Study: ‘Daily Show’ as Substantive as Network News

That’s the conclusion of a professor at Indiana University who analyzed coverage of the 2004 presidential conventions. Of course, that’s not necessarily saying much.  The study noted: Network news shows are filled with fluff.

Indiana University:

Which would you think has more substantive news coverage—traditional broadcast network newscasts or The Daily Show with Jon Stewart?

Would you believe the answer is neither?

Julia R. Fox, assistant professor of telecommunications at Indiana University isn’t joking when she says the popular “fake news” program, which last week featured Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf as a guest, is just as substantive as network coverage.

While much has been written in the media about The Daily Show’s impact, Fox’s study is the first scholarly effort to systematically examine how the comedy program compares to traditional television news as sources of political information.

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From Comedy Central