The Daily Show: Not Just For Stoned Slackers

Posted on September 27, 2004

When Jon Stewart of The Daily Show recently appeared on The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly teased Stewart by referring to the audience of The Daily Show as a bunch of "stoned slackers." It was funny the first time or two, but by the fifth mention the joke was wearing a bit thin. Even Stewart seemed a bit puzzled by O'Reilly's insistent characterization of the show's audience as lazy potheads, but went along with the joke good-naturedly. But the powers that be at Comedy Central weren't quite so amused by this denigration of its audience (ok, actually they were worried that corporate sponsors might think stoned viewers wouldn't be motivated enough to buy their products) so they did a little research. Guess what? According to Nielson Media Research, viewers of Jon Stewart's show are more likely to have completed four years of college than people who watch The O'Reilly Factor. Furthermore, a recent study by the University of Pennsylvania's National Annenberg Election Survey, said young viewers of The Daily Show were more likely to answer questions about politics correctly than those who don't. O'Reilly will appear on The Daily Show on October 7th. Jon Stewart's new book, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction (Warner Books), is currently climbing the bestseller lists.