A recent study shows that viewers of Stephen Colbert’s The Colbert Report learned more about campaign financing in the last presidential election than actual news sources like MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, broadcast evening news, talk radio and newspapers.
The study, entitled Stephen Colbert’s Civics Lesson, was conducted through phone surveys with 1,232 adults 18 years or older between December 13, 2012 and 23, 2012.
“It’s the first study actually showing that Colbert is doing a better job than other news sources at teaching people about campaign financing,” the head of the study, senior researcher Bruce W. Hardy at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, stated. “Consistently, we found that Colbert did better than every other news source we included in our model.”
Those who watched Colbert’s coverage of Super PAC during the 2012 election season showed the series increased people’s perceptions that they were more knowledgeable about political financing, as well as “significantly increased their actual knowledge” at a higher amount than other news sources. The study added that reading newspapers, listening to talk radio, and watching Fox News Channel also increased knowledge about super PACs and 501(c)(4)s but “to a lesser degree.”
“Colbert did better than any other news source at teaching,” Hardy explained. “There were two reasons. First was the narrative structure. He walked us through creating a super PAC and every episode was a continuation of that story. And second was the use of humor and satire.”
“While our research suggests that political comedy shows like The Colbert Report have the ability to simplify and explain complex issues in a way that fosters learning, it is likely a difficult process for other news programs to replicate,” the study notes.
