When most people are asked to think of trusted news anchors who deliver information on a nightly basis, likely responses might be Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw or Dan Rather. But a significant percentage of students are getting their news from another source: “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”
Whether disgusted with presidential politics or television news coverage that tends to focus on the race itself rather than specific issues, young people are abandoning the network broadcasts for the comedic Stewart’s interpretation of the day’s events.
A poll released earlier this year by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press found that nearly 21 percent of people aged 18 to 29 cited “The Daily Show” as their primary source for presidential campaign news, and 23 percent cited the nightly network news as the place to receive their political coverage.
These numbers are astonishing when compared to 2000’s percentages, when 39 percent of respondents received their information from network news as opposed to only 9 percent receiving news from comedy shows.
The “Daily Show,” which airs weeknights on Comedy Central, is primarily a political humor show that points out the absurdity of American politics.
The show’s increased popularity has blurred the line between comedy and news.
One-time presidential hopeful John Edwards announced his candidacy for presidency on the “Daily Show.”
John Kerry also made an appearance on the show during his heated presidential campaign.
And earlier this year, Stewart was asked to give commentary on NBC after Bush’s State of the Union Address.
Where the “Daily Show” falls between news and comedy has been blurred even further, as Stewart and the show won this year’s Emmy award for best news and information program.
Many young people have been turning to Stewart for crucial political coverage: During coverage of the State of the Union address, Stewart’s show had more male viewers aged 18 to 34 than any of the network evening news shows, a ratings milestone.
Political science Professor Matthew Baum said there are a number of reasons people have been turned off to network news recently, including the number of scandals that have erupted in journalism, perceived bias in news, and a softening of coverage which puts more emphasis on the “horse race” aspects of the campaign than issues.
Stewart regularly calls his show a “fake news” show, but lapses in journalistic integrity have many people questioning the truth of the main news broadcasts.
Recently, Dan Rather was embarrassed when documents he presented on CBS regarding President Bush’s service in the National Guard proved to be fabricated.
And people who are turned off to traditional television news coverage because they feel it is biased may have a legitimate complaint, according to a new study released Wednesday by the Project for Excellence in Journalism.
The study found that President Bush has received more negative coverage than his opponent, Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry.
More than half of all Bush stories studied were decidedly negative in tone. By contrast, only a quarter of all Kerry stories were clearly negative.
The study also found that most news coverage tended to focus on tactics, strategy and the horse race.
Baum said young people who don’t like what they see on network news are more inclined to just stop watching, because they did not grow up during the era dominated by the networks, making them less loyal.
Baum also said there are other reasons students and other young people are turning to the “Daily Show,” including the fact that Stewart turns politics into entertainment.
Students turning away from traditional news coverage are not the only ones who disapprove of the way the media has covered the 2004 election, as Stewart himself has raised some significant questions about political coverage.
Earlier this month, Stewart went on CNN’s Crossfire and told the show’s hosts to “stop hurting America.”
“I’m here to confront you, because we need help from the media and they’re hurting us,” Stewart told Crossfire host Tucker Carlson.
The half-hour segment with Stewart has garnered much attention in the press and on the Internet. More than half a million people have downloaded the clip and others have accessed the transcripts.
Political science Professor John Zaller said the media doesn’t run stories about strategy or the horse race to drive people away, but rather to attract more viewers who wouldn’t necessarily be as interested in other political coverage.
As the big three networks have faced increased competition from sources such as cable news and the Internet, they have had to adjust their coverage to try to attract more viewers, which has led to the “softening of news,” Baum said.
Zaller said students who do not want horse race coverage can turn to high-brow news sources such as the New York Times online or National Public Radio.