The Daily Show as Substantive as Broadcast News

Walter C. writes "Anyone who watches the evening news with any regularity knows that it's not a bastion of substance. However, a new study conducted by researchers at Indiana University reports that The Daily Show has just as much substance to it as the broadcast news. 'The researchers looked at coverage of the 2004 Democratic and Republican national conventions and the first presidential debate of the fall campaign, all of which were covered by the mainstream broadcast news outlets and The Daily Show... There was just as much substance to The Daily Show's coverage as there was on the network news. And The Daily Show was much funnier, with less of the hype — references to photo ops, political endorsements, and polls — that typically overshadows substantive coverage on network news, according to the study.'"

Remember the old slogan

[LostCluster]

The Daily Show: Where more Americans get their news than probably should.

How can you say that?

[tkrotchko]

CBS has that hard hitting bastion of reporting "Katie Couric".

How can you take Jon Stewart more seriously than perky Katie?

Puppets making prank calls..

[sponga]

are before the show for godsake!

The Main Difference

[TubeSteak]

Is that the Daily show comes with a large dose of cynicism. [wikipedia.org]

Maybe they need to make a toned down Daily Show (that is still funny), but for the parents.

Infotainment that is +1 Insightful

Re:Well duh

[Anonymous Coward]

Just like the main stream media was trying to portray Gary Condit as a conservative Republican [mediaresearch.org]?

It even confused the folks at C-SPAN, as seen in this video [mediaresearch.org]. One would think that they would have been more informed.

This is from the New York Times [nytimes.com] web site (bold added):

National Briefing | West: California: Support For Condit Challenger

Sens Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein will support Assemblyman Dennis Cardoza, one of several Democrats, in California primary for candidate to run against incumbent Republican Repr Gary Condit for House seat
January 26, 2002 News web site:

And I'm sure the space "shuttle traveling nearly 18 times the speed of light [wisc.edu]" banner on CNN back in 2003 was some part of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and/or Liberal Media.

Colbert and Stewart for 2008

[1155]

The other candidates wouldn't matter, Colbert and Stewart would win by a landslide. I'd actually register to vote them into office.

Re:News programs ARE entertainment.

[thrillseeker]

The Daily Show SHOULD be operating with a handicap. They have to focus solely on the items that they can turn into a joke.

With a nod to Mark Twain, I can think of 535 starting points that should provide rich sources for jokes.

The What?

[John Hasler]

I have the good fortune to not have the foggiest notion as to what the Daily Show is.

I believe I have heard of the Evening News, though. It stars Walter Cronkite, right?

Re:The Main Difference

[hey]

Why [wikipedia.org] do [wikipedia.org] you [wikipedia.org] have [wikipedia.org] a [wikipedia.org] link [wikipedia.org] to [wikipedia.org] cynicism [wikipedia.org]? Do [wikipedia.org] you [wikipedia.org] think [wikipedia.org] other [wikipedia.org] people [wikipedia.org] don't [wikipedia.org] know [wikipedia.org] that [wikipedia.org] word. [wikipedia.org]

Re:Well duh

[randomiam]

With quality on point analysis like that, you should consider a career in broadcasting!
JK. I'm not poking fun at you, rather the lazy, lazy members of the press who don't get much deeper than the press release on any given event. (Bastards. Wish I could phone in my work.)

Re:Deep Truth

[TeamSPAM]

So you're a fan of truthiness? You'd rather have truthy, not facty. >;-)

(I know it' the wrong show, but it's from a spin-off of the Daily Show.)

Oh gods....

[SvnLyrBrto]

> And I'm sure the space "shuttle traveling nearly 18 times the
> speed of light" banner on CNN back in 2003 was some part
> of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and/or Liberal Media.

Just how much of a nerd am I that my first thought there, without even having to do any math, was: "Oh, that's about warp 2.5." ???

cya,
john

Re:Come On

[tb3]

Apparently Stewart no longer cares about balancing his show for the opinions of his more conservative viewers.

No, not really, he just knows his audience.

He realized a long time ago that Republicans have no sense of humor.

And, they're all child molesters.

Re:Fox does this to many, not just Foley

[Coryoth]

It could be worse. One of the major channels in New Zealand "accidentally" had a caption that listed President Bush as a "professional facsist" [nzherald.co.nz]. I believe te official comment from the TV station essentially amounted to "Oops".

Re:Wouldn't it be better to say...

[lewp]

Oliver: It means ranging change John.

"regime"

There, now doesn't that... make sense?

CNN carries it, outside the US. Really.

[Shag]

It's on the COMEDY CHANNEL for chrissakes.

I can't remember whether it was in Montreal, Paris, or Mexico, but I've seen The Daily Show come on right after a "real" news show on CNN International. And I didn't see any disclaimer about it being satire, either. Folks elsewhere must have a really interesting perception of what's going on in the U.S. ;)

Re:Wouldn't it be better to say...

[rossifer]

That being young, politically liberal minded people.

Have you ever actually watched the show? Cause the Dems get lambasted as the unelectable (and worse than that) on a regular basis.

How many times do we really need to hear that Bush is a dumbfuck,

I'll take "at least once a day" until McCain gets elected, please (I'm a nonreligious conservative who thinks Bush has harmed this country in almost every way that matters and who doesn't feel well represented by most of our "religious-right" Republicans).

or see Stewart shilling for the latest Democratic candidate?

You can't possibly regularly watch the show. The only explanation for your statement is that you accidentally ended up there instead of watching Fox News for one episode where he was playing nice with a Dem and haven't been back since.

Regards,
Ross

Re:CNN carries it, outside the US. Really.

[hkmwbz]

You are kidding, right? CNN is considered to be big and important outside the US.

Re:Wouldn't it be better to say...

[Dragonslicer]

If he's just a comedian, why should I listen to him criticize the news?

You don't see very many comedians, huh? That's kinda part of their job description.

Re:Flawed Study

[meringuoid]

TDS may be left wing but they do mock the Democrats a lot. Jon Stewart even called them Ewoks once in reference to their powerlessness

These are the same Ewoks who were easily able to capture (among others) a Jedi and a Wookiee? And who then prepared to eat them? And who, shortly afterwards, were confronted by an elite Imperial legion with AT-STs, blaster rifles and a heavily reinforced bunker, and successfully beat the hell out of the lot of them, gained access to the bunker and took down the shield around the Death Star? And who celebrated their victory with a barbecue and a rousing chorus of Yub Yub?

Eechawawa!

Re:Fox does this to many, not just Foley

[Anonymous Coward]

"accidentally"

you misspelled "accurately"

Re:Wouldn't it be better to say...

[dan_bethe]

Apparently, his mind is too rational to process such a ridiculous and nonsensical vernacular.

Re:Wouldn't it be better to say...

[tonyr1988]

Yes, but Stewart himself said that the goal of TDS isn't supposed to be content. He said (paraphrased), "I come on after a show about puppets making prank phone calls!"