The Daily Show airs controversial Redskins segment
Jon Stewart's program airs report showing Native Americans confronting Redskins fans
Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" aired a controversial report Thursday night, which involved a group of Washington Redskins fans being confronted by Native Americans who want the NFL franchise to change its name and logo.
'We work very hard to find real people who have real beliefs and want to express those beliefs on television, and we work hard to make sure the gist of those beliefs are represented accurately, albeit sometimes comedically, on our program.'- Jon Stewart, The Daily Show
The story first made headlines earlier this week when one of the football fans interviewed told The Washington Post she felt threatened by the confrontation, leaving the interview in tears and calling police.
Prior to airing the segment, host Jon Stewart, addressed public concerns over how the interview was conducted, and assured viewers of the Daily Show that the program does not broadcast pieces if a subject has been intentionally misled or their comments misrepresented.
Following the segment's broadcast, fans flooded social media with reaction.
Redskins fans carry props of native heads on stakes & putting up signs about scalping. But they call the police on Natives? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DailyShow?src=hash">#DailyShow</a>
—@xodanix3The Daily Show may be fake news, but it still influences people. Stewart's bit on the Redskins is stirring the pot <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheDailyShowGoneTooFar?src=hash">#TheDailyShowGoneTooFar</a>
—@Aphrodite_Jones<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheDailyShowGoneTooFar?src=hash">#TheDailyShowGoneTooFar</a> because it made white people sad for being called out for their racism. THE HORROR
—@armsofmossThe Daily Show was not the only Comedy Central program to satirize the Washington Redskins naming issue.
South Park attacked the National Football League and the Washington club during its Season 18 premiere Wednesday night.
The episode follows the show's main characters in a pursuit to build a new company under the name Washington Redskins, which prompts Dan Snyder, the NFL club's owner to confront the boys.
In June, the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board cancelled the Washington team's trademark of Redskins, ruling the nickname was disparaging.
With files from Associated Press