News anchor icon Walter Cronkite passed away this month, and it is but inevitable that people would look for the next news personality to take his place. Well, maybe not literally but figuratively speaking. If Walter Cronkite was known for one thing, it was that he was the man that all of America trusted when it came to the news. Now that he is gone, who does America trust most?
Time conducted a poll with this exact question: “Now that Walter Cronkite has passed on, who is America’s most trusted newscaster?”
The choices were:
a. Katie Couric
b. Charlie Gibson
c. Jon Stewart
d. Brian Williams
And the results?
e. Katie Couric – 7% (that low?)
f. Charlie Gibson – 19%
g. Jon Stewart – 44%
h. Brian Williams – 29%
If the figures are to be believed, Jon Stewart has gained the trust of the American people. Now don’t get me wrong – I love watching Jon Stewart do his thing on TV. Indeed, I rarely watch TV but on the rare occasion that I do, I find myself watching this “newsman.” The interesting thing about this, though, is that Jon Stewart is primarily a comedian and not a news anchor!
Walter Cronkite and Jon Stewart have practically NOTHING in common. So how did America get from Cronkite to Stewart? Is it a reflection of the state of the news media in the country or is it a reflection of the American culture in general? Maybe there is a confusion between “trusted” and “funny”? You tell me.
