Jon Stewart, the Daily Show, and the Agenda Setting Theory

On October 15, 2004, Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show and author of America: the Book, took a guest appearance on the CNN debate show, Crossfire. The idea behind the program was a left-wing pundit and a right-wing pundit debate over current issues. According to Robert Hanson (2007), Stewart used his guest appearance as an opportunity to attack the show, which he declared was "hurting America", in how it was all about talking loud as opposed to talking about what mattered (p. 287). Crossfire's popularity dropped and CNN declined renewing its contract two months later. The show was canceled.

The viewers of The Daily Show and Crossfire were rallying behind Stewart's agenda, which is normally about pointing out the flaws and absurdities of the political system. The incident at Crossfire was no exception; however it was a wake-up call to the media of the power that Stewart and his "fake news" possessed. Crossfire's intended agenda was to show both left and right sides of an issue, though according to Stewart, this was lost in the constant shouting competitions. He proposed that such shows were harmful to the political process and not needed at all (Hanson, 2007, p. 287). The audiences listened and responded.

The Daily Show and Jon Stewart are a prime example of the "Agenda-Setting Theory" that states that elements of the media don't necessarily tell the masses what to think, but what to think about. By controlling what issues the public sees, the media directly influences what they care about (Hanson, 2007, p. 92). This is common in most news mediums in how they set the agenda by showing the stories that promote said agenda.

What makes The Daily Show unique is that it isn't a real news show but a comedy show. Yet it has an audience that chooses it above other programs as their main source of news. Part of this can be credited to fact that the show appeals to younger demographics that would rather be entertained then watch the news, however surprisingly these people are getting more out Stewart's program then just laughs. Nielson Ratings research shows that a regular viewer of The Daily Show has four more years of college education then a viewer of The O'Reilly Factor. They will also likely score advanced on political knowledge tests (Hanson, 2007, p. 288). Further Nielson research shows that the program averages 1.5 million viewers a night despite whatever current events are going on (which is very impressive for a cable program) (Smolkin & Groves, 2007, p. 22).

So what is the appeal? Why are viewers getting their news and agendas from a show that has no real news or agenda? First off, the show at its heart is comedy show first and a "news" program. This means that a majority of the audience tunes in to be entertained first. Because the show has doesn't try to compete with other news programs as news medium, it allows the program to tell news stories without playing to news norms. This gives it the freedom to say whatever it wants on a particular issue and ask whatever it wants of its guests without fear of losing access to news sources or scaring off future guests (Hanson, 2007, p. 289). This is because all guests choose to be on the show to reach The Daily Show's large audience base and all stories come from already broken news.

A further advantage of The Daily Show's reach comes from the program's layout. The show generally is broken up into three segments: the first being the headlines. This is where Stewart takes a current event already aired on the news and spins it for humor. These stories are often focused and in-depth pieces that are fully explained before being made fun of. This keeps the viewer informed enough on the subject so that they may understand the humor. Stewart (2004) often keeps shows the stories he feels the public cares about seeing as how people enjoy laughing about things they care about (The O'Reilly Factor, 2004). In the process of doing so, the audience is entertained as well as informed on the subject.

The second portion is "The Daily Show Investigates". This is where the show's "correspondents" go out and investigate a story that is often to minuscule or absurd to be covered by mainstream news. However these stories often have a major issue at the heart of them that the public cares about. A story was aired about a man in Texas who was so troubled by the influx of illegal immigrants; he got a group of friends together and made a small barb-wire fence that was ridiculously easy to cross. The story may have been absurd but it appealed to an audience that was currently concerned with the immigration issue.

Lastly, The Daily Show has an uncanny ability of getting famous guests for its interview portion. These guests will appear on the show to access the show's large audience base for the purpose of marketing to them or trying to get a message across. These can include movie stars promoting their upcoming films, writers promoting their latest books, or politicians looking to gain support. Such famous guests include presidential hopefuls John McCain, John Kerry, Hilary Clinton, and Barack Obama. They are also able to attract former Vice President Al Gore and Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf (Hanson, 2007, p. 287). Regular news programs such as Hardball or The O'Reilly Factor struggle to get such guests, yet The Daily Show has no problem with its popularity attracting these guests all while having the freedom to ask them whatever they want.

The show's ability to reach such a massive audience has given it the ability to achieve some incredible things in the media for a mere comedy show. Aside from Stewart shutting down Crossfire, his program has also had a powerful influence on the political process. Bill O'Reilly (2004) himself credited Stewart's ability to influence the young voters and his election with his ability to access presidential candidates for guests and spin the election news with their Peabody Award winning "Indecision" series (The O'Reilly Factor). Hanson (2007) argues that The Daily Show was the first to break news of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation in 2006 (p.289).

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart strongly supports the agenda-setting theory. With its ability to attract an audience whether they are unknowing, undecided, or uninterested in the current affairs of the world and inform them all while entertaining them makes the show a powerful influence in the media. While it may not have proven itself the best source of information to watch, in a media that continues to blur the lines between news and entertainment, it has proven the most successful on both fronts.

Works Cited

Hanson, R. (2008). Mass Communication: Living in a Media World 2^nd Ed. Washington

D.C.: CQ Press. 92, 287-289.

O'Reilly, B. (Anchor). (2004). September 20, 2004: The Jon Stewart and Undecided

Voter Connection [Television series episode]. The O'Reilly Factor.New York: Fox News.

Smolkin, R., & Groves, E. (2007). What the Mainstream Media Can Learn from Jon

Stewart. American Journalism Review. Jun/July 2007. 18-25.