The Daily Show: America's Next Best News Source

Comedy Central’s The Daily Show is a nightly satirical comedy news program hosted by Jon Stewart alongside many of his “correspondents”. Along with The Colbert Report hosted by Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show aims to criticize and mock the pitfalls of our current government and news organizations by using satire to draw attention to some of the nation’s most pressing topics. Although the use of satire often leads people to the assumption that the show is strictly for comedic purposes, The Daily Show has proven itself to be a viable news source when compared to other news programs.

One of the most recognizable features of The Daily Show is the format the show has followed in over 2,600 episodes and how it parodies its cable news counterparts. The way the show is opened, the use of a desk for Jon to sit behind, and the use of correspondents and guest stars is all used to give viewers the sense that they are tuned in to an actual news program. Even if the audience understands this as a parody, it is instilled into the minds of viewers that what they are watching is in fact about news. Being Stewart is forced into only a thirty minute episode, he is often limited in the topics he is able to discuss in one show. During the beginning half of an episode, Stewart will usually discuss one or two political topics in-depth. Despite there being a large portion of this time is spent making small jokes about what was said, it cannot be dismissed that Stewart is still discussing an issue that he believes Americans need to know about.

When compared to cable news programs, The Daily Show has often been found to be even more informative than its counterparts. An example of this can be seen in 2010 when Jon discussed the possible Islamic community center within a short distance of the former World Trade Center. While Fox News was constantly making comparisons to radical Islam and how some Islamists should not even be allowed in our country (as seen in class), Jon discussed the freedom of religion, and his “Senior Religion Correspondent” John Oliver joked, “You CAN build a Catholic church next to a playground… But should you?” (Stewart, 2010). Even though comedy was used in the situation, the absurdity of the entire debate is still driven home by making these bizarre, yet hilarious connections.

These characteristics of the The Daily Show all add to its persuasiveness, but the information that Jon Stewart provides and the questions that he asks are what makes the show just as informative as other news programs. To build off of the “Mosque-erade” episode that was just discussed, Stewart went on to ask the questions, “Does this Imam Ralph have serious ties to radical groups? Do radical sympathies supersede the Constitution and Freedom of Religion? Should we even make policy based on the perceived emotions of either victims or practitioners of certain religions?” (Stewart, 2010). He then goes on to admit that he is not the one that should be answering those questions, but rather leave that up to the “real journalists”. He then shows clips of how all the different news organizations not only did not answer the question, but rather discussed how it would hurt his chances in the next election. This is beneficial for people watching The Daily Show in two ways. Not only does it tell people what are the proper questions should be asked, but it also shows how much other news organizations tend to avoid major issues to insert their political beliefs. Though these open-ended questions are never answered during the episode, Jon has now made those questions relevant in viewers minds, and they may seek those answers on their own time.

As discussed in class, a 2007 study showed that people actually get more information from The Daily Show than many broadcast programs. A similar study was performed by Julia Fox, Glory Koloen, and Volkan Sahin in 2004 during the presidential race between George W. Bush and John Kerry. Studies were taken to determine the content of broadcast news programs versus The Daily Show. Results determined that although the hype of political events were significantly higher on broadcast programs, the content about the campaigns and politics associated with them tend to be very similar in broadcast news in comparison to Jon Stewart’s nightly program (Fox, 2011).

Before his Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in 2010, Jon Stewart stated that his ultimate goal is to address the 70-80% of the American population that want to solve our nation’s problems rationally, but whose voice is drowned out by the radicals on each side of the spectrum (Bayer, 2010). Though Stewart is trying to speak to the majority of Americans, there are still a few that believe that Jon often leans too liberal during his shows by constantly ridiculing Republicans and Fox News. Jon has countered their argument by stating that they are not “equal opportunity offenders” (Younge, 2005). Stewart has stated that the principal of his show is comedy, and whoever makes that happen will end up on the show. Even with Stewart often seeming to side with a more liberal agenda, he has been very critical of Democrats in the past calling them weak, timid, and ineffective. As stated in an interview with Larry King, “They have 49% of the vote and 3% of the power.” (Larry King, 2009). This lack in vocality is likely one of the many reasons that it is uncommon to see Jon Stewart making a mockery of Democrats on his show.

I am not saying that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart should be a person’s only source for news, in fact far from it. I think that people should look through as many different sources as possible to determine what they believe to be the truth, especially more respected sources such as public radio. Contrary to what Stewart himself says, The Daily Show is not only used as a comedic source, but also shows us that we need to be more critical of our sources for news. It just so happens that the person telling us to be more critical is also providing us the news we desire all at the same time.

Bayer, Casey. "Rally to Restore Sanity Battles March to Keep Fear Alive." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Sept. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

Fox, Julia R., Glory Koloen, and Volkan Sahin. "No Joke: A Comparison of Substance in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Broadcast Network Television Coverage of the 2004 Presidential Election Campaign." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 51.2 (2007): 213-27. Taylor & Francis Online. Informa Group Company, 13 Feb. 2011. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.

PUBLISHED INTERVIEW: Stewart, Jon. Larry King, Larry King Live, CNN, 26 Feb. 2009. Television

Stewart, Jon. "Mosque-Erade." The Daily Show. Comedy Central/Viacom, 16 Aug. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.

Younge, Gary. "Such a Tease." The Guardian. The Guardian, 30 Sept. 2005. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.