Media Journal A Critical Analysis of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

1460 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of The Daily Show by Jon Stewart

The Daily Show pronounces itself as a fake news program, and it pulls its comedy and satire from current news reports, politicians, media companies, and often, features of the show itself. The show usually begins with an extended monologue from host, Jon Stewart, communicating new headlines and regularly includes discussions with several correspondents, who assume ridiculous or amusingly overstated takes on recent events against Stewart's straightforward character. The concluding segment contains a celebrity interview, with guests varying from authors and political figures to actors and musicians. Critics contend the show is a major source for news for the 18 to 34 year-old age group because of their satire and sharp-witted lampoon of politics. Essentially, The Daily Show merges parts of both traditional news shows and late night variety programs. The show employs irony, embellishment, and fake news to criticize important current events or political issues.
Analysis
The Daily Show has established a distinctly diverse pattern, taking a hard political focus to their humor. The show’s content is definitively issues and news driven. The show uses bogus stories to mock actual print journalism and current events, which influences the comedic direction of the show. One of the show’s executive producer’s Ben Karlin states,” The main thing, for me, is seeing hypocrisy. People who know better saying things that you know they don't believe.” The broadcast also makes substantial use of news footage, often in a documentary way that uses past video to show contrast and contradiction, even if the reason is mocking rather than reporting. In addition, the show also mixes truths and imagination in a way that no news program ever would. Also, The Da...

... middle of paper ...

...). Also,” The survey also suggests Daily Show viewers are highly informed, an indication that The Daily Show is not their lone source of news. Regular viewers of The Daily Show and the Colbert Report were most likely to score in the highest percentile on knowledge of current affairs” (Pew Research).

Works Cited

Campbell, Richard, Christopher R. Martin, Bettina Fabos, and Richard Campbell. Media & Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002. Print.
Warner, J. (2007). Political Culture Jamming: The Dissident Humor of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Popular Communications, 5 (1), 17-36.
"Journalism, Satire or Just Laughs? "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," Examined." Pew Research Centers Journalism Project RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014
"The Daily Show ." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of John Oliver's In Wage Gap

    1647 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Women! What do they want?” John Oliver exclaims sarcastically as he begins his segment on the wage gap. John Oliver always begins his segments with sarcastic and witty comments in order to initially engage his audience which is largely young adults. His use of a news station background is what grabs the attention of news watchers. While he does discuss serious issues he does it with wit in order for his audience to come to the same conclusion as him. Knowing that the majority of his audience holds some college experience, “Last night tonight” expects the audience to be able to differentiate between the actual news and the host’s sarcasm. In his segment “Wage Gap”, host John Oliver uses statistics from the U.S Bureau of Labor, contradicting

    Read More

  • Informing America: 'Fake' News Programs

    1163 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Fake” news programs, such as The Daily Show, Zinser reasonably argues, have the potential to dilute mass media and deceive viewers. The Daily Show has been straightforward about its lack of legitimacy as a hard hitting news program, but “the show’s content and guest list suggest otherwise” (Zinser 367). Zinser indicates that The Daily Show should hold itself to higher standards because “people might well think they’re being fully or sufficiently informed while watching” (367). In other words, Zinser believes that if viewers tune in with the expectation of becoming informed and The Daily Show’s content consists of significant topics, the creators ...

    Read More

  • Examples Of Satirical Humor

    1060 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, the comedy shows The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon expresses satirical humor concerning politics. His show also demonstrates political satire by telling jokes and even impersonating political figures for the audience. He creates humor through sarcasm that focuses on real issues. His sarcastic humor causes others to feel more confident in their criticism toward politicians. For example, “Jimmy Fallon expresses his humor about Donald Trump, impersonating his appearance and imitating his voice while talking about politics. He uses his humor by impersonating Donald Trump and his sweeping generalizations with Madea (Rogo).” Jimmy Fallon shows people his views through humor and it creates a sense of community to express their agreeable and disagreeable views. As we discussed some ideas about satirical humor that affects political changes, it was important to reveal their feelings about changes in life and drove them to look upon their society or government more

    Read More

  • Why Is John Oliver Reliable

    1044 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Oliver, comedian, a reliable source for America’s breaking news stories. Are his stories reliable? This is a tough question because people have varying opinions of his show and it is sometimes difficult to tell if he is telling the truth or not. This show is full of laughter, comedy, and he makes some really good points. It is just hard to tell if he is using accurate facts for his show and if they are truthful. To clarify this issue, I am going to describe several points to show John Oliver’s authority. John Oliver is a reliable source because he does extensive research on the topics, provides examples on the show in real life and is more trusted than any other news station.

    Read More

  • In Defense of Politicians: Stephen Medvic

    1685 Words  | 4 Pages

    Popular culture also plays a role in why Americans do not trust politicians. Late-night television shows use politicians in their comedy skits, where their mistakes are punch lines for comedians. A study produced by Jody Baumgartner and Jonathan Morris found that people who view late-night television shows have a more negative view of candidates, (Medvic p. 5). In particular, people who view The Daily Show have drastically less faith in the electoral process, (Medvic p. 5). Russell Peterson argues that these jokes as “implicitly anti-democratic” because they declare the entire system as fraudulent, (Medvic p. 5).

    Read More

  • The West Wing: The TV Show

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    Technology is growing fast, as is the new generations branching off with new forms of media and devices that provide us with the news. News and politics have had difficulty when informing its public and community of the events that happen in their community. Now the media and news are growing to reform to the earlier generation’s way of receiving the news and events related to them, by using media and popular culture. According to Wodak, for politics to air and to engage and intrigue its public, it must need scandal, rumour, and speculation (45). The West Wing, is a clear example of where the news and politics enter into the world of entertainment, but still informing its audience of the political world and events they may face. I will be analyzing The West Wing television series in relation to the representations of gender, race, and politics with support from examples and scholarly sources.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of John Stewart Speech

    443 Words  | 1 Pages

    Saturday of October 10, 2010, American citizens gathered at The National Mall in Washington D.C. for The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. This Rally held by comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host Jon Stewart. By using forms of rhetorical techniques such as ethos, logos, pathos, Stuart helps convey his purpose. In his closing speech, Stewart uses many references to demonstrate his credibility.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Comedian Jon Stewart

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    Comedian Jon Stewart gives a speech on the Daily Show during the “Rally to Restore Sanity/Fear”. He wants the viewers of the Daily Show to realize the difference between the real and fake threats and to take a humorous perspective on most of America’s “problems”. Stewart also emphasizes to his audience not to take every person on the media by his word and not to overreact to everything they hear. He uses metaphors, comparisons, and hypothetical examples to get his point across.

    Read More

  • Saturday Night Show Hyperbole

    387 Words  | 1 Pages

    With the abundance of people annoyed with many news stations for false or unimportant news, the popularity of satirical spin-offs has grown exponentially. Saturday Night Live’s example of this is called “Weekend Update.” In this they satirise news stories or the news stations themselves. This example is from season 42 episode 13, where the cast comments on Donald Trump's executive orders as the new president of the united states. They do this in a juvenalian form of sative as they talk about racial issues in an unflattering light; however, this is all just to show the salient issues with Trump’s plan. SNL uses irony and hyperbole to show the Issues with the orders and how uninformed Trump is.

    Read More

  • Essay123

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    Overall, in the last few months of working in mock news days, I have learnt the true factors behind what we see on our television screens. It is a very narrow view on the world, and often a mixture of logistics and legislation prevent some news from even entering our televisions. I found that sometimes the most interesting and valuable of news topics is not picked in order to prevent things such as copycat behaviour and also because a person in unavailable. Broadcast journalism is heavily based on pictures for our viewers to be told the story, and that words are used just to enhance the story. Overall, I believe our mock news days have truly reflected what it is like to work in a real life broadcast environment, and the stress and pressures journalists work through in order to put news on our screens.

    Read More

  • Satire, the Mirror of Reality

    1859 Words  | 4 Pages

    Satire is the most powerful democratic weapon in the arsenal of modern media. Sophia McClennen, the author of America According to Colbert: Satire as Public Pedagogy, describes it as the modern form of public pedagogy, as it helps to educate the masses about current issues (73). In fact, ”a Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey in 2004 found that 61 percent of people under the age of thirty got some of their political news from late-night comedy shows” (McClennen 73). This statistic shows how influential satirical shows such as The Colbert Report or South Park can be.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Political Humor

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    James Conroy argues that laughter in serious topics has been regarded through the ages as dangerous, deviant, and subversive; yet equally as refreshing, challenging, and constructive. Political humor is extensively used in almost all countries, but political satire is perceived differently from one country to another. The research question is as follows: what factors make political satire an effective tool that affects politics and policy? I argue that humor is more influential when blended with serious topics, such as international relations or politics. Laughter is a great means to put serious topics under the lenses of critical thinking. The use of humor, and political satire specifically can bring about serious political change. Humor can play all sorts of roles in the political process through being informative, educational and influential while keeping its captive entertaining

    Read More

  • Television and Media Effect on the Public

    4844 Words  | 10 Pages

    Television is a vital source from which most Americans receive information. News and media delegates on television have abused theirs powers over society through the airing of appealing news shows that misinform the public. Through literary research and experimentation, it has been proven that people's perception of reality has been altered by the information they receive from such programs. Manipulation, misinterpretation, word arrangement, picture placement and timing are all factors and tricks that play a major role in the case. Research, experimentation, and actual media coverage has pinpointed actual methods used for deceptive advertising. Television influences society in many ways. People are easily swayed to accept a belief that they may not normally have unless expressed on television, since many people think that everything they hear on television is true. This, however, is not always the case. It has been observed that over the past twenty to thirty years, normal social behavior, even actual life roles of men and women and media, regulatory policies have all been altered (Browne 1998). Media has changed with time, along with quality and respectability. Many Americans receive and accept false information that is merely used as an attention grabber that better the show's ratings and popularity. Many magazines and Journal reviews have periodically discussed the "muckraking" that many tabloid shows rely on to draw in their viewers. This involves sensationalizing a story to make it more interesting, therefore increasing the interest of the audience. "Along the way, all sorts of scandalous substance and goofy tricks appear, but not much mystery in the logic," (Garnson 1997). People often know that these shows aim to deceive them, but still accept the information as truth. Many times, people have strong opinions on certain topics. Yet, when they are exposed to the other side of the argument, they may be likely to agree with the opposite view. As Leon Festinger said, "If I chose to do it (or say it), I must believe in it," (Myers 1997). This is an example of Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, which pertains to acting contrary to our beliefs. Television influences many people to change their original beliefs. It has the viewers think that the majority of other people hold the contrary idea. Once these views are presented, people have the option to hol...

    Read More

  • Rap Music's Influence Upon Teenagers

    1389 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mass Media. Ed. William Dudley. Farmington Hills, MI: Thompson Gale, 2005. 121-130.

    Read More

  • The Powerful Effect of Fake News

    2875 Words  | 6 Pages

    From the beginning days of the printing press to the always evolving internet of present day, the media has greatly evolved and changed over the years. No one can possibly overstate the influential power of the new media of television on the rest of the industry. Television continues to influence the media, which recently an era of comedic television shows that specialize in providing “fake news” has captivated. The groundbreaking The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and its spin-off The Colbert Report have successfully attracted the youth demographic and have become the new era’s leading political news source. By parodying news companies and satirizing the government, “fake news” has affected the media, the government, and its audience in such a way that Bill Moyers has claimed “you simply can’t understand American politics in the new millennium without The Daily Show,” that started it all (PBS).

    Read More

More about Media Journal A Critical Analysis of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Open Document