If you find yourself flipping to a late show such as "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart and feeling guilty about it, try not to be so hard on yourself; study after study reveals that "The Daily Show" viewers are more knowledgeable on domestic and foreign affairs than those who watch Fox News.

Why is it that "The Daily Show" viewers consistently rate higher in knowledge than Fox viewers? "The Daily Show" touts itself as fake news. One would think Fox News, not being fake, would be more informative. I have a couple of theories about why this phenomenon exists.

I've watched Fox News, and it is not nearly as entertaining as "The Daily Show." I know what to expect on Fox News – a lot of liberal-bashing. "The Daily Show," in contrast, does a fair amount of bashing on liberals AND conservatives. I know, they prefer to bash conservatives, likely because Jon Stewart is liberal, but, if the shoe fits, he is quick to offer up the shoe horn.

Although both Fox and "The Daily Show" partake in bashing, Jon Stewart does it better. He's funnier, wittier and doesn't require Samantha Bee to wear revealing clothing. Seriously, Fox, I'm tired of watching scantly clad women try to sit on a sofa and not flash their cash. If the men get to wear professional suits, put the women in something other than a short pink dress; it screams unprofessional. All this unprofessionalism from Fox, along with a lack of flair when it comes to reporting, results in an uninteresting news channel.

Another theory I have is there isn't much reporting going on at Fox. With all the time spent regurgitating lies, propaganda and conspiracies, it is difficult to report on actual news. This sensationalism has grown to new heights on Fox. It seems to me Fox parades itself around as a news channel, while underneath it's just entertainment for those who dislike liberalism. "The Daily Show," however, despite its claim to be "fake news" actually does a fairly good job of covering the news. The recent lineup of guests, Arnie Duncan and Janet Napolitano among them, is a testament to the underlying seriousness of the show. It just might be the most reliable news source on television. There's no obligation on the part of Jon Stewart to report real news; the show has already declared it is for entertainment value.

That's no reason to slack off though, fake news lovers, because a Pew study found overall knowledge declined steadily from 1989 to 2007. Ask any baby boomer about what news was like when he was growing up, and Walter Kronkite is likely to be named. Being that most households had only one television and only a handful of channels, Mr. Kronkite was a staple.

The baby boomers had no choice but to become informed, and that may be why their generation consistently votes more than younger generations. Younger generations, however, have access to a very powerful tool, the Internet. A wealth of information is just a click away, and I think in time, when the selfishness which precludes interest in things worldly subsides, these younger generations will take the world by storm. If you don't believe me, google "Iran Twitter" to see how powerful a text message can be.

• JACKIE SHARP of Ottawa is a former soldier now studying public administration and service at Northern Illinois University. She can be reached through The Times by e-mailing paulc@mywebtimes.com.