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</ref> Because of this, commentators such as Howard Dean and Ted Koppel posit that Stewart serves as a real source of news for young people, regardless of his intentions.

The show's writers reject the idea that The Daily Show has become a source of news for young people. Stewart argues that Americans are living in an "age of information osmosis" in which it is close to impossible to gain one's news from any single source, and says that his show succeeds comedically because the viewers already have some knowledge about current events. "Our show would not be valuable to people who didn't understand the news because it wouldn't make sense," he argues. "We make assumptions about your level of knowledge that... if we were your only source of news, you would just watch our show and think, 'I don't know what's happening.'"

In late 2004, the National Annenberg Election Survey at the University of Pennsylvania ran a study of American television viewers and found that fans of The Daily Show had a more accurate idea of the facts behind the 2004 presidential election than most others, including those who primarily got their news through the national network evening newscasts and through reading newspapers. However, in a 2004 campaign survey conducted by the Pew Research Center those who cited comedy shows such as The Daily Show as a source for news were among the least informed on campaign events and key aspects of the candidates' backgrounds while those who cited the Internet, National Public Radio, and news magazines were the most informed. Even when age and education were taken into account, the people who learned about the campaigns through the Internet were still found to be the most informed, while those who learned from comedy shows were the least informed.

A more recent survey, released by the Pew Research Center on April 15, 2007, indicates that regular viewers of The Daily Show tend to be more knowledgeable about news than audiences of other news sources. Approximately 54% of The Daily Show viewers scored in the high knowledge range, followed by Jim Lehrer's program at 53% and Bill O'Reilly's program at 51%, significantly higher than the 34% of network morning show viewers. The survey shows that changing news formats have not made much difference on how much the public knows about national and international affairs, but adds that there is no clear connection between news formats and what audiences know. The Project for Excellence in Journalism released a content analysis report suggesting that The Daily Show comes close to providing the complete daily news.

A 2006 study published by Indiana University tried to compare the substantive amount of information of The Daily Show against prime time network news broadcasts, and concluded that when it comes to substance, there is little difference between The Daily Show and other news outlets. The study contended that, since both programs are more focused on the nature of "infotainment" and ratings than on the dissemination of information, both are broadly equal in terms of the amount of substantial news coverage they offer.

As the lines between comedy show and news show have blurred, Jon Stewart has come under pressure in some circles to engage in more serious journalism. Tucker Carlson and Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead have chastised Stewart for criticizing politicians and newspeople in his solo segments and then, in interviews with the same people, rarely taking them to task face-to-face. In 2004, Winstead expressed a desire for Stewart to ask harder satirical questions, saying, "When you are interviewing a Richard Perle or a Kissinger, if you give them a pass, then you become what you are satirizing. You have a war criminal sitting on your couch—to just let him be a war criminal sitting on your couch means you are having to respect some kind of boundary." She has argued that The Daily Show's success and access to the youth vote should allow Stewart to press political guests harder without fearing that they will not return to the show. In 2010, Winstead had changed her views, commenting that since 2004, Stewart did some of the hardest-hitting interviews on TV. Stewart said in 2003 that he does not think of himself as a social or media critic and rejects the idea that he has any journalistic role as an interviewer.

During Stewart's appearance on CNN's Crossfire, Stewart criticized that show and said that it was "hurting America" by sensationalizing debates and enabling political spin. When co-host Carlson argued that Stewart himself had not asked John Kerry substantial questions when Kerry appeared on The Daily Show, Stewart countered that it was not his job to give hard-hitting interviews and that a "fake news" comedy program should not be held to the same standards as real journalism. "You're on CNN!" Stewart said, "The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls! What is wrong with you?" Media critic Dan Kennedy says that Stewart came off as disingenuous in this exchange because "you can't interview Bill Clinton, Richard Clarke, Bill O'Reilly, Bob Dole, etc., etc., and still say you're just a comedian."

Another consequence of the show's increasing popularity and influence in certain demographics has been increased scrutiny of how the show affects the political beliefs and attitudes of its viewers. Michael Kalin has expressed concerns that Jon Stewart's comedy comes at the expense of idealism and encourages American college students to adopt a self-righteous attitude toward politics, rendering them complacent and apathetic, and deterring intelligent young people from considering political careers. "Stewart," Kalin argues, "leads to a 'holier than art thou' attitude ...content to remain perched atop their Olympian ivory towers, these bright leaders head straight for the private sector."

A 2004 study into the effect of The Daily Show on viewers' attitudes found that participants had a more negative opinion of both President Bush and then Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. Participants also expressed more cynical views of the electoral system and news media. However it is unclear whether the program truly increases cynicism or whether already cynical people are just more drawn to this type of satirical television program. Political scientists Jody Baumgartner and Jonathan Morris, who conducted the study, state that it is not clear how such cynicism would affect the political behavior of the show's viewers. While disillusionment and negative perceptions of the presidential candidates could discourage watchers from voting, Baumgartner and Morris say it is also possible that discontent could prompt greater involvement and that by following the show, viewers may potentially become more engaged and informed voters, with a broader political knowledge.

Rachel Larris, who has also conducted an academic study of The Daily Show, disputes the findings of Baumgartner and Morris. Larris argues that the study measured cynicism in overly broad terms, and that it would be extremely hard to find a causal link between viewing The Daily Show and thinking or acting in a particular way. Bloggers such as Marty Kaplan of The Huffington Post argue that so long as Stewart's comedy is grounded in truth, responsibility for increased cynicism belongs to the political and media figures themselves, not the comedian who satirizes them.

Stewart himself says that he does not perceive his show as cynical. "It's so interesting to me that people talk about late-night comedy being cynical," he says. "What's more cynical than forming an ideological news network like Fox and calling it 'fair and balanced'? What we do, I almost think, is adorable in its idealism." Stewart has said that he does not take any joy in the failings of American government, despite the comedic fodder they provide. "We're not the guys at the craps table betting against the line," he said on Larry King Live. "If government suddenly became inspiring...we would be the happiest people in the world to turn our attention to idiots like, you know, media people, no offense."

In July 2009, Time Magazine held an online poll entitled "Now that Walter Cronkite has passed on, who is America's most trusted newscaster?" Jon Stewart won with 44% of the vote, 15% ahead of Brian Williams in second place with 29%. Stewart challenged those results on the show stating "It was an Internet poll and I was the 'None of the above' option".

Accusation of sexism

On June 3, 2010, actress-comedienne Olivia Munn began a tryout period on the show as a correspondent. Her hiring prompted skepticism from Irin Carmon of the website Jezebel, who wrote an article investigating the presence of sexism in the work environment and hiring practices of The Daily Show. Carmon questioned Munn's credentials, and suggested she was better known as a sex symbol than as a comedian, in contrast to other women who may have auditioned for the role. Carmon also quoted former Daily Show staff members whose anecdotes painted the Daily Show office as a male-dominated atmosphere in which female writers were historically marginalized and alienated, though some defenders of the show were also quoted. Carmon was unable to get a comment from anyone currently employed with the show. In response to Carmon's column, a group of female Daily Show staffers offered a rebuttal on the show's website, in which they asserted that the description of the Daily Show office given by the Jezebel piece was not accurate, and that as an indispensable 40% of the staff, they were responsible for a significant portion of its creative content. They also praised Stewart and their other male colleagues for creating a positive atmosphere in The Daily Show office, and characterized the quotes in the Jezebel column as "the bitter rantings of ex-employees". The rebuttal's 32 female authors, which included writers, producers, and correspondents such as Munn, were listed at the bottom of the piece, along with their individual tenures on the show, which ranged from 1 month to 14 years.

Though Sarah Hepola of Salon.com found Munn's debut "underwhelming", she opined in a July 7, 2010 column that it was too soon to judge her, that her second Daily Show segment, in which she poked fun at the 2010 Illegals Program, was far more promising, and that Stewart gave Munn a difficult first field assignment in Arizona in order to illustrate her talent. Munn herself asserted in an interview with Hepola that she was hired because Stewart merely hired people who were funny. Munn further criticized the Jezebel column for quoting only former employees who were never regulars, and no longer on the show because they weren't considered funny, rather than current female staff members. Munn added that Jezebel was not serving the cause of feminism by "bashing" her for supposedly being hired for her looks, or by implying that the other women on the show are unattractive.

Jezebel responded to the rebuttal by reiterating that the critique applied to lack of female writers and on air talent, and that they spoke to as many former employees of the show as would speak to them, as the production staff officially declined to do so. Asserting that it stood by their original piece, Jezebel questioned the rebuttal's characterization of the original piece as a personal attack on Munn and the show's female staff that stemmed from jealousy of Munn's sex appeal, and opined that Munn's own descriptions of her experiences during shoots for Playboy and her book's cover appeared to reinforce their viewpoint. They further asserted that as an alternative publication for women, their mission includes commenting about institutions that may be oppressive to women, and that interpreting such criticism as an attack on female beauty or petty jealousy perpetuates the image of women as "catfighting mean girls, for whom all criticism is personal, and ignores the broader societal critique at work."

On the July 8, 2010 episode of The Colbert Report, host Stephen Colbert responded to the allegations by stating that he never saw any mistreatment of female staff members during his years on The Daily Show. Colbert then jokingly stated that Jon Stewart mistreated his male staff members before being interrupted by a segment on the show.

Episodes and guests

Awards

Under host Jon Stewart, The Daily Show has risen to critical acclaim. It has received two Peabody Awards, for its coverage of the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. Between 2001 and 2010, it has been awarded fourteen Emmy Awards in the categories of Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program, and a further seven nominations. The show has also been honored by GLAAD, the Television Critics Association and the Satellite Awards. America (The Book), the 2004 bestseller written by Stewart and the writing staff of The Daily Show, was recognized by Publishers Weekly as its "Book of the Year", and its abridged audiobook edition received the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.

Editions for various markets

The Daily Show airs on various networks worldwide; in addition, an edited version of the show called The Daily Show: Global Edition is produced specifically for overseas audiences. It has been airing outside of the U.S. on CNN International and other overseas networks since September, 2002. This edition runs for half an hour and contains a selection of segments including one guest interview from the preceding week's shows, usually from the Monday and Tuesday episodes. Stewart provides an exclusive introductory monologue in front of an audience, usually about the week's prevalent international news story, and closing comments without an audience present. When aired on CNN International, the broadcast is prefaced by a written disclaimer: "The show you are about to watch is a news parody. Its stories are not fact checked. Its reporters are not journalists. And its opinions are not fully thought through."

Between 2001 and 2006, Westwood One broadcast small, ninety-second portions of the show to various radio stations across America.

In Canada, The Daily Show is aired on The Comedy Network one hour before U.S. broadcasts on Comedy Central and on CTV five minutes after midnight following local CTV news from their affiliates. On both stations, The Colbert Report airs immediately afterwards.

In the United Kingdom, digital television channel More4 broadcasts episodes of The Daily Show Tuesday through Friday evenings with the Global Edition airing on Mondays; regular episodes air the evening following their US airing. More4 was the first international broadcaster to syndicate entire Daily Show episodes, though they may make edits to the program due to content, language, length or commercial references. However, the 'toss' to The Colbert Report is usually included even though it is not aired in the UK. In addition, the placement of commercial breaks follows the UK format, with one break midway through the show rather than several short breaks at various points. When The Daily Show is on hiatus, either reruns or alternative content are aired.

The Daily Show is aired on Australian pay TV channel The Comedy Channel. Free-to-air digital channel ABC2 began airing the show without commercial breaks in March 2010; after airing, episodes are available on the station's online service. Both channels air the show together with The Colbert Report, and both air the Global Edition on Mondays and the regular edition Tuesday through Friday.

In Portugal it airs with no commercial breaks. Denmark airs both the regular and Global Edition of the show with no commercial breaks.

Episodes of the US version are also available online the next day at Comedy Central's official Daily Show website.

Spin-offs

The Colbert Report

A spin-off, The Colbert Report, was announced in early May 2005. The show stars former correspondent Stephen Colbert, and serves as Comedy Central's answer to the programs of media pundits such as Bill O'Reilly. Colbert, Stewart, and Ben Karlin developed the idea for the show based on a series of faux-television commercials that had been created for an earlier Daily Show segment. They pitched the concept to Comedy Central chief Doug Herzog, who agreed to run the show for eight weeks without first creating a pilot. The Colbert Report first aired on October 17, 2005, and takes up the 11:30PM ET/PT slot following The Daily Show. Initial ratings satisfied Comedy Central and less than three weeks after its debut the show was renewed for a year. The Colbert Report is produced by Jon Stewart's production company, Busboy Productions.

America (The Book)

America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, published in 2004, is a book written by Jon Stewart and other writers of The Daily Show that parodies and satirizes American politics and worldview. It has won several awards and generated some controversy.

See also

• Jon Stewart's 2009 criticism of CNBC
• List of late-night American network TV programs
• Les Guignols de l'info
• Newstopia
• Rick Mercer Report
• This Hour Has 22 Minutes

References

1. "Howard Dean interview". The Daily Show. Season 10. 2005-06-23. {{cite episode}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |episodelink= (help); External link in |title= (help)
2. de Moraes, Lisa (2004-08-24). "Seriously: Kerry on Comedy Central". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
3. Jon Stewart (2002). A Conversation with Jon Stewart (Video). Harvard Institute of Politics: Harvard University.
4. National Annenberg Election Survey, "Daily Show viewers knowledgeable about presidential campaign, National Annenberg Election Survey shows" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-03-08., press release, September 21, 2004. PDF file.
5. "Cable and Internet Loom Large in Fragmented Political News Universe". Pew. Retrieved 2006-10-24.
6. "Summary of Findings: Public Knowledge of Current Affairs Little Changed by News and Information Revolutions". Pew. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-15. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
7. Eggerton, John (2008-05-08). "PEJ: 'The Daily Show' Borders on News Show". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
8. Fox, Julia R., Koloen, Glory and Sahin, Volkan (2007-06-01). "No joke: a comparison of substance in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and broadcast network..." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Retrieved 2008-08-21.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
9. "Taking Back the Dial". Mother Jones. 2004. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
10. ^ Cave, Damien (2004-10-24). "Jon Stewart Gets Serious: If You Interview Kissinger, Are You Still a Comedian?". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
11. Cite error: The named reference avclub.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
12. "Transcript: Bill Moyers Interviews Jon Stewart". NOW with Bill Moyers. 2003-07-11. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
13. "Jon Stewart's America". CNN. 2004-10-15. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
14. Kalin, Michael (2006-03-03). "Why Jon Stewart Isn't Funny". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2006-07-09.
15. Morin, Richard (2006-06-23). "Jon Stewart, Enemy of Democracy?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
16. Ryals, Jimmy (2006-05-30). "Study focuses on the effect of The Daily Show satire". The Daily Reflector. Archived from the original on July 2, 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-09. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
17. Larris, Rachel Joy (2006-06-24). ""The Daily Show" Cause And Effect". TomPaine.com. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
18. McNamara, Melissa (2006-06-28). "Bloggers Laugh Over Jon Stewart Study". CBS News. Retrieved 2006-07-09.
19. Rich, Frank (2003-04-20). "Jon Stewart's Perfect Pitch". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
20. Cite error: The named reference transcripts1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
21. My Fox NY "Poll: Jon Stewart Most Trusted Newsman"
22. Time Magazine "Now that Walter Cronkite has passed on, who is America's most trusted newscaster?"
23. Carmon, Irin. "The Daily Show's Woman Problem" Jezebel; June 23, 2010
24. (Various.) "Women of The Daily Show Speak" The Daily Show
25. Hepola, Sarah. "Olivia Munn: 'I'm easy to hate. I get it'" Salon.com; July 7, 2010
26. "Jealous Bitches Start Face-Clawing Catfight!" Jezebel; July 7, 2010
27. Segal, David (2005-05-17). "Anchors Comic And Serious Win Peabodys". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
28. "Awards for The Daily Show". IMdb. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
29. Staff writer (2009-01-20). "Daily Show Moments That Mattered". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
30. Petrozzello, Donna (2002-07-10). "Jon Stewart's Comedy is Going Global". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
31. Torpey-Kemph, Anne (2002-02-12). "Inside Media: News of the Market". Mediaweek. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
32. ABC2 gives you the news you'll want to choose - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Official ABC TV blog
33. Levin, Gary (2005-10-13). "First 'Stewart', Now 'Colbert'". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
34. Speight, Kimberly (2005-11-03). "Comedy Central Extends 'Colbert Report'". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-07-08.

Further reading

• Baym, Geoffrey. The Daily Show and the reinvention of political journalism. Paper presented at the annual Pre-APSA Conference on Political Communication, Chicago, September 1, 2004.
• Holt, Jason. (ed.). The Daily Show and Philosophy: Moments of Zen in the Art of Fake News. (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007) ISBN 978-1-4051-6314-9
• Jones, Jeffrey P. Entertaining Politics: New Political Television and Civic Culture. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005.
• Rocca, Mo. Report From Philly: What's Wrong With Rabble Rousing? A Correspondent For "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" Tried His Best To Ruffle Feathers At The Convention. A Web Exclusive By Mo Rocca. Newsweek.com. Aug 14, 2000.

External links

• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart official website
• The Daily Show at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com
• "The Daily Show Episode Guide". Clicker.
• 2004 interview with Daily Show executive producer Stewart Bailey

• 1996 television series debuts
• 1990s American television series
• 2000s American television series
• 2010s American television series
• American news television series
• American television talk shows
• Comedy Central shows
• Criticism of journalism
• Parodies
• Satirical television programmes
• The Daily Show