Study: Viewers Get News From Daily Show... Not

Jokes funny only if audience is already up on current events
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 9, 2008 9:03 AM CDT

Claims that young people get more news from Jon Stewart's Daily Show than from traditional sources are bunk, a journalism think-tank has concluded after examining a year's worth of episodes. The Project for Excellence in Journalism found that while the comedy show had much of the same content as new shows, the satire would sail over the heads of anybody not already up-to-date on current affairs.

"They're not making jokes that you could get if you don't read the news," said the director of the research project. "The jokes are designed to make you think more about the news." (More Jon Stewart stories.)

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