October 25, 2004

Internet Satirists Outraged by Jon Stewart's Biased Program

Fake News Specialists Say Stewart Is Violating Professional Ethics

Internet satirists whose stock in trade is fake news are increasingly dismayed and even angry at Jon Stewart, host of the cable television program The Daily Show, for his support of John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, and his opposition to George W. Bush, the Republican incumbent.

"Fake newsmen are supposed to hate everyone equally, to ridicule everyone without fear or favor. They can't take sides. To do so is a serious violation of the ethics of fake journalism," said Blinkie Winterbun, executive director of the National Association of Internet Fake Journalists.

The NAIFJ claims to have 3.6 million members, all of whom run one or more Web sites that use fake news stories as a vehicle to satirize, ridicule, and amuse. The fake stories take on everyone from Mother Teresa to Garfield, the overweight cartoon cat, to the Man in the Moon. NAIFJ estimates that 500 new fake news sites appear each day on the Internet.

Stewart, whose program is broadcast by the cable channel Comedy Central, denies trying to influence the outcome of the presidential election. He has received unusual media attention in recent weeks, including the cover of Newsweek and Rolling Stone and several front page articles in the country's largest newspapers. Besides skewering Bush and his administration, Stewart also has lampooned and ridiculed some of the leading members of the news media covering the presidential campaign.

Although Stewart admits he plans to vote for Johm Kerry, he says he is just a comedian entertaining his audience. However, anyone watching his program regularly would likely agree that he relentlessly skewers Bush, but only makes mild fun of Kerry.

"Stewart has betrayed our profession. There is no question about that," said Robinson Redstone, whose fake news Web site, Baked Bean Redux, specializes in satirical and humorous fake news stories about digestive problems that the rich, famous, and powerful experience after they eat baked beans. The Web site recently published an article about the global warming caused by the methane emissions of both Bush and Kerry after they eat baked beans.

"We bent over backward to make sure that both candidates were treated evenhandedly," Redstone said. "Because Kerry is from Boston, the home of baked beans, we could have singled him out. But we didn't. We play by the rules and adhere to the ethics of fake journalism."

Some fake news webmasters have begun talking about organizing a boycott of The Daily Show.

"There are more than 3 million of us and each fake news Web site has an average of 100 visitors each day," said Albert Vicioni, webmaster of Spiral Porcupine Quill. "If we got half of our visitors to boycott Stewart's program for a few days, that would cut his audience by 150 million people. That would get his attention."

Vicioni, whose web site specializes in fake news about midwestern farm women who make quilts by hand, said he and several dozen webmasters have been exchanging e-mail about how to organize a boycott.

"Maybe we'll start some kind of viral e-mail chain letter, particularly since there is the flu vaccine shortage" he said.

No attempt was made to obtain a comment from Stewart or his producers at Comedy Central about the NAIFJ concerns. According to NAIFJ's ethics guidelines, fake news reporters don't have to obtain comment from those they write about.

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