Political Satire
By Timothy Hecker
In the modern era of political buzzwords and sensitivity being the law of the land, it is hard to imagine that some of the most trusted political voices intentionally trying and provoke reaction from their viewers. The voices of comedy and absurd humor have become more integral parts of the media outlook than some “real” news sources. Jon Stewart in particular has done a great job obtaining fans throughout the political arena by making a lot of enemies. He has targeted mainstream media and exposed its manipulative strategies to the point that videos have been about how Jon Stewart is one of the fairest men in politics. In fact a 2014 poll found that eight percent of all surveyed found Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” to be the most trustworthy of news sources. 17% of liberals trusted it the most with more trusting the show than MSNBC. Fox news was the leader in trust, but a lot of that has to with being the biggest mass media market for conservatives especially considering the liberal media bias that has categorized most of mainstream news for a while. While eight percent may not seem like much it is important to remember that this is a comedy show that uses gags and pranks as part of its material, not to mention is part of a very competitive liberal market while Fox is all on its own. Even if it is not the most trusted it is still considered a valid source by millions.
It is easy to wonder what this has to do with law and the short answer is that this country’s voters are undeniably swayed by media in voting and political satirists have seen the incredible movement of people who hate all media news for it bias and corporate sponsorship. Native advertising or ads mixed with news are increasingly worrisome to the point that political comedian John Oliver used his show “Last Week Tonight” to explain why it is so awful to his viewers. Media is important in maintaining independent thought in the people of a country and suppressing it leads to dictatorship and corruption. When French satirists at Charlie Hebdo magazine where killed the world gathered around to remind people of our right to speak without fear of government overreach. Many could argue modern Medias in the pockets of governments or at least ideas but satirists have bias too. The separation is that satirists are meant to be comic and thought-provoking but not meant to be taken as a trust fall, media has failed in its professionalism and many find it hard to know what to believe. Voters who decide who can make laws have clearly shown that media is biased, a rent poll on the Washington Examiner said, “only 24 percent of American adults agree with the statement that "overall, the news media tries to report the news without bias," While 70 percent disagree.” The issue is far more complicated than can be expressed in this article but it makes you wonder who the American people really think is a joke.
By Timothy Hecker
In the modern era of political buzzwords and sensitivity being the law of the land, it is hard to imagine that some of the most trusted political voices intentionally trying and provoke reaction from their viewers. The voices of comedy and absurd humor have become more integral parts of the media outlook than some “real” news sources. Jon Stewart in particular has done a great job obtaining fans throughout the political arena by making a lot of enemies. He has targeted mainstream media and exposed its manipulative strategies to the point that videos have been about how Jon Stewart is one of the fairest men in politics. In fact a 2014 poll found that eight percent of all surveyed found Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” to be the most trustworthy of news sources. 17% of liberals trusted it the most with more trusting the show than MSNBC. Fox news was the leader in trust, but a lot of that has to with being the biggest mass media market for conservatives especially considering the liberal media bias that has categorized most of mainstream news for a while. While eight percent may not seem like much it is important to remember that this is a comedy show that uses gags and pranks as part of its material, not to mention is part of a very competitive liberal market while Fox is all on its own. Even if it is not the most trusted it is still considered a valid source by millions.
It is easy to wonder what this has to do with law and the short answer is that this country’s voters are undeniably swayed by media in voting and political satirists have seen the incredible movement of people who hate all media news for it bias and corporate sponsorship. Native advertising or ads mixed with news are increasingly worrisome to the point that political comedian John Oliver used his show “Last Week Tonight” to explain why it is so awful to his viewers. Media is important in maintaining independent thought in the people of a country and suppressing it leads to dictatorship and corruption. When French satirists at Charlie Hebdo magazine where killed the world gathered around to remind people of our right to speak without fear of government overreach. Many could argue modern Medias in the pockets of governments or at least ideas but satirists have bias too. The separation is that satirists are meant to be comic and thought-provoking but not meant to be taken as a trust fall, media has failed in its professionalism and many find it hard to know what to believe. Voters who decide who can make laws have clearly shown that media is biased, a rent poll on the Washington Examiner said, “only 24 percent of American adults agree with the statement that "overall, the news media tries to report the news without bias," While 70 percent disagree.” The issue is far more complicated than can be expressed in this article but it makes you wonder who the American people really think is a joke.