In what should not be a surprise, a survey by Fairleigh Dickinson University found that while people who watched no news could answer 1.22 questions correctly,

…someone who watched only Fox News would be expected to answer just 1.04 domestic questions correctly — a figure which is significantly worse than if they had reported watching no media at all. On the other hand, if they listened only to NPR, they would be expected to answer 1.51 questions correctly; viewers of Sunday morning talk shows fare similarly well. And people watching only The Daily Show with Jon Stewart could answer about 1.42 questions correctly.

For those not following Stephen Colbert’s involvement in the SC GOP primary, his editorial in The State recaps it quite well. In brief: the SC GOP insisted that taxpayers cover much of the costs of the primary, so Colbert’s “Super PAC” agreed to cover the bill if they got naming rights (“The Colbert Super PAC South Carolina Republican Primary”), and if SC put a non-binding referendum on the ballot about corporate personhood.

The GOP agreed… at first.

Then the unthinkable happened — the activist judges of the S.C. Supreme Court ruled that the counties, not the GOP, would be responsible for funding the primary. And, in what I can only see as a personal attack on corporate persons, they ruled that all non-binding referenda be struck from the ballot.

The S.C. Republican Party no longer needed my $400,000, but being Southern gentlemen, they gracious[ly] offered to still want it.

Colbert’s editorial has the whole (hilarious) story.

A Farleigh Dickinson poll finds

that Sunday morning news shows are the most informative, while Fox News actually leads people to be less informed than those who consume no news at all…

“The (poll’s) results show us that there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these questions than those who don’t watch any news at all,” said Dan Cassino, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson and an analyst for the poll.

Also no surprise:

Those who watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart performed well on the questions. Sixty percent of Daily Show viewers correctly answered that opposition forces in Syria have not yet toppled the government, second only to NPR. Forty-five percent of Fox News viewers answered “no.”

Here at Bray we have a category called “Lies”. It was practically invented for clips like this.

Stephen Colbert wants you to know all about Santorum. And santorum.

(audio N-necessarily-SFW)

As you know, the most important issue facing our country right now is reducing the tax rate for the richest 2% of Americans. That’s why the GOP voted down a bill to provide health coverage for 9/11 first responders suffering from 9/11-related health woes. Of course. Because, as you know, the GOP has never cared much for 9/11 heroes.

Jon Stewart and his razor-wit satire provide the perfect summary:

A dangerous, foreign-born millionaire stirring up unrest in the country and accusing opponents of voter fraud? Jon Stewart present this truly epic takedown of Glenn Beck.

I am amazed at Stewart’s ability to keep a straight face through Part 2.

I’m not even kidding. By their own logic, when you watch Fox and Friends or Glenn Beck, you are funding terror. I am completely serious.

The Daily Show analyzes the Fox “News” coverage of the Islamic cultural center and how it’s funded by the Kingdom Foundation, a Saudi group run by a Wahhabist prince who funds radical madrasahs. What Fox fails to mention: said prince is the largest shareholder of Fox News outside of the Murdoch family.

When you watch Fox, they earn advertiser revenue. When they earn revenue, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal earns money. When he earns money, he funds madrasahs that Fox says are part of a terror network. Follow the money trail. Fox wants you to.

For nine years, we have rightfully extolled the virtues of the responders to the 9/11 tragedy. These men and women selflessly rescued others, which is why there was a bill to provide them with health care to treat the illnesses they received as a result of the rescue. There was even a clause to pay for the health care, by closing a loophole on multinationals who used offshore tax havens.

And the bill failed.

I could explain why, but as always, Jon Stewart does so better than I could.

Fox needs to learn never to tangle with a comedian.
Because the comedian always gets the last laugh.

I know I link to him a lot, but dear friends, after watching this clip I can say without reservation that Jon Stewart is the greatest satirist of our era. With this must-see segment, Jon Stewart kicks Glenn Beck’s chair out from under him. Watching this is time well spent.

(The first clip was a cold open on last night’s show. The second clip came right after the opening credits.)

It’s like rain on your wedding day! And you apparently have no sense of it.

When the Teabaggers marched on Washington, the DC authorities estimated the crowd size at around 80,000. Needless to say, Fox “News”[sic] gave that march extensive endorsementcoverage.

Naturally, when another political march gathered that same number of protesters, one would expect a respectable news organization to give it an equal amount of coverage.

…they didn’t even send a reporter or camera crew.

See Jon Stewart’s take on it.

“America already has the best health care in the world,” says Glenn Beck, insisting that we should change nothing.

Well, that’s what he says now. Jon Stewart shows that his tune has, um, changed somewhat: