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Comedy News: Legitimacy and Student Response
by James Layman
In the eras of network greats from Walter Cronkite, to Dan Rather and Stone Phillips, a sense of gravity permeated the airwaves. Anchors were characterized as firm, steady, and serious. Their broadcasts were typically perceived to carry that same tone. Recently, the phenomenon of “comedy news” has offered a sharp departure, lampooning not only anchors, but American media as a whole. Recent years have marked a steady climb in its mainstream popularity. Has comedy news really carved a legitimate niche? If so, will politically-minded students ever accept that legitimacy?
In early 1999, comedian Jon Stewart assumed hosting duties of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. In the past nine years, the program has enjoyed a massive ratings boost, a mainstream following, a Peabody award, and an Emmy. Politically prominent guests from Bill Clinton, to John Kerry and John McCain have been regulars. Presidential hopeful John Edwards even chose the show as a forum to announce his candidacy in the 2004 Presidential Election.
Correspondent Stephen Colbert’s 2005 spin off The Colbert Report enjoyed comparable success, pulling in 1.1 million viewers during its premiere. Since then, it has established an ample fan base.
For Stewart and Colbert, the popularity is only growing. According to Nielsen Media Research ratings, The Daily Show has enjoyed a whopping average of 1.5 million viewers per episode, a number that has swelled to 1.6 million since Stewart hosted the 2007 Academy Awards.
Colbert has caught mainstream attention for his program as well, after being selected to speak at the 2006 White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Mark Smith, the president of the White House Correspondents, chose Colbert for the job. “He not only skewers politicians-he skewers those of us in the media”, said Smith in a New York Times article, lauding Colbert’s shrewd brand of humor.
While both programs have earned a foothold in the mainstream, the question lingers over whether they will cross the gap between comedy and legitimate news.
New York University Junior Dave Laska is an active member of both NYU’s College Republican group, and The New York Young Republican Club. He’s gained some familiarity with mainstream media in the past year, after appearing on several syndicated national talk shows to explain his involvement in a controversial 2007 campus event called “Find the Illegal Immigrant”.
Laska considers himself a fan of both shows, and has even attended a recent taping of The Colbert Report, an event he claims to have enjoyed. Unfortunately, the line is drawn at enjoyment.
“I think a negative aspect of shows like Colbert or Jon Stewart is that people in our generation tend only to get their news from those types of shows” says Laska. “They exist to poke fun at the news instead of report it”.
Other prominent student conservatives have distanced themselves not only from Colbert and Stewart, but from television news in general. NYU College Republican Vice President Jeffery Cipriani represents a rare demographic of students unfamiliar with either program. “I know the programs are pretty popular, but I have never watched either of them”, he says.
NYU College Democrat Vice President Mary Kearl holds similar views to her conservative counterparts. Though she doesnStewart or Colbert, she sees ’t invest in the legitimacy of them as a welcomed relief from mainstream TV news. “I find the glam, glitz, and the fluff of TV news grating”, she says. “Occasionally friends will be watching Colbert or John Stewart and I’ll join them…I by no means rely on comedy news for actual news coverage, but it is a good relief from the monotony of the melding of TV personas and overly packaged news”.
Colbert himself seems to agree. “We’re like a relief. We’re a sorbet. We cleanse America’s palate for another day of news”, he said in a 2005 Philadelphia Inquirer article.
Despite her dismissive take, Kearl admits to comedy news’ legitimacy among her peers. “Some can’t go without seeing Stewart or Colbert, and would do anything to see either show taped live”, she says.
Kearl goes on to describe Stewart’s popularity during the 2006 Senatorial Elections. “ When I watched the election results from November 2006, I was with a group of kids who insisted on flipping between all the major news networks…constantly checking the internet for any more immediate changes…and then watching to see what John Stewart was saying about the whole thing”, she recalled.
Stewart and Colbert have undoubtedly permeated the mainstream. But while their place has solidly been established, unanimous legitimacy lags a few steps behind among the NYU community. For some, The Daily Show and Colbert Report are staples. For others, they are simply a small taste of welcomed sorbet.
In the eras of network greats from Walter Cronkite, to Dan Rather and Stone Phillips, a sense of gravity permeated the airwaves. Anchors were characterized as firm, steady, and serious. Their broadcasts were typically perceived to carry that same tone. Recently, the phenomenon of “comedy news” has offered a sharp departure, lampooning not only anchors, but American media as a whole. Recent years have marked a steady climb in its mainstream popularity. Has comedy news really carved a legitimate niche? If so, will politically-minded students ever accept that legitimacy?
In early 1999, comedian Jon Stewart assumed hosting duties of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. In the past nine years, the program has enjoyed a massive ratings boost, a mainstream following, a Peabody award, and an Emmy. Politically prominent guests from Bill Clinton, to John Kerry and John McCain have been regulars. Presidential hopeful John Edwards even chose the show as a forum to announce his candidacy in the 2004 Presidential Election.
Correspondent Stephen Colbert’s 2005 spin off The Colbert Report enjoyed comparable success, pulling in 1.1 million viewers during its premiere. Since then, it has established an ample fan base.
For Stewart and Colbert, the popularity is only growing. According to Nielsen Media Research ratings, The Daily Show has enjoyed a whopping average of 1.5 million viewers per episode, a number that has swelled to 1.6 million since Stewart hosted the 2007 Academy Awards.
Colbert has caught mainstream attention for his program as well, after being selected to speak at the 2006 White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Mark Smith, the president of the White House Correspondents, chose Colbert for the job. “He not only skewers politicians-he skewers those of us in the media”, said Smith in a New York Times article, lauding Colbert’s shrewd brand of humor.
While both programs have earned a foothold in the mainstream, the question lingers over whether they will cross the gap between comedy and legitimate news.
New York University Junior Dave Laska is an active member of both NYU’s College Republican group, and The New York Young Republican Club. He’s gained some familiarity with mainstream media in the past year, after appearing on several syndicated national talk shows to explain his involvement in a controversial 2007 campus event called “Find the Illegal Immigrant”.
Laska considers himself a fan of both shows, and has even attended a recent taping of The Colbert Report, an event he claims to have enjoyed. Unfortunately, the line is drawn at enjoyment.
“I think a negative aspect of shows like Colbert or Jon Stewart is that people in our generation tend only to get their news from those types of shows” says Laska. “They exist to poke fun at the news instead of report it”.
Other prominent student conservatives have distanced themselves not only from Colbert and Stewart, but from television news in general. NYU College Republican Vice President Jeffery Cipriani represents a rare demographic of students unfamiliar with either program. “I know the programs are pretty popular, but I have never watched either of them”, he says.
NYU College Democrat Vice President Mary Kearl holds similar views to her conservative counterparts. Though she doesnStewart or Colbert, she sees ’t invest in the legitimacy of them as a welcomed relief from mainstream TV news. “I find the glam, glitz, and the fluff of TV news grating”, she says. “Occasionally friends will be watching Colbert or John Stewart and I’ll join them…I by no means rely on comedy news for actual news coverage, but it is a good relief from the monotony of the melding of TV personas and overly packaged news”.
Colbert himself seems to agree. “We’re like a relief. We’re a sorbet. We cleanse America’s palate for another day of news”, he said in a 2005 Philadelphia Inquirer article.
Despite her dismissive take, Kearl admits to comedy news’ legitimacy among her peers. “Some can’t go without seeing Stewart or Colbert, and would do anything to see either show taped live”, she says.
Kearl goes on to describe Stewart’s popularity during the 2006 Senatorial Elections. “ When I watched the election results from November 2006, I was with a group of kids who insisted on flipping between all the major news networks…constantly checking the internet for any more immediate changes…and then watching to see what John Stewart was saying about the whole thing”, she recalled.
Stewart and Colbert have undoubtedly permeated the mainstream. But while their place has solidly been established, unanimous legitimacy lags a few steps behind among the NYU community. For some, The Daily Show and Colbert Report are staples. For others, they are simply a small taste of welcomed sorbet.
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