This is telling.
I think studies like this have been conducted before, with similar results. Why am I not surprised, and why do I get upset when people scoff at the idea of these Comedy Central shows as legitimate news sources? For two simple reasons: 1) cable and network new shows are laughable and often ridiculous and uninformative themselves and 2) it's not as if The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are fabricating stories...they're just making fun of them (and making fun of the people who tell them on cable and the networks). I, for one, have recognized many terms and ideas in my classes because I watch these shows. The daily ritual kills two birds with one stone, keeping me up to date on current events and providing comedic stress relief.
As for Fox News, they didn't need to create their own fake news show...they were already funny.
The results about knowledge of political leaders don't surprise me, either, although they're still alarming. Only 69% knew Cheney was VP? And why has no one heard of Scooter Libby? If Bush's approval ratings are so low, shouldn't most people also know who his scandal-mongers are, just to reinforce their position? Whatever. The fallout from the case wasn't quite as dramatic as Fox and CNN hoped for anyway.
