Twentysomethings Trust Fake News Over Mainstream Media

New York Daily News | November 23 2004

America's twentysomethings, who are tuning into politics, trust Comedy Central fake-news king Jon Stewart more than network vets Peter Jennings and Dan Rather, a new study shows.

Asked whom they trust more to inform them on politics, 17% said NBC's Tom Brokaw, followed by Stewart of "The Daily Show" at 16%. ABC's Jennings had 15% and CBS' Rather had 10%.

And most people, 26%, picked "none of the above," according to the survey by Global Strategy Group and Luntz Research.

The poll also showed that voters aged 18 to 29 turned out in large numbers, and that they broke for Democrat John Kerry over President Bush by 62% to 35%.

The poll was commissioned by Declare Yourself, a nonprofit aimed at generating young-voter interest in politics and spearheaded by TV producer Norman Lear. He told the Daily News he was bothered by Election Day exit polls suggesting young voters did not show up.

"We want to get the word out that after all this work and effort, there was far more success here," he said.