Informative humor : The Daily Show's emergence as a credible news source.

By all accounts, America's dependence on traditional news media as a vital part of the democratic process is waning. With new media and outlets fighting for audiences, traditional broadcast and print media are suffering an existential crisis, forced to adapt or become obsolete. In addition, the public's trust in the media is plummeting. However, in this unsteady environment, unexpected forms of traditional media are emerging as credible sources, such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. When compared with other news media transcripts, The Daily Show was rated as equally credible to other broadcast news outlets when participants did not know the sources. When sources were known, The Daily Show was not rated as less credible, inferring that no preconceived bias against the show's credibility exists. In addition, political affiliation, age and gender were not significant in determining a person's perceived credibility of the satirical news leader.