Jon Stewart explains why heads have to roll at Rolling Stone, makes a 'citizen's firing'

Jon Stewart fires somebody at Rolling Stone — (Image credit: The Daily Show)

On Wednesday night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart took aim at Rolling Stone's botched campus rape story, especially the part where the magazine's publisher said the scathing report he commissioned from the Columbia journalism school was punishment enough. "That's not how this works," Stewart explained. "All right, if nobody else has the guts, I'll fire them — I'm making a citizen's firing. Pack up your desks, and give me the number for security there — I'll have them escort you out."

If that seems harsh, Stewart explained why it isn't. "This isn't a gaffe or a brain fart or a whoopsie-daisy, this is a big deal," he said, "monumental f--k-up territory." Rape on campus is a shockingly common, and often-ignored, problem, and victims need support, Stewart told Rolling Stone, "yet somehow, in a sea of verifiable assaults, you managed to 'Where's Waldo' the only rape story that not only would fail to get your point across but set the cause back. Someone's gotta go."

The last part of the clip is Samantha Bee's report on a seriously under-reported rape-related issue, and it's worth sitting through. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.