I have seen many progressives celebrating the recent news that The Daily Show with Jon Stewartbeat the entire Fox "News" prime time line up in the May Nielson ratings. I understand the urge to celebrate, and I do not begrudge anyone for doing so. It is indeed great to see people turning off Fox "News," and I hope this is just the beginning of a trend to do so. However, we should pause to remember that Stewart's show really isn't news either.

I watch Stewart's show often, and I usually enjoy it. But I recognize that it is entertainment. I would certainly not rely on it as my primary source of news. That some Americans report doing so is not encouraging. As thrilled as I am with the idea that fewer people are watching Fox "News," I'd prefer to see them replacing it with real news as opposed more fake news programming. Then again, I recognize that the massive decline of the mainstream news media in recent years is precisely what has made Stewart so popular.

If we are going to have a strong democracy, we desperately need an informed citizenry. And being informed is not the same thing as being entertained. Stewart is at his best when he's calling out the news media for their abject failure to engage in meaningful investigative reporting. But his criticism - no matter how necessary it is - cannot replace real news anymore than Fox can.

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