The Daily Show and Political Involvement

Jon Stewart is hip. Jon Stewart is in. Jon Stewart is hot. Yep, we know all that. But is it possible that Jon Stewart might be bad for democracy?

Stewart, of course, is the host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, a four-times-per-week skewering of the news and newsmakers around the world. It's widely credited with making news interesting and, yes, even worthy of the consideration of young adults. When Stewart took on Tucker Carlson, then of CNN, a year or so again and called him a "dick" for trivializing news coverage, fans nationwide found that, finally, there was someone who took on the self-important national media and told it when people who work for a living thought of them.

Stewart gets credit for telling it like it is, which -- the critics say -- is something the mainstream media won't do. For instance, Stewart, let Congress have it earlier this week for failing to vote to raise the minimum wage:

"The lower strata of American society has had a free ride for too long. And, if you were to give them $7.25 an hour, you know it would just go, you know, up their nose and through their hose. Kudos to Congress for taking a giant shit on the poorest in the country!"

The studio audience roared, and no doubt viewers also gave up a hearty "damn right". So perhaps Stewart could be an organizing force for alternative politics? Not so fast. In fact, reports Richard Morin in the Washington Post, The Daily Show may be having the opposite impact: Political scientists Jody Baumgartner and Jonathan Morris of East Carolina University conclude in new research that Daily Show viewers may simply become cynical about politics altogether and opt out of the system, failing even to cast ballots in elections.