Sonia Simone says, “Jon Stewart’s retirement from The Daily Show this week, accompanied by many tears and some cheers, is getting a lot of coverage around the web.

First, because the show is insanely popular.

But more than that, because the show demonstrates a real shift in what authority and authenticity look like in the 21st century.

In 2007, Stewart came in fourth in a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press as an admired journalist. (He tied, interestingly enough, with Brian Williams.)

The Daily Show is a very different creature from the news parodies that came before it. Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update might make you laugh (some years), but no sane person relies on it for an analysis of what actually matters in the news. By contrast, in 2008, The New York Times asked if Jon Stewart might not be The Most Trusted Man in America“.

The New Authenticity and Authority: What it Looks Like, How to Use It

‘Copyblogger’ Blog

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