The Washington Post on Tuesday hailed the new “social conscience” of shock jock Howard Stern. This, of course, means the radio star has become more outspokenly liberal. In a story by Libby Copeland, the journalist charted Stern’s changes over the last 20 years.
Copeland alerted, “A guy who once joked about the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado and wished AIDS on his enemies has even developed a social conscience. The writer added, “Stern has been outspoken about gay rights, standing up for Ellen DeGeneres after activist group One Million Moms protested her appointment as J.C. Penney’s celebrity pitchwoman.”
Copeland continued:
After the recent shooting in Colorado Springs, he expounded upon the importance of Planned Parenthood for women. The language frequently used to describe him now would boggle listeners from an earlier era. On “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” writer and actress Lena Dunham called Stern “an outspoken feminist.”
“The truth is he is one of the most sensitive, pro-women, pro-equal rights, politically aware guys,” says “Survivor” host Jeff Probst, a sometime visitor to Stern’s show and who has been listening and tracking the show’s changes since 1990.
Copeland does go on to cite those who don’t like this new, more thoughtful Stern. But she goes on to portray them as petulant and whiny:
Stern sometimes sounds exasperated by his critics, but he has made a profession out of being fed up, and it’s hard to tell whether he really cares. His “America’s Got Talent” stint supposedly made him a sellout, he has complained on his show. “Or if I have a reasonable conversation with the guest, I’m a sellout. Or if I don’t do some bit I did 20 years ago, I’m a sellout. I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m a sellout: Why are you still listening?’ ”
