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.