How Does Political Comedy Affect Participation

In an era of global technology, instant news, infomercials, electronic town meetings, and “Made for TV Documentaries,” the borderlines between news and analysis, news and entertainment, news and fiction are constantly shifting.

Karl Bode discovered that satire news outlets give viewers an opportunity to gain more information than normal news outlets. Satire news host tend to be more aware of the issue at hand than normal news because they have to do actual research on the event themselves to obtain their news script. Without research the host wouldn’t be able to provide the sarcasm and humor that is needed in a satire news show. Studies at the University of Delaware have proven that viewers are more likely to watch parody news shows because it keeps their interest longer and it is more relatable to their opinions. In comparison, real news outlet do seem to be boring, although it varies in headlines and top stories unlike parody news, it is sometimes not relatable and can have a negative impact on a viewer’s mood. In an additional source, it

On television every night, there are countless late night talk shows. Many people watch these shows because the hosts refer to subjects that are not regularly discussed in public. Between interviews, the hosts often satirize new ideas or beliefs in the society. Because they address

Within Joyce Nelson’s essay, “TV News: A Structure of Reassurance”, Nelson criticizes the TV news structure that perpetually disconnects current events from their historical background through comforting anchorpeople partnered with advanced technology to create a TV program that minimizes the important implications of current events. Though lacking the amount of information that a print news publication can maintain, the TV news can convey immediate information through technological advances of modern TV equipment to allow the medium to remain competitive. The façade of in-the-moment international information broadcasted directly to viewers enables anchorpeople to maintain the feeling of immediateness, keeping the viewers believing the program

Shows such as Impractical Jokers, where four lifelong friends compete against each other in absurd challenges, do not connect to current events. Still, as a viewer, I have spent many weekdays watching countless hours of Impractical Jokers as a way to relieve stress from the academic rigor I endure. Although shows like Impractical Jokers do not illustrate sensitive topics, I find shows similar humorous and a good distraction from the real world. The chief aim of shows like Impractical Jokers is not to state “dangerous or impossible” messages, but to give the audience a good

DBQ - Democracy in Colonial America Essay Colonial America was a work in progress with democratic and undemocratic features. One democratic feature is accountability. Accountability means, elected and appointed officials are responsible for their electors. Document #3 The Fundamental Orders Of Connecticut.

In chapter two, Wattenberg discusses television broadcasting and its impact with news networks such as NBC, CBS, and ABC. He quotes a 1972 study by Patterson and McClure in which they believed that although broadcasting allowed for Americans to see the campaign, it did not help teach voters anything of importance (32). TV news has become increasingly directed towards the elderly, with young people elsewhere or watching something else when politics are broadcasted (33). He illustrates this point with an example of the types of commercials aired for medications that while are suited for any age group, they are remedies for maladies or health concerns that older generations experience more than younger ones. Today, there are multitudes of television channels available for specific topics such as sports and music rather than the general topics the original major networks broadcasted, making it easier for young people to avoid the political events that once captivated the attention of Americans in previous generations. One study found that 21% of respondents under 30 years of age learned about the Presidential campaign or candidates from a comedy show instead of from newscasts (40). Although some find information indirectly through entertainment TV, a 2004 survey proved that 7% of respondents who followed the campaign closely enjoyed it and were familiar with facts heavily relied on cable news channels as a source of information, proving that if

In an effort to expose the epistemology of television, which Postman believes has not been effectively addressed, he examines the effects of TV on several important American cultural institutions: news, religion, politics and education.  All four institutions, Postman argues, have realized that they have to go on television in order to be noticed which, in turn, requires them to learn the language of TV if they are to reach the people.  Therefore, they have joined the national conversation not on their own terms, but on TV's terms.  Postman contends that this transformation of our major institutions has trivialized what is most important about them and turned our culture into "one vast arena for show business" (80).  In the case of broadcast news, we see visually stimulating, disconnected stories about murder and mayhem along with a healthy dose of infotainment delivered by friendly and likeable anchors that remind us to "tune in tomorrow".  In the case of politics, we have discourse through distorted paid TV commercials and "debates" in which the appearance of having said something important is

Additionally to television, many political figures including Barrack Obama use social networking as a way to reach American citizens. Social networking is practically a right of passage among youth today. Political influences are in all types of media. Any young person that uses social networking or watches television is choosing to not pay attention to politics. “It would be reading too much into such responses to say that these two-thirds of young Americans didn’t value voting; they could well have seen voting as a fundamental right or a crucial choice. Nevertheless, without a

According to research obtained by Cornell University scientists, 92% of Americans watch TV, 87% read newspapers, and 81% specifically watch local or national televised news stations…

“Is Voting For Young People?”, written by Martin P. Wattenberg is based on his views on surveys and research that has been done on why there is such low turnout for voting when it comes to young people . His major point is that he wants to get across the problem of low youth turnout and it is by no means just an American one. It seems like this problem is a trend in most of the Western democracies and America is not alone when it comes to getting young people to the polls. In previous times this was not the case when it came to young people not knowing about politics and not voting. In 1970, there were actually no relationship at all between age and political knowledge (87). Moreover, older people used to be the least likely to follow major

According to the book Celebrity Politics, approximately 10 percent of Americans get national political news from nightly entertainment shows such as the Tonight Show. For Americans under 30, the number is nearly five times as many (Orman and West 100). Citizens are looking to be entertained rather than simply educated by the nightly news. As David Schultz aptly put it, “ The new media cover politics, but only politics as it entertains, in part, because the audience the new media attract is a less politically interested audience than traditional news audiences” (20). The fact is that this American audience is less interested in hard news and more interested in

While other forms of media have gained more influence in recent years, television continues to be a key source of political information for the American public. According to a 2008 Pew Research survey, about 72 percent of Americans claim television as their "primary source for news about political campaigns" (Polsby 79). In response to this large pool of potential voters, prominent campaigns like those of presidential candidates often use television as their main vehicle for publicizing their political views and shaping their political image. As a result, generally, presidential candidates with more television exposure tend to be elected more often.

Politics affect the lives of every single American, yet the US voter turnout rate is only roughly 55 percent as of 2012 (Peters 1). As a country and population, Americans are constantly chastised for their low or otherwise inadequate political involvement. One can see, in reference to American politics, that there are three main ideas toward politics-- and there’s clearly a ranking within them. Americans take one of three stances toward politics: positive, neutral, and negative, in order of how helpful these views are to our political system.

Jon Stewart treats the pundits as well as the political figures as propaganda. He discovers the falsities committed by the pundits and the political figures and puts his discoveries out to the public to watch as entertainment.