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Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that nothing is sacred in this series. It skewers everything to do with politics -- Democrat and Republican, conservative and liberal -- to great success (and with heaps of glee). Stewart is one of the few "news" anchors who puts stories in context and points out the constant contradictions coming out of Washington and corporate America. But kids won't get or appreciate the humor, and given the sometimes-crass subjects, that's probably for the best.

Families can talk about current events and what's going on in the world around them. How do the show's "reporters" use sarcasm to make their points? What are their points? Is the daily news truly that funny in real life? What makes it so? Stewart often refers to what he does as the "fake news," but many of his fans say they get most of their news from his show -- is that responsible behavior? Does Stewart have a responsibility to those viewers to present his information accurately, or does humor trump that?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: S. Jhoanna Robledo

It's been said more than once that thousands of viewers choose to get their news not from anchors on the big networks, but from THE DAILY SHOW. And who can blame them? Reporting on the day's events, Jon Stewart and his crew paint a painfully hilarious picture of life in America and put it in perspective with the world at large. Who can say that about today's evening news?

There's no denying that the show is funny, combining Stewart's at-the-news-desk reports, taped field pieces, and in-studio interviews. The pre-taped segments are some of the show's strongest elements, mixing deadpan humor with insight into issues that other news programs would never cover.

In one episode, for example, correspondent Jason Jones visited small-town Ohio to interview a political candidate who wanted to legalize drunk driving. Instead of approaching the topic in a sobering (pardon the pun), earnest manner, he managed to capture the absurdity of the whole process by mining it for laughs. And no doubt, viewers laughed about the segment for days.

The genius of Stewart and the rest of the cast is that they get viewers to ponder huge issues -- drunk driving, for instance, a problem long cast aside as a rallying point now that many other causes have taken center stage -- without boring them with too much gravitas and zeal. And, in this case, they probably did more for the subject of drunk driving than any public service announcement. (And even if they didn't, the sketch was funny, period.)

The guest interviews are first-rate, too: irreverent, off the cuff, and candid. They reveal more about the actors, politicians, and celebrities who chat with Stewart than any five-minute appearance on a pandering late-night talk show.

In short, there's not much to hate about The Daily Show, and a lot to like. No wonder it has uber-loyal fans who watch it unfailingly. Too bad the real McCoys -- the six o'clock news broadcasts -- aren't anywhere near as entertaining. Nevertheless, thanks to its subject matter (which is mature in all senses of the word), the show is best for older teens and grown-ups.

Fans may also enjoy The Colbert Report and Dog Bites Man.

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Content
		CS	adults	kids
Sexual Content Frequent innuendo in Stewart's stories and taped pieces. And if the show's favorite targets -- politicians -- are engaged in hanky panky, they'll certainly be skewered for it.
Violence Politics can be pugilistic, and the show tries to catch all the action. Mosly verbal sparring, though.
Language Frequent minor swearing: "ass," "damn," "bitch," etc. Stronger words (including f--k) are bleeped out, though often discernable (and even when they aren't, all that noise certainly calls attention to them).
Message
	Social Behavior The world is full of human frailty and foibles, and it all gets mined for humor (cheating, drinking, and everything else under the sun). But Stewart does an admirable job of putting double-talk in context and calling on politicians to be responsible for their actions.
	Commercialism Products/labels are mentioned as necessary in the course of reporting on stories.
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco If drugs, tobacco, and alcohol are in the headlines, they're in the show, too. Stewart and his reporters sometimes partake if it helps sell a joke/story.

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