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.