Blog 12: The most interesting and irrelevant issue discussed in class

By far, I think the most interesting and useful thing I learned from this course was the issues surrounding political satire like The Colbert Report and The Daily Show. Before taking this class, I had never watched a show like these, or even really knew what they were all about. However, now I love watching the Colbert Report and will watch a segment of it any chance it is on TV. In addition, I rarely, if ever, watched the traditional news  and knew very little about what was going on in the ‘real world’ (embarrassing to admit).

Since my increased viewing of the Colbert Report, I have also found myself catching glimpses of the nightly news to gain at least some insight into important citizen information so I can actually “get the jokes” that are on  the show. I found it interesting that these different types of media forms are complimentary of each other, not competitive, because they provide a lot of the same basic info. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that these types of late-night comedies are an alternative form of journalism because they do not have actual journalists going out into the field and reporting. Instead, they provide commentary (that can often times be insightful) about the news events.

I felt that this topic (among others, including social media) pertains to our lives because political satire and shows of this kind are geared toward young people and people of our age group. Because of this, we could closely relate to the issues that were discussed in class. It seems as if appealing to young voters has become a new political tactic. As shown in this clip:

Tim Pawlenty Appeals to Youth Vote

In contrast, the most irrelevant and boring issue we discussed this semester was the Sunstein book. The statements made in this book seemed to be very redundant and talked about issues that sounded more like common sense, at least from my perspective. The main two points of his book 1) that citizens should be exposed to material they wouldn’t normally choose to be exposed to and 2) that people need to be exposed to a range of common experiences appeared to be statements that common people should already be aware of. Although Sunstein did do an excellent job of explaining new topics and information, like consumer and citizen sovereignty, he wasted a lot of space by elaborating continuously on the certain issues.

Blog 12: End of Class Thoughts

Overall I think that this class was very interesting. Before I had no real  interest in following politics. After taking this class I have found myself watching the news more. I have become more politically aware of what is going on. I am glad that I took the class when I did. When we were learning about the how communication on twitter and Facebook effected politics, it was right during the Egyptian revolution. That was the perfect example of how these social media are growing throughout the world. Another topic that I enjoyed learning about was the political satire portion. I liked how we got to watch clips from The Colbert Report and The Daily Show. Those are shows that I watched before taking the class so I was excited every time we got to watch clips from these shows. The clips always pertained to what we were learning about and they made the subjects more exciting. Another big topic we covered that I really found interesting was the 1960 presidential election. I did not know much about this prior to taking the class and I feel like I have learned a lot about American politics after learning about this one election. It changed the way that Presidential candidates approach their campaigns. The thing that I fond the least interesting to learn was the Republic 2.0 book. Its not that I did not enjoy learning about blogging and things of that matter. The book was just tough to read. It was very repetitive. I am glad that we did not spend a very long time discussing it. The general information taken from the book was not bad, just the read itself. I think in the future just having certain parts of the book assigned to read would be a better approach to the Sunstein book. Overall I enjoyed almost all the topics covered in this class. I also liked how we talked about current events in class. Overall I really enjoyed the class and learned a lot over the semester.

Ooohhhh The Colbert Report. Ahhhhh the The Daily Show. The Political Takeover has began. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert (and their executives of course) have changed the way individuals receive political news as well as the audiences involved in this process.

So, IS IT POLITICAL NEWS?

Of course it is. Good Political News really has two jobs. The first is to present the facts. Of course this takes you into a WHOLE different discussion about left wing vs. right wing, political biases from network to network, or maybe even selective exposure in political awareness. The fact remains, the job of good political news is to present facts. The second job is to present sources to help the audiences do further research and form their own opinions.

Looking past the satirical approach to the news both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert do a fine job of these two jobs. And lets be honest – who doesn’t want entertaining news coverage (other than that straight faced guy three rows back with the glasses and the ascot on) – I’m just saying.

Is this presentation biased?

Of course it is. It is written and presented in a way that REGULAR people can understand and relate. (Probably wasn’t expecting that were you?) These satirical presentations are categorized as comedy to most. Comedy is an art form to where your average Joe (and Jane for the ladies) can comprehend. It is about time there is a presentation of news that doesn’t speak in the language of a specific people but in the language of people period.

These men want you to have just as much fun as they do. They want you to learn just as much as they do. If President Obama can joke with these men we can laugh – it is not un-American.

BLOG 8: The Kings of Comedy and Their Kingdoms of Politics

Have I made my love for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report obvious yet? I have a tendency to be extremely subtle, I know, so let me re-emphasize: I love the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. As far as Comedy Central goes, neither make me want to kill myself, and, as far as political news shows go, neither make me want to kill myself. Win/win either way, I’d say.

The beauty of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report reaches far beyond Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. The Kings of Comedy and Professional TV personalities aside, both shows utilize the one tool that few can use properly to make a point–comedy. Neither TDS nor TCR claim to be news media or even function in the same role as the news itself. Stewart’s even purported this in his famous Crossfire interview when Tucker Carlson began attacking him for not asking enough hard-hitting questions on his show, saying

You’re on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls.

But therein lies the power of TDS and TCR. Without the same pressures or structures that guide CNN or MSNBC or Fox News, Stewart and Colbert are able to deliver real, political news in a way that’s relevant to the audience. The addition of humor and clips pieced together to show hypocrisy and inconsistencies within other news media networks hardly takes away from the political news content–if anything, it adds to it by adding relevance and perspective.

That isn’t to say that TDS and TCR don’t have their own leanings. Stewart and Colbert make fun of left and right politicians and journalists alike, but their leanings are obviously clear. They are equal opportunity offenders, but even a third grader can see that Stewart leans left and while Colbert certainly comes off as more centrist, he probably leans left as well.

Maybe that turns some viewers away from both shows. I, personally, think it makes it that much more interesting to watch and that much more genuine. If Stewart, who is clearly a liberal, hits hard at the Democrats and Obama–which he does, often–then it makes him seem more balanced, puts the hypocrisies in our system into perspective.

Either way, whether or not you believe TDS and TCR are left-leaning satires or that they convey real, political news, there can be no doubt that they inspire political participation, even in the loosest of senses. TDS and TCR are perfect for the news culture we live in today–they combine humor and news to draw in crowds, make politics relevant to the younger generation, encourage the youth to actually pay attention to the party system and politics and elections. If you’re in doubt about whether or not this is actual political participation, recall The Rally To Restore Sanity. Spearheaded by TDS and TCR, would you really doubt that the hundreds of thousands of participants who showed up that day in October felt like engaged, political participants?

If you do, I question you. As for me, I know that just watching TDS and TCR every night keeps me better informed and better connected with the world of politics than CNN and Wolf Blitzer’s Twitter addiction ever has. xoxo!

Blog 8: Tired of the satire?

We’ve discussed many times so far in this class where people get their political information from, and the same sources are always  inevitably mentioned: CNN, Fox News, MSNBC…and The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Especially among us college-aged kids, these satire news shows are becoming increasingly popular to the point where they are almost seen as a staple of our media culture. But these shows, while incredibly entertaining, are not legitimate sources of news.

Are these guys the most trusted men in America? Pretty much...

They are made up of teams of comedy writers who poke fun at political events and people–they do no reporting of their own and (because of this) they don’t seek insights into political stories. While people can get a grip on news headlines by watching these shows, they can’t get a deeper understanding of their causes and meanings. Because the news is packaged as entertainment, it’s extremely easy for viewers to think that they’re getting a comprehensive look at the stories, while simultaneously missing the entire point of the coverage.

In addition, these shows present news through a cloudy lens. I wouldn’t call it bias, because they don’t seem to advocate opinions one way or another: in the eyes of comedy, everyone and everything is fair game. I do think that they have an effect on people though, in that they type of political involvement they facilitate is very confrontational and skeptical. What I mean by this is that viewers don’t take their time read into the stories in depth and figure out where they stand and how the stories fit into their beliefs, but rather they listen to Stewart and Colbert poke fun at everything and they agree with the satire. They begin to mock the absurdity that’s inherent in the political system and accept that politics are a laughing matter. So instead of encouraging political involvement, I think these shows promote passive interaction.

Admittedly, I love both of these shows, but I also read other political sources to get my “real” news. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are amazingly entertaining shows and I think they have their place in the political spectrum, but viewers have to be responsible enough to simply enjoy the entertainment, while at the same time being active political participants through other means.

Blog 8 : What is political News

Bimber says that everything is political information that includes fact or opinion. If that is the case then shows like the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report should be considered as television programs that broadcast political news and information. From previous blogs I’ve come to the conclusion that most people looked for their news to be given to them in a humorous way, and t think that that the producers and directors of these shows were geniuses to think of a way to broadcast political news in a way that people could understand and still find entertaining.

I must be honest and say that I have never really took the time to watch a full episode of either show, and the last time i watched Jon Stewart thoroughly he was playing a lawyer on Big Daddy. So I took this blog as a challenge to start watching it to get a full understanding of what the shows are all about.  I thought it was hilarious but still informative. A lot of the issues they’ve talked about are being talked about on the news. I love the way sarcasm is used and it’s an entertaining way to talk about important issues.

The show doesn’t seem very biased because, they make fun of all politics in general. It’s funny the way they clips and footage from news stations like FOX, ABC, MSNBC, CNN and just commenting off what everyone has said. It’s not as if they are making false stories, but just going off what is already out there. These shows can definitely promote political participation because they are informing a generation that is not very keen of watching the news to important issues that they should be aware of. These shows allow people to know what’s going on in their country and the world so when it’s time to vote or talk about issues they are informed. These shows can also urge viewers to be more au courant in their news forums and read more and learn more about issues the show talks about. This clip featured President Obama when he was running for the presidency. To have political candidates appear on your show gives it some credibility and clout.

This was a clip I literally rolled on the floor laughing at concerning the teachers union fiasco that is happening Wisconsin.

Blog 8: Stewart/Colbert Influence and Bias

While The Daily Show and Colbert Report may not be considered political news in the traditional sense, both shows do indeed promote political action. It’s a subtle promotion, but it’s also brilliant. Since both shows cover current events within the political realm, the assumption both shows make is that their audiences are aware of these current events. If they weren’t, the jokes wouldn’t land the shows wouldn’t last. But since both Stewart and Colbert have become the representatives of how younger people gather their news, with high ratings and awards, it’s obvious that the people watching it get the jokes. And the only way for people to get the jokes (outside of the easy dick jokes both make) is to be cognizant of what’s happening in the news in the first place. Without context, the jokes wouldn’t make sense. So, in order for audiences to really enjoy The Daily Show or Colbert Report, it’s necessary to understand the goings on in terms of the news and politics for the jokes to actually punch. This is how both shows promote political action. They may not have an outright agenda, but they do encourage audiences to know what’s going on, if for nothing else, so they can laugh at the jokes.

In terms of bias, during the joint Stewart/Colbert coverage of the election results during Indecision 2008, both comedians let their guards down with the announcement of Obama’s victory in the election. This breaking of character, especially on Colbert’s part, shows the elation both had that Obama had won the presidency. Though this doesn’t necessitate Stewart or Colbert’s liberalness, it’s evident that the guy they wanted to win, who happens to be a liberal Democrat, won, and they were clearly happy about it. Like all other human beings, they have their bias. But because they’re comedians first and informers second, it’s more acceptable that their bias be shown on the air than, say, someone from CNN or the like.

Additionally, the Rally to Restore Sanity was organized in direct response to Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally. While it may be unfair to claim that it was a rally by liberals for liberals, the crowd was overwhelming liberal and the jokes told were aimed toward liberal ideologies. However, more interesting than the fact that this rally was in response to an overwhelmingly conservative moment was the general confusion over what Stewart’s rally was supposed to be doing. And as others have linked in their blogs, it wasn’t until Stewart explained that the rally was a wake up call to the media to calm down that the point was made.

Though the job of Stewart and Colbert is to satirize the media (a job it typically does well), they do have their own biases. For instance, Colbert supports an increase in immigrant rights in terms of work visas (which is a relatively liberal ideology) and testified as such in Congress, albeit in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

Stewart, too, admits a liberal point of view in terms of the show’s jokes. While this doesn’t mean The Daily Show won’t criticize the Obama administration, it’s much harder to find clips of Stewart criticizing Obama than it is of him criticizing the Bush Administration. And while this may be a function of his audiences’ interests, that his critique and comedy about the Republican Party and more conservative policies resonates more than his comedy about the Democratic Party and liberal policies shows his appeal as a liberal comedian.

In short, both shows are less political news shows and more critiques of the news, which is an important function in terms of providing information to the public. Both shows do have their biases based on which jokes the audience likes to hear and how both men, when not in character, react to happenings in the public forum. Finally, they promote political action because they have to in order for people to watch and enjoy the show. It’s hard to get the jokes if one doesn’t know what the joke is referencing, so though without an outright agenda and with a large amount of subtlety, both shows promote political participation.

Blog 8: Political News or Just Comedy?

In my opinion, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert really can be considered political news.  These two shows are a great source of political news and can actually be informational while being humorous at the same time. These shows are considered a gateway to “real news” because they can take viewers back and forth between both genres of news.  These two shows while being funny actually do bring importance to the news aspect of the content because to actually understand the humor and the stories in these shows you have to have at least a little bit of background knowledge of current events going on in politics and in the world scene today.  If someone wanted to watch these kinds of shows without even catching a glimpse of a nightly news report they would definitely be totally lost.

Are These Shows Biased?

I don’t feel as though these shows are anymore biased than any other news story or show that has ever been made.  I feel that Stewart and Colbert are good at being able to put their own spin on news stories and make them as non biased as possible. Of course they might have their own opinions on things now and then but these are never meant to sway people in one way or another.

The following video is of Jon Stewart explaining to people at a rally how the media has failed us with their reporting and how biases are hurting our media views today.

Promoting Political Participation

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are always promoting political participation in their shows.  This commercial that ran during the election season urges their viewers to get out and vote.  They do not tell you which way to vote but just to exercise your right as an American and vote.  They know that their viewers are important segments of our population and voting is important.

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report while funny are no laughing matter.  These two shows are serious news outlets and while being humorous and shedding light on major issues in our country and around the world, they give serious information that you need to be informed on what is happening in our world today.

Blog 8: what classifies as political news

Now a days its hard to find someone, especially in my generation, that has not at least seen a few episodes of The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. The question is, do these shows really qualify for political news?  I think that the answer is yes, but I could see how people argue that they are not. For starters both shows present news that is happening now. They do not make up the stories that they are using. After presenting a topic they of course, add some sort of comedic spin to it, which in turn makes the topic sounds less serious. I found this clip from 2008 that actually talks about where The Daily Show finds their stories and how they actually find people to interview on the show. They talk about how they do not necessarily want the show to be relevant to the world but relevant to us.

I think thats exactly what they are doing. They are taking what is relevant to them and the United States and discussing it in a light hearted manner. I think that both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report tend to get the ball rolling for young people to listen and interact with the news. These shows push the people watching them to go out and do more research. I know that when I watch one of these shows, and they discuss a topic I want to know more about, I go and find other sources that cover the issue in greater detail. On the other hand I think that some people may not consider The Daily Show and The Colbert Report political news because on these shows it is hard to find in depth detail. The second question is are these shows biased. I also believe that this answer is yes. Like any political show or network it is hard for people to leave their personal thoughts and ideas out, when discussing something like politics. I found this second clip that talks about this. It is Jon Stewart being interviewed by Bill O’Reilly. In the video they also discuss whether or not Jon Stewart understands that he has an influence over the people that watch his show.

I think that both these video represent how both The Daily Show and ,although he is not interviewed, the Colbert Report conduct their show. Both of them have a similar style and approach on how they present and interpret political information. I do think that these two shows promote political participation because as I said earlier, they may inspire the viewers to do more research and become more informed. This is also covered in the video of the Bill O’Reilly video when he is talking about Jon Stewart’s influence on his viewers.

Blog #8: Satire or Political News?

Television shows such as The Colbert Report and The Daily Show have become overwhelmingly popular in our culture. In some cases, people are using these programs to obtain their political news more than they are using other more “reliable” sources. Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart have created a phenomenon that has given society an option to escape from the seriousness that political news usually entails  and provide an entertainment form of political news. It is important to examine though whether these “sources” are providing people with actual political news or if it is just a pure form of entertainment. There are many arguments to support both sides. Personally I feel as if these programs do provide political information, but they are not political news.

Political news, to be most effective in reaching the average consumer, should be unbiased and present the story in its original form. Obviously with the antics of Fox News and MSNBC, this type of information is hard to find these days. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have used this obvious biased in political media to poke fun at the respective parties and the extreme stances they take. They do though seem to have political biases themselves in doing this by tending to make fun of one party more than the other. Political news sources claim to be non-biased though and these satirical shows have consistently stated they are not attempting to remain fair. This biases though does not determine whether political satire can be classified as political news.

A main factor for me that distinguishes The Daily Show and The Colbert Report as purely entertainment is what researchers have named “The Daily Show Effect”. This idea focuses on the link between young people and political news. The average viewer of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report is between 18-24 years of age. This research is showing these young people are much more likely to obtain their political news from these shows rather than traditional political news sources. So what effect are these shows having on these young people? Many researchers are saying these shows are increasing cynicism in young voters and increasing their distrust about our government. One writer responds to this study by saying,

This is not funny: Jon Stewart and his hit Comedy Central cable show may be poisoning democracy…. Young people who watch Stewart’s faux news program… develop cynical views about politics and politicians that could lead them to just say no to voting.

Stephen Colbert seems to believe his program can be very beneficial to helping young people get more involved in politics. He contends it grabs their attention and this is one of the hardest things to do when it comes to young voters and politics. As he explains,

People are constantly saying ‘How’s it feel to have such an impact?’ I just want to be funny. I’m a comedian, not a political thinker. We’re changing the world one factual error at a time.

Here he seems to believe they are helping political news by pointing out their errors as sort of a check and balance system. In a way, I think this could be beneficial. It seems though most young people are using satirical political news not as fact, but as a source to provoke their interest in further researching a news story. It is for this reason I believe this can not be labeled political news.

Overall, I believe The Colbert Report and The Daily Show are doing a service by increasing young people’s interest in politics if they are indeed doing this and not reverting them into further cynicism. It is hard to reach they young voters of America and with their entertainment they have found a way to do it. If you want real political news though I’d say stick to the traditional sources.

For those who have never seen these shows here are clips to give you an idea of the overall purpose of these programs: