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"Disassemble... is (brain) dead!"
even before Stewart took the helm. I liked Stewart even before he was on The Daily Show (I knew him as a stand-up comedian but became a fan after seeing him on a Sesame Street video my son liked...he was actually pretty good in it!).
The two together have been a good combination for the most part. But have I ever seen him as "the most trusted name in news"? 
No (see Sesame Street reference above).
At their best, humorists and satirists speak truths that skewer bullshit, pomposity, hypocrisy, etc., but do I turn to George Carlin, Richard Pryor, or even Mark Twain for what's generally considered news? No. They serve a much different purpose than journalists.
I think that was on display during Stewart's notorious visit to Crossfire:
On October 15, 2004, Jon Stewart appeared on the program to promote his book America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. He criticized the format of Crossfire and the style of arguments presented on the show. He said the program failed its responsibility to the public discourse and indulged in partisan hackery, reducing news coverage of important issues to a series of talking points from both extremes of the political spectrum: "It's hurting America. Here is what I wanted to tell you guys: Stop... You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably." Carlson countered Stewart's criticisms by reading examples of questions Stewart had asked of then-presidential candidate John Kerry during his recent interview on The Daily Show, such as, "How are you holding up?" and "Have you ever flip-flopped?" Stewart argued that unlike Carlson and Begala he was a comedian, not a journalist, and therefore it was not his role to conduct hard-hitting interviews. Begala defended the show on the basis that it was intended as a forum for debate, to which Stewart responded that calling Crossfire a debate show was "like saying pro wrestling is a show about athletic competition." Arguably the most heated moment of the exchange occurred after Carlson told Stewart, "I do think you're more fun on your show. Just my opinion.", to which Stewart replied, "You know what's interesting, though? You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossfire_%28TV_series%29#Jon_Stewart.27s_appearance
Why the authors of that Salon piece (of crap) ever thought Stewart was some crusading reporter leading a "countercultural revolution" with a punchline makes no sense to me.
