Culture

"Daily Show" Fans Well-Informed

by jordan | August 1, 2008 at 12:24 pm | 108 views | 1 comment | 2 recommendations

According to the Project for Excellence in Journalism, fans of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart are well-versed in current events even before tuning in to the popular news-based comedy program.

The Project for Excellence in Journalism also said it was surprised at how much the Comedy Central late-night program resembles "The O'Reilly Factor," "Hardball" and other cable news shows in content.

The Washington-based organization asked its researchers to study a year's worth of "The Daily Show" tapes -- hardly a grim assignment -- after hearing the frequent claim that many young people learn about the world from Stewart instead of more traditional news sources.

This is part of what makes The Daily Show so successful: it asks something of its viewers. In this case, a more detailed knowledge of current events, particularly in politics. Viewers who meet this expectation are rewarded by the show's content. It's a really simple formula, and should be looked at more closely by not just journos but by TV producers as well.