It's no joke: IU study finds The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to be as substantive as network news

http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/4159.html

I thought this was interesting.

I know I've often taken away a critical perspective of an issue that hadn't been presented on mainstream media.

Does this say more about The Daily Show or more about the "real" network news?

Network news is horrible =(

Network news is horrible =(

*nod*

Does this say more about The Daily Show or more about the "real" network news?
lol. All of the news networks are turning into news-as-entertainment networks and the quality of their news has really suffered. I suppose it's good to see an entertainment network compensating for it.

Some of the Sunday morning shows (like "Meet the Press") still do a pretty good job of doing news-as-news.

Yeah, what is it with Sunday morning shows? I like Howie Kurtz's show on CNN.

Yeah, what is it with Sunday morning shows? I like Howie Kurtz's show on CNN.
I stopped watching CNN, it was just too painful. I'll give Kurtz's show a look though. If you don't watch any of Tim Russert's interview shows, they're worth a look. He's pretty good at cutting through the BS and getting his questions answered by his guests.

That's either a good comment on Stewart, or a bad comment on how far news networks have fallen.

Stewart is an entertainer, not a commentator, so I guess it's bad for the serious "news" networks.

I stopped watching CNN, it was just too painful. I'll give Kurtz's show a look though. If you don't watch any of Tim Russert's interview shows, they're worth a look. He's pretty good at cutting through the BS and getting his questions answered by his guests.

What channel is he on?

BTW: I think the Cable news is far, far worse than the Network news.

"Let's pretend this [electric] plug is 'Iraq' and you're trying to connect it to the 'War on Terror,' which is this avocado. You can do it, but here's the problem: the avocado still doesn't turn on. And now your plug is covered in guacamole."
---Jon Stewart

What channel is he on?
Meet the Press is on NBC @ 9AM on Sunday. The Tim Russert Show is on CNBC on Sat. 7 & 10pm and Sun. 1am.

BTW: I think the Cable news is far, far worse than the Network news.
I agree. You'd think the fact that many of them are 24x7 would allow them to do a better job of covering issues in depth.

My only gripe with the Daily Show is that the interviews are too short. I wish the show was a full hour (or that at least some of them were a full hour).

The Daily Show is a nice spin machine. He cracks jokes that even idiots get the basics of and find humorous and he talks about world events.

Lets face it, network news and even newspapers are depressing nowadays. Anyone with half a brain can see they only recieve half a story if even that, and its spun some way or another.

I often wonder how a show that only reported raw reports and wasnt worried about ratings would fare. Sure alot of it would be boring, and thats ALOT of info to put out, but at this point your stuck wondering if the info you get is as useful as not having any info on the subject to start with? I end up having to do research on just about everything I see or read nowadays.

Then again things may have always been this way, though the internet certainly offers a new factor. I have only been interested in affairs outside of my small personal bubble for the last 5 years.

"Let's pretend this [electric] plug is 'Iraq' and you're trying to connect it to the 'War on Terror,' which is this avocado. You can do it, but here's the problem: the avocado still doesn't turn on. And now your plug is covered in guacamole."
---Jon Stewart

In high school we used potatoes as batteries..

I bet someone could get an avacado to work to power a lightbulb!

I often wonder how a show that only reported raw reports and wasnt worried about ratings would fare. Sure alot of it would be boring, and thats ALOT of info to put out, but at this point your stuck wondering if the info you get is as useful as not having any info on the subject to start with? I end up having to do research on just about everything I see or read nowadays.


It is called NPR or PBS. You should watch.listen it sometime.

It is called NPR or PBS. You should watch.listen it sometime.

Never heard of NPR but will look into that. I will look into both as internet sources since I dropped TV once my contract expired.

NPR (National Public Radio) is on... you'll never guess... the radio! :) It's non-commercial mostly funded by donations. Same with PBS (Public broadcasting service). Seriously, you'd never heard of them? PBS has shows like Seasame Street, Nova, really good quality programming with NO commercials.

On the weekends NPR has light fluffy stuff that is enjoyable, like Click & Clack (MIT engineer grads who happen to be brothers and they help people with cars), Pararrie Home companion, and a funny game show that has topical subjects. During the week it has much deeper in-depth coverage of all the topics of interest, and then some.

http://www.pbs.org/
http://npr.org (You can listen online too)

It is comparable to BBC (british broadcasting service) which is non-profit in the UK.

PBS yes, used to watch it on TV. The other no, and because I had never heard of it I had no way to know it was radio and not TV.

I have only really become interested in the world outside my personal bubble within the last 5 years.

The internet is really my primary media source of information nowadays, sometimes newspaper. But its like wading in quicksand sometimes.

I have only really become intereted in the world outside my personal bubble within the last 5 years.
I wasn't really all that interested in political news until the last 10 years or so.

The internet is really my primary media source of information nowadays, sometimes newspaper. But its like wading in quicksand sometimes.
That's a good description. :)

I enjoy hearing Howie Kurtz talk about the media (CNN: Reliable Sources) and they're always talking about how blogging is changing (or not) mainstream news, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

But if it weren't for mainstream news doing the actually reporting, bloggers would have nothing to write about. They don't have the wherewithal to do real investigations and reporting.