Fake News > Real News

[IllustriousPotentate]

According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, where participants were tested on their knowledge of current events and political figures, one of the top ranking news consumers was the duo of The Daily Show & The Colbert Report. The average viewers of the two shows scored at the 60th percentile of the population, surpassed only by readers of online newspaper websites, at the 63rd percentile.

Here were the full rankings:

Major newspaper websites 63
Limbaugh radio show 60
Daily Show/Colbert Report 60
National Public Radio 59
O'Reilly Factor 58
Newsmagazines 57
News from Yahoo/Google 57
PBS NewsHour 56
TV news websites 56
Daily newspaper 54
CNN 54
Network evening news 52
Online news discussion blogs 52
Local TV news 51
Network morning shows 51
Fox News Channel 50

Not only were viewers of the Daily Show and Colbert Report more knowledgeable about current affairs and political figures than CNN and FoxNews, they also beat out PBS Newshour and NPR!

As surprising as that is, I think what's even more surprising is that listeners of the Rush Limbaugh radio show also scored at the 60th percentile.

Why do you think this is?

[SlithVampir]

ALL HAIL JON STEWART. Eat THAT O'reiley.

[cellardoor6]

That's fucking sad. Most Americans are getting news through a show that isn't even made to inform, but rather create politically-biased humor for the pure source of entertaining people who are already liberal, and swaying the impressionable mind of people who aren't.

For shame.

[IllustriousPotentate]

At 5/3/07 07:39 AM, cellardoor6 wrote: That's fucking sad. Most Americans are getting news through a show that isn't even made to inform, but rather create politically-biased humor for the pure source of entertaining people who are already liberal, and swaying the impressionable mind of people who aren't.

For shame.

It's not that "most" Americans are getting their news from The Daily Show, it's just that the ones that watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report have a firmer understanding of current events and political figures. And there's three ways to interpret it:

1. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report present current events in a more engaging, memorable way than 24 hour news networks.

2. The people who watch CNN and Fox News are blathering idiots who wouldn't know that they got bit in the butt by a rattlesnake unless the network told them.

3. The people that tune into The Daily Show and The Colbert Report do so already well versed in current events and the political climate and tune in for humor and satire at their intelligence level, rather than watching other programs that insult their intelligence.

I believe it's all three of those to some extent.

[Drakim]

Hmm, it could be a reversed effect.

People who know more about current events and political figures are more likely to watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

[Altarus]

At 5/3/07 07:03 AM, IllustriousPotentate wrote: As surprising as that is, I think what's even more surprising is that listeners of the Rush Limbaugh radio show also scored at the 60th percentile.

That is not really surprising. Rush spends four hours a day discussing a wide range of policy and politics in depth.

lol at the bloggers with 52%. Blogs have always been a terrible source of political information in my opinion.

[SyntheticTacos]

At 5/3/07 07:39 AM, cellardoor6 wrote: That's fucking sad. Most Americans are getting news through a show that isn't even made to inform, but rather create politically-biased humor for the pure source of entertaining people who are already liberal, and swaying the impressionable mind of people who aren't.

For shame.

I highly doubt most people who watch satires like that are using it as their only source of news. It's not like watching Jackass, it's political satire, and if you really want to understand that you're gonna already have to be somewhat informed.

Anyways, better liberal satire than conservative hypocrisy. Limbaugh went on tirades against drug users, then they find out he's been popping more pills than Andy Dick... poor guy. The Daily Show isn't very far left though, Jon Stewart's a smart guy. He's buddies with McCain. :) He's got some knowledge of the borderline between blind devotion to a political ideology and common sense.

[reviewer-general]

Personally, I think the Daily Show should stop labeling itself as "fake news". It isn't fake, it's a "humorous slant on top news stories". There are very few stories that are "fake" and they are usually very easy to spot.

Concerning the numbers, let's look at it this way: What are you more likely to remember, a political joke or an hour long monolougue?

[SuperDeagle]

to be honest i don't find the daily show to be that funny at all.

but i love Johns voice :/

[Bolo]

At 5/3/07 07:39 AM, cellardoor6 wrote: That's fucking sad. Most Americans are getting news through a show that isn't even made to inform, but rather create politically-biased humor for the pure source of entertaining people who are already liberal, and swaying the impressionable mind of people who aren't.

For shame.

Change the word "liberal" in this post to "conservative", and you get the gist of Rush Limbaugh's show.

[cellardoor6]

At 5/4/07 12:45 AM, Bolo wrote:

At 5/3/07 07:39 AM, cellardoor6 wrote: That's fucking sad. Most Americans are getting news through a show that isn't even made to inform, but rather create politically-biased humor for the pure source of entertaining people who are already liberal, and swaying the impressionable mind of people who aren't.

For shame.

Change the word "liberal" in this post to "conservative", and you get the gist of Rush Limbaugh's show.

Huh... I listen to and watch both and I would say they are very different. Rush Limbaugh is actually remotely serious and uses actual information to debate upon. The Daily show however is designed as comedy, and actual facts are almost never used to make a point, nor should it considering it is comedy.

But pretending they are equal is just wacky, Rush Limbaugh may have his problems but at least he takes what he's doing seriously and at least ATTEMPTS to have a credible argument. John Stewart however has no inclination or need to because he bases his points on comedy.

[authorblues]

At 5/3/07 07:39 AM, cellardoor6 wrote: That's fucking sad. Most Americans are getting news through a show that isn't even made to inform, but rather create politically-biased humor for the pure source of entertaining people who are already liberal, and swaying the impressionable mind of people who aren't.

really? you mean a comedy channel has an agenda to sway the minds of youth? they arent just trying to make people laugh. they mock everyone equally, it would seem to me...

At 5/4/07 01:06 AM, cellardoor6 wrote: But pretending they are equal is just wacky, Rush Limbaugh may have his problems but at least he takes what he's doing seriously and at least ATTEMPTS to have a credible argument. John Stewart however has no inclination or need to because he bases his points on comedy.

but didnt you just say that they have a hidden agenda? so we should or should not take it seriously? because i know that i take everything a COMEDY NETWORK tells me as law, and woe be unto any who should dispute that.

[Demosthenez]

At 5/4/07 01:06 AM, cellardoor6 wrote: But pretending they are equal is just wacky, Rush Limbaugh may have his problems but at least he takes what he's doing seriously and at least ATTEMPTS to have a credible argument. John Stewart however has no inclination or need to because he bases his points on comedy.

What? Rush Limbaugh preaches against drug use and talks about prosecuting those who abuse drugs and then gets caught with them and admits he is an addict.

Credible argument? From a hypocritical ratings whore? Yeah, sure.

The Daily Show is thousands of times more entertaining and intelligent because you actually have to understand the issues to get the jokes, not have hack jobs give you their simplistic opinoin like its fact.

[LazyDrunk]

Any dialogue is good dialogue, IMHO.

Stupid people are stupid people, and fixing stupid is stupid, stupids.

I think it's a combo of all three myself, IP, with the majority falling under the third.

[Nicholas-Tsar]

At 5/3/07 11:20 PM, Tal-con wrote:

Also, when I watched the Daily Show, I was really out of touch with reality. I actually believed if we left Iraq right now, all of the terrorists would simply go away.

Well by staying in Iraq, the Terrorists aren't going away either. Terrorism isn't a new fad of the 20th and 21st Century.. Terrorism has been around since the dawn of time and it will be there till the end.

[Nicholas-Tsar]

At 5/3/07 11:20 PM, Tal-con wrote:

Also, when I watched the Daily Show, I was really out of touch with reality. I actually believed if we left Iraq right now, all of the terrorists would simply go away.

Well by staying in Iraq, the Terrorists aren't going away either. Terrorism isn't a new fad of the 20th and 21st Century.. Terrorism has been around since the dawn of time and it will be there till the end.

[Nicholas-Tsar]

At 5/4/07 11:25 PM, Tal-con wrote:

At 5/4/07 05:27 AM, Nicholas-Tsar wrote: Well by staying in Iraq, the Terrorists aren't going away either.

Okay, but do you feel that if we leave a country that can't barely stand on its hind legs alone accomplishes anything?

I think staying their accomplishes nothing but weakening us and costing us lives.

[Ravariel]

At 5/5/07 02:24 AM, Tal-con wrote:

At 5/5/07 02:04 AM, Nicholas-Tsar wrote: I think staying their accomplishes nothing but weakening us and costing us lives.

So I take it you don't want to see a functioning, democratic Iraq.

I do, but I don't think there's really anything we can do to make it happen, in all honesty. That said, I stand by my previous position that making a bill that names our withdrawal date is retarded.

Let me put it this way: Making Iraq a functioning democracy would be like combining Palestine and Israel into a single state and trying to make them do the same.

The only ones who can do it are the Iraquis themselves, we can only provide the means for them to do it. We've done that... now it's time for them to do their part.

Clock's ticking...