Some people also look to Daily Show and Colbert Report as points of reference for social issues. Is that a commentary on those people, or the editorial postures of mainstream journalism?
Hmm, indeed. I would still argue that this is an issue of the individual, since they are ultimately the entity responsible for deciding what is a valid point of reference, regardless of if the source is more or less justifiable.
If millions of individuals independently make the same decision about which media they trust, it may be a social signal.