My+Civic+Hero+-+Jocelyn+Rosenthal

media type="file" key="New Project 1 - Tiny 1.3gp" align="center" **__My Civic Hero - Jon Stewart__**

**Jocelyn Rosenthal** **Our society is constantly changing** to make things easier, faster and more accessible. Some people lay back and wait for these innovations to come while others- civic heroes- take the progression and transformation of society into their own hands. A civic hero is someone who uses innovative means to transform society for the better. These people may use communication, technology or other means to make a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of people all over the world. Jon Stewart, the host of “The Daily Show” uses his position to inform the world about current issues, advance political agendas, and question the actions of politicians. **//Through his show Jon Stewart has made a huge impact on politics and the lives of thousands of “normal people”, which in my eyes makes him a civic hero.//**

**Jon Stewart**, born Jonathan Stewart Leibowitz, was born on November 28th, 1962 in my hometown Lawrenceville New Jersey. His teacher mother raised him along with his older brother Larry Leibowitz, who is now the chief operating executive of the New York Stocks Exchange. He attended Lawrence Public School systems from kindergarten to senior year, where he was always known as the class clown. After high school graduation, Stewart attended William and Mary College in Virginia where he obtained a degree in psychology, played soccer and was a brother of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. After graduation in 1984, he held a plethora of jobs ranging from contingency planner of the New Jersey department of human resources to a puppeteer for disabled children. It was not until 1986 that he tapped into his entertaining abilities, when he moved to the Big Apple to pursue a career in comedy. While living in New York City he played various roles and had a fairly successful run as a comedian and making a name for himself. In 1999 he caught his big break when he became the host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”, replacing Craig Kilborn who went on to host the Late Late Show.

**The Daily Show** describes itself as a fake news show, drawing its comedy from current politics, media and other news stories. In actuality the show has a much greater impact on our society, than they would lead you to believe. This impact is demonstrated by the amount of important political figures appearing on his show, as well as the millions of viewers who regularly watch his show. In this modern age many people are too busy to keep up with current events and rely on their news from satirical shows such as the Daily Show or the Colbert Report. Their main audience is viewers from age 18- 25, a generation obsessed with social media, material things, and instant gratification, who would often remain ignorant about our nation without shows like these. Some critic’s claim that this is not real news and does not impact society, those critics would be wrong. The influence of this show and especially Jon Stewart is clearly evidenced by the numerous awards and political initiatives that Stewart has received and been the driving force behind. Jon Stewart and his show received the Peabody Award for Indecision 2000 and 2004 – the coverage of the respective elections, where Stewart and Stephen Colbert strived for the average person’s opinion to be heard rather then the usual minority controlling these important debates. Personally Stewart was named one of the most influential people of 2005 by TIME magazine, and the most influential man of 2010 by AskMen.com. //**Through his show, website and other media Jon Stewart has been innovative in keeping America informed and leading important political initiatives in the**// United States, using entertaining means.

**The attacks of 9/11** were horrifying, destructive and terrible events that directly impacted the lives of thousands and touched the lives of many more. Thousands of people knowingly risked their lives so that they might save those trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center. Ten years after their courage, these people are still plagued by illness from the toxic fumes and other deadly outcomes of the planes crashing into the twin towers. The 9/11 bill proposed for the victims of 9/11 to be compensated for their health problems endured from the aftermath of the catastrophe. The Republicans fought tooth and nail against this bill because of its “high cost”, even at the expense of the thousands affected by the attacks. John Stewart devoted a whole show to this cause showing firefighters and rescuers affected by the attacks, his personal opinion, and an interview with Mike Huckabee urging republicans to pass this bill. Although he was not the only one pioneering this movement, his contributions are said, according to the New York Times, to have made the bill pass. **//After his show aired, senate passed the 9/11 bill which allotted 4.3 Billion dollars to cover the medicals bills of those who risked their lives trying to save the victims of the attacks.//** **Jon Stewart is a civic hero** in my eyes because he uses his status and his show to better society, and shed light on current issues through satire. He is innovative in using his power in media to give a voice to the average person to transform society into a better place for everyone, not just the powerful and elite. In particular, his contribution to the 9/11 Bill, in which his media attention equated to the betterment of thousands of people whose health, is permanently damaged from the aftermath of 9/11. From Jon Stewart we learn that **//through humor and giving a voice to the common person, you can exert a major influence on creating good in our society//.** http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-december-16-2010/9-11-first-responders-react-to-the-senate-filibuster
 * The Daily Show on the 9/11 Bill**

Bibliography

huffingtonpost.com nytimes.com wikipedia.org biography.com papers.ssrn.com cnn.com askmen.com