so much I often watch them again and again! How many times can I say that about the other newscasters? Hmmmmm....zero.

[John Horner]

The world would be a lesser place without Jon Stewart. Brian Williams and the other network spokesmodels, on the other hand, are all completely replaceable and largely interchangeable.

[ivegotblisteronmefingers]

one things for sure
no other interviewer stays on topic and on top of his subject more that stewart

[billw8017]

Jon Stewart does mostly media review. Media review is a natural for comedy since it's only necessary to tell the truth to be funny.

[ebanks84]

Ain't that the truth. He is absolutely the only one I would trust to even come close to the truth in news. All the rest are just "talking heads" on a leash!

[n222s]

Jon Stewart dares to tell the truth and to evidence the truth with clips of real events and statements by people in power. Stewart's intelligence and critical thinking skills by far outdistance those who have lost or refuse to use their own thinking ability and who choose to be followers of a party line. More power to him.

[ghostdance]

Jon Stewart is the antidote to TV for profit sensationalism news. He is the beginning of media consciousness in the public as predicted in 1984 by Neil Postman in "Amusing Ourselves to Death." For Faux news people, that is an author, not a playwright.

He is as necessary an invention as penicillin.