With an abundant amount of media outlets vying for viewer’s attention, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” has the unique ability to inform its audience, while making them laugh at the same time.

The satirical format of the Comedy Central show allows Stewart and his correspondents the ability to cover outrageous stories that would scare off other traditional news programs. It seems almost undeniable to those that watch the program that they gain more than just a few laughs from the 30 minute program that airs every Monday through Thursday night at 11 p.m.

“I think The Daily Show is the smartest, most up-to-the-minute show on television. It makes one laugh and makes one think,” said Susan Sutton, a retired register nurse who currently works at Newtown Book and Record specializing in American and English fiction.

One recent airing of the show focused on the GOP nominees; poking fun at the hypocrisies that many politicians fall victim to these days. Stewart cleverly used his wit and comedic timing to drive his point home about Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s baffling assertion that “I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there.”

“Jon combines informing and entertaining his audience with research and documentation, with news footage to back it up,” Sutton said.

The Daily Show rated higher, with 54 percent of the audience scoring in the high knowledge range, than of other comparable news shows according to a 2007 Pew Research Center survey.

“Daily Show viewers have access to many quick sources of ‘real’ news – blogs, internet, news clips, and perhaps more cynicism about some ‘regular,’ establishment news shows,” Sutton said.

Being an election year, the show has currently made its focus on their “Indecision 2012” segment. Although on most nights, Stewart focuses his attention to the news media and his assertion of their sensationalism of the news.

“Stewart’s critiques of the news media, I think sometimes they’re justified, other times not” said Professor Tony Rogers, a professor of journalism at Bucks.

“He complains a lot about what he sees as the sensationalism of the news media, but if you look at all the sources of news available, print, broadcast, online, you’ll see that the vast majority are not sensationalistic,” Rogers said.

Rogers said that there are many forms of legitimate news publications that report accurate, reliable stories.

“I don’t think it makes much sense to complain about sensationalism in the news media when there are so many choices out there. In other words, no one’s forcing anyone to read the National Enquirer, and if you don’t like that kind of thing, read the New York Times,” Rogers said.

With a large portion of the audience below the age of 30, Stewart has relied on a younger demographic to boost ratings. As recently as September 2010, the Pew Research Center also reported that close to 80 percent of the shows demographic ranged from ages 18 to 49.

“Younger viewers, having grown up with the internet, Facebook, You Tube, etc., like their facts presented in a fast-paced, clever format. Some may think of it as ‘fake’ news but it’s hard to argue with ‘real’ news footage,” Sutton said.

Rogers argues that, although well produced, the show should not be a substitute for other substantial news outlets.

“I think it’s very well done; it’s satire on a really high level,” Rogers said.

“What worries me is that young people will use the Daily Show as a substitute for the real news, which it’s not,” Rogers said. “That would be tragic.”

Even with more media coverage and numerous news outlets than ever, Rogers has grown discouraged by those that use such programs like the Daily Show as their main source of information.

“It’s been my experience that most young people are woefully ignorant of current events,” Rogers said.

Rogers encourages young people to watch the show, but to also use other news outlets like daily newscasts, newspapers, and even internet sources to gather up as much news coverage as possible.

“As a citizen of this country you have a responsibility to be informed about what’s going on in the world, and simply watching the Daily Show won’t help you accomplish that,” Rogers said.

Jen Leachko, 21, a nursing major from Langhorne, feels that much of the viewership may be attributed to Comedy Central, which draws in a much younger audience than other cable networks. Jen believes that the jokes used for the show appeals to their predominately younger audience.

Leachko views Stewart’s ability to conduct an informative and entertaining interview as one of the shows strengths, but added, “The show looks for laughs. They will find more ridiculous news that usually won’t make the headlines.”

Sutton agreed, stating, “Being labeled ‘comedic’ does give the show a forum to bring up and accentuate the sometimes ridiculous and unbelievable ‘coincidences’ that most other news outlets don’t put together.”

This gives credence to Rogers, who reminds us to take the Daily Show for what it’s worth.

“That’s [Stewart’s] prerogative; he’s a comedian, not a reporter, so he’s under no obligation to be even-handed,” Rogers said.