Best-Informed Also View Fake News, Study Says (Stewart/Colbert)

[UpInArms]

Source: New York Times

Americans may have more news outlets today than two decades ago, but they still don’t know much more about current events than they did then, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

But here’s one big difference: the survey respondents who seemed to know the most about what’s going on — who were able to identify major public figures, for example — were likely to be viewers of fake news programs like Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report”; those who knew the least watched network morning news programs, Fox News or local television news.

Only 69 percent of people in the latest survey could come up with Dick Cheney when asked to name the vice president; in 1989, 74 percent could name Dan Quayle. Fewer could name the governor of their state (66 percent now compared with 74 percent in 1989) and fewer could name the president of Russia (36 percent now compared with 47 percent before).

In 1989, fully 81 percent of people knew that the United States had a trade deficit; today, only 68 percent knew.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/16/business/media/16pew.html?ex=1334376000&en=797be54edb074306&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

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[MethuenProgressive]

1. (Stewart/Colbert/FOX News) ?

Fake is as fake does...

[I Have A Dream]

2. This is so sad but not surprising.

:(

[Ian David]

3. But Fox viewers can name all the suspects in the Duke case AND the contents of Anna Nicole's fridge!

[MayorCandidate08]

4. It is just as they planed

scarry stuff these days huh!

[mac56]

11. care to elaborate?

Who are "they" and what did "they" "plan"?

[Burma Jones]

5. The link to the Pew Research Center

http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=319

[MissMillie]

20. that link isn't working for me.

:shrug:

[Maeve]

6. the informed watch Stewart and Colbert because we GET the jokes!

Pointless to watch if you don't understand...and a lot of Faux viewers really, REALLY don't understand.

[daleo]

23. Yep, it's like parodies of Shakespeare

Only those who know the plays are likely to be interested.

[AlCzervik]

32. exactly, you get it because you're already informed. People who don't watch the

news or god forbid read a newspaper probably don't get the jokes.

[rocktivity]

35. Peter Jennings once expressed concern to Jon

that so many young people use TDS as their primary news source. Jon replied that if that were really true, "they wouldn't get the jokes!"

:headbang:
rocknation

[tanyev]

7. Did they survey the people who think Colbert really is a right wing show?

:rofl:

[AnneD]

9. Bet THEY...

watched FOX. It is so sad. Info-tainment is all one gets anymore on national news services. I am sorry for Anna Nicole's death and it is sad her daughter will grow up never knowing Mom, but the amount of air time it got was more that it's importance in my life. I shouldn't have to comb the internet for news-but I have to anymore. I lay the blame squarely on the MSM's doorstep.

[LiberalVoice]

19. Would you perhaps be from around Pittsburgh?

Your use of the word anymore is totally the way people from pittsburgh use it.

[AnneD]

25. Dyed in the wool

Texan, many generations back. I did work with folks from Pittsburg PA (Gulf Oil) many moons ago. Maybe it was subconscious.

[Wednesdays]

8. Wow, we've fallen farther than I thought

those who knew the least watched network morning news programs, Fox News or local television news.

No surprise there. However, wouldn't you expect the Faux News watchers to know all the Dems they're supposed to hate? :shrug:

[TroglodyteScholar]

28. Why do they need to know individual names?

The purpose is to encourage hatred of the Democrat. It doesn't matter what the name is, what state they represent, etc. The Democrat is the enemy, not unlike Charlie or Ali Baba.

[Doremus]

10. WTF? O'Lielly and Limpballs?

"The six news sources cited most often by people who knew the most about current events were: “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” (counted as one), tied with Web sites of major newspapers; next came “News Hour With Jim Lehrer”; then “The O’Reilly Factor,” which was tied with National Public Radio; and Rush Limbaugh’s radio program."

[unpossibles]

14. I believe that - the ditto heads know how to regurgitate what they're told

and will go on ad infinitum about the latest Democratic "evil" or whatever.

It doesn't mean they have the facts correct though, but they do know the names (you'll notice the questions seemed to be more about being able to identify the players more than the game, and we still beat them).

[TlalocW]

12. Not a surprise

Everyone but Stewart/Colbert is busy either parroting whatever the Bush administration wants, focusing on worthless news items (Anna Nicole, Britney Spears), manufacturing conflict, or making sure that both sides of an issue get equal time even when it's obvious that one side is completely wrong. Those two are refreshing when they call politicians and pundits on their stupidity, and for all the sarcasm and even cynicism in their newscasts, they (especially Stewart) come across as wanting to be very mentally engaged when talking with their nightly guests, no matter what side of the political spectrum they're on.

TlalocW

[camero]

13. Well Jon Stewart's show was the only place on cable to show

the shipping of what? $8 billion in cash on pallets to Iraq? I am probably wrong on the amount. Also, I second the notion that we get the jokes unlike the viewers of Pravda/Fox.

[Tempest]

15. Same results from an October 2004 survey

Comedy Central also touted a recent study by the University of Pennsylvania's National Annenberg Election Survey, which said young viewers of "The Daily Show" were more likely to answer questions about politics correctly than those who don't.

[Arugula Latte]

16. Gosh, who would have thought Fox viewers were ignorant dumbasses.

What a shocker ... :eyes:

[Uncle Joe]

17. Watching morning "news" to me is like living on marshmallows,

I can't handle it anymore.:puke:

[damntexdem]

18. Well, we already knew that the best news on TV was Comedy Central's fake news.

And that much of the rest of the news on TV really was fake.

[jberryhill]

21. It's not funny unless you know what is going on...

So, it really comes as no surprise.

Sort of like a headline reading "Quantum Physics Best Understood By Geeks Who Make Quantum Physics Jokes".

[MissMillie]

22. it surprises me that NPR is tied w/ O'Reilly

of course, I think lots of people who listen to NPR listen to more than one source... (I can't get to the link, so I don't know).

[bamacrat]

24. (Daily Show/Colbert) aren't really fake news, they tell the truth with a comedic twist.

Still much more honest than any "real" news network.

[krkaufman]

33. Right. They're really doing what journalists *should* be doing.

Speaking truth to power, ridiculing the ridiculous, and comparing/contrasting what one does/says now with what one has done/said in the past.

[JoFerret]

26. The Daily Colbert Show

...is all you need of TV news.
It keeps you fully eneagled, flagophiled and laughing

[samsingh]

27. more facts that show fox news viewers are stupid and ignorant

and repulsive in so many ways

[XemaSab]

29. A strong argument for eugenics

Take this 25% out of the breeding pool NOW!!!! Forced sterility can't be that tough on people who have no idea that sex causes babies because they didn't learn it before they dropped out of 7th grade.

If they already have kids, send them to live with foster parents in Berkeley, Eugene, or Ann Arbor. :P

[Tesha]

30. "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!"

I'd like to take this monet to also recommend
Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!, the most-real
news on the NPR radio network.

Tesha

[krkaufman]

31. Airwave licensing should be linked to a network's results in such polls.

If you're not educating the public on the most basic of issues, then you lose the right to make a profit on the entertainment product.

[fshrink]

34. Still searching for a source of news that wouldn't be "fake".

Or spinned in a way or another. Obvious or subtle.

[gorbal]

36. The closest for me would be Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera English-

http://english.aljazeera.net/English/?&vid=43&ansid=2

Granted I LOVE "Democracy Now" but every now and then I catch them in a spin that bothers me.

[City Lights]

37. Fox Noise viewers will never be convinced that they are uninformed.

They'll take their cue from the WH, ala heckuva job Gonzo, dig their heels in, and say that everyone else is wrong - including those doing the research. And they'll blame it all on the lib'rul media. They will never, ever be convinced that Fox Noise is not telling them the truth.