Get a Grip: Jon Stewart Is No Murrow

Jon Stewart’s push for the 9/11 first responders bill has been getting him lots of praise, and drawing some lofty comparisons—the New York Times even likened him to Edward R. Murrow. But “Murrow didn’t do fart jokes,” argues Steve Krakauer of CNN. “Stewart is an extremely influential member of the media. But he is not like Murrow—or even a journalist.”

Sure, the Daily Show gang has a lot to say. “But if it’s not funny, they won’t get to make those points for very long, on a network that has the word ‘Comedy’ in its name.” So what is Stewart? “Maybe he’s an advocacy comedian. Maybe he’s just a uniquely talented TV host.” But above all he’s an outsider—outside of politics, and outside of journalism, too. “Jon Stewart is not Edward R. Murrow—because if he was, there would be no Jon Stewart.” (More Jon Stewart stories.)