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Article: The Campaign of a Comedian; Jon Stewart's Fake Journalism Enjoys Real Political Impact
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- October 23, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Jon Stewart, fake journalist and proud of it, keeps insisting he's
just a comedian.
Night after night, "The Daily Show" host lampoons President Bush
as a tongue-tied bumbler, Donald Rumsfeld as a mad ranter who
resembles "Pete the crazy guy outside my apartment," the war in Iraq
as a giant "Mess O' Potamia" and the reporters who cover the
presidential race as self-important clods.
Such sharp-edged skewering has turned the Comedy Central funnyman
into a cultural phenomenon who, despite his protestations, seems to
be having some undefined, irony-drenched influence on how the
campaign is perceived. He's been on the cover of Newsweek and now
graces the cover of Rolling Stone. His "America (The ...