How do you define a "journalist"?

I came across a story today on the topix.com Journalism News page titled "Jon Stewart: Comedian or Journalist?" (http://www.nbc10.com/entertainment/17394383/detail.html). This caught my attention because I began reading Chapter 5 of the "Elements of Journalism" book, which opens with a brief story of a partisan ex-political activist, William Safire, becoming a writer for the New York Times in the 1970s. This created a big stir, because people began to question how a presidential speech-writer could suddenly refer to himself as a journalist.

"What was it, then, that separated Safire from a partisan, activist, or propagandist? The question is increasingly pertinent to the delivery of news and information in the new century," the book states. "As the media landscape broadens and evolves to meet the needs of a more inclusive and activist public created by the social movements of the 1960s and the recent democratization of the content production, what makes something journalism?" (115).

This story about Jon Stewart makes it evident that we are still grappling with these blurred lines in the field of journalism today. For instance, as we have discussed in class, blogging is becoming increasingly popular -- do we refer to bloggers as journalists? And if so, are true "journalists" at risk of being undertaken by regular citizens who can communicate news and events in much the same way that we as journalists do?

This particular story attempts to identify Stewart as either a comedian or a journalist, and states that his identity is different depending on who you ask. While it is true that "The Daily Show" is a comedy program, it also delivers news, which creates a thin and often blurred line between comedy and journalism. Many would argue that his show is not true journalism in the sense that it mixes comedy in with the news -- it certainly is not the kind of news you would see on a regular newscast. The story also says, "This is the third presidential election in which Stewart has been at the helm of 'The Daily Show,' which has helped the 45-year-old host become one of the most respected journalists on television, according to a Pew Research Center for the People and the Press survey." Should we view Stewart as a journalist with the authority and ability to comment on politics, or simply as a comedian making light of politics? Should he be taken seriously as a "journalist" if he incorporates humor into the news?

And, the more important all-encompassing question, what makes someone a journalist, and what makes something journalism? Is it becoming more and more difficult to define?