Political Comedy - is it really just a laugh?

Based off the lectures given by  Ian Ward in POLS2111: Politics and the Media at UQ.

Can we properly treat political comedy as news?

Political comedy, irrespective of its birth, is a medium fast gaining relevance in an age of fragmenting audiences and increasingly sensationalised audiences. Political comedy has gained this relevance through its utilisation of humour to portray the events and news of the day.  Shows such as The Daily Show and Colbert Report are reaching far larger audiences, particularly young viewers, than previously thought. This has been corroborated by research carried out in the US by the Pew Research Centre (Ward 2012). But can programs such as The Daily Show by described as news? Yes, if viewers gain their understanding of current events from that show, and the current events are displayed truly and factually.

Harrington (2008) agrees, saying that political comedy “…entertain(s) and genuinely inform(s) citizens about politics…” He goes on to conjecture if this new form of news presenting will help rid audiences of the cynicism felt towards the media industry, through its “reinvigoration of journalistic enquiry”. Atkinson (2010) describes the self-stated role of shows such as The Daily Show as a medium to “expose official propaganda and media complicity” through an intensive, if light-hearted examination of current events, while “engaging individuals in reasoned discussions”. This stimulation of public discussion is one of the oft discussed ‘democratising’ effects of political comedy, and the main reason it is held to be a valid new-output method.

However it should be noted that not all political comedy shows are valid as news presenters or commentators; they must be “genuinely self-reflexive, dialogical, deliberative and critical” (Atkinson 2010) and, as has been stated, inform their viewers by providing a true rendition of events

REFERENCES:

Atkinson J. 2010. Politics as Comedy. Accessed: 12^th May 2012. Available at:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10666816

Harrington, S. 2008a.  'Popular news in the 21st century Time for a new critical approach?'  Journalism Vol. 9 (3), pp. 266-284.

Ward I. 2012. Comedy and Politics. Accessed 10^th May 2012. Available at:  https://blackboard.elearning.uq.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_132679_1%26url%3D