The Daily Show vs. the New York Times: Comparing Their Effects on Student Political Knowledge and Engagement.

Satirical news shows such as The Daily Show are popular with students, but are they appropriate for classroom use? In this two-group, pretest–posttest study, I examine differences in engagement, political knowledge, and political attitudes between two American Government classes: one assigned to watch The Daily Show and the other assigned to read The New York Times. The findings reveal no differences in engagement between the groups, but greater political knowledge in The Daily Show group, as well as more cynicism and less trust in government. I conclude that given the surprising lack of greater engagement in The Daily Show class, along with higher levels of cynicism and mistrust in government, The Daily Show may not be an appropriate substitute for The New York Times as a primary political information resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]