Satire
Late night comedy shows such as The Daily Show which focus on
political and news worthy topics are often criticized by the mainstream media.
The mainstream media often attempts to bring into question the credibility of
satirical programs by accusing them of being biased and misleading. Jeffrey P.
Jones lists evidence that supports that contrary to the belief of the mainstream
news media, The Daily Show along with other fake news shows is proven to be a
credible educational program. “the results of a campaign knowledge test
conducted on more than 19,000 citizens in the summer and fall of 2004 by the
university of Pennsylvania’s national Annenberg reported that” “viewers of late
night comedy programs, especially The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on comedy
central, are more likely to know the issue positions and backgrounds of
presidential candidates than people who do not watch late-night
comedy,” noting that Daily Show viewers “have higher campaign knowledge than
national news viewers and newspaper readers”(170).
Despite the focus on entertainment late night comedy shows like The Daily
Show are in many ways more adept at reporting information than their more
serious counterparts.
political and news worthy topics are often criticized by the mainstream media.
The mainstream media often attempts to bring into question the credibility of
satirical programs by accusing them of being biased and misleading. Jeffrey P.
Jones lists evidence that supports that contrary to the belief of the mainstream
news media, The Daily Show along with other fake news shows is proven to be a
credible educational program. “the results of a campaign knowledge test
conducted on more than 19,000 citizens in the summer and fall of 2004 by the
university of Pennsylvania’s national Annenberg reported that” “viewers of late
night comedy programs, especially The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on comedy
central, are more likely to know the issue positions and backgrounds of
presidential candidates than people who do not watch late-night
comedy,” noting that Daily Show viewers “have higher campaign knowledge than
national news viewers and newspaper readers”(170).
Despite the focus on entertainment late night comedy shows like The Daily
Show are in many ways more adept at reporting information than their more
serious counterparts.