The Daily Show’s fake news anchor, Jon Stewart, beat out the real thing for "Media Person of the Year."
That’s according to iwantmedia.com’s annual poll.
Among the media bigwigs beaten out by Stewart were shock jock Howard Stern, Janet Jackson, Republican strategist Karl Rove, FCC Chairman Michael Powell, Wonkette blogger Ana Marie Cox, retiring NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, and News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch.
Mark LaPointe, an assistant professor of media studies at Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa., said of Stewart in an online posting to the site: "As a college professor, I can attest to the belief that [Jon Stewart] has energized young people to care about social and political issues and has fostered a growing belief in them that they matter and can impact change."
For a list of all the also-rans and some of the nominations, which included from The New Yorker’s Ken Auletta and Howard Dean Campaign Manager Joe Trippi, check out:
http://www.iwantmedia.com/mediapersonoftheyear.html.
Trippi’s choice was Stern: "He speaks to an audience that few others are addressing -- the young and disenfranchised," said Trippi. "He got millions of young voters to turn out for John Kerry. He definitely had the most influence in the media this year."
