The Evolution and Importance of News Satire
Loading...
Date
2016-06
Authors
Wallachy, Alexandra
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The goal of this thesis is to examine how news satire has changed in the United
States since the country was founded in 1776. This thesis will show that the connection
between news and satire is important because satire can help people understand current
eventst give context to complex issues and influence change.
When I started this thesis I wanted to learn if satire programs are relevant
beyond comedy. During the thesis process I researched the history of satirical plays in
an ancient contextt the history and popularity of the editorial cartoon and satirical
television programs. I primarily focused on satirical television programs because the
platform has been studied for decades so there is a wealth of data and research on the
subject as well as interesting new developments. I looked at important satirical
programs in US history and present programs that are shaking up the genre. In my
research of satire as it appears on television I compared the presentation of news events
by journalists to the presentation of the same events by satirists. I specifically compared
the Edward Snowden interview as presented by Last Week Tonight host John Oliver to that of NBC News’ reporter Brian Williams to see how the programs were similar and
how they diverged.
The thesis was based in part on the hypothesis that satire evolved towards
advocacy over the years. An example of which being when former Daily Show host Jon
Stewart advocated for the passage and later the renewal of the Zadroga Act to fund
medical expenses for 9/11 first responders. After completing the research only part of
that hypothesis was confirmed. American satire didn’t evolve towards advocacy
because there is a long history of satire advocacy in America. American satire has
changed a great deal since Benjamin Franklin’s ‘Join or Die’ cartoon as platforms and
technology have expanded. This thesis will illustrate that recent satirical television
programs like Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and Last Week Tonight signal a shift
towards more researched and informative news satire. The role satire plays in informing
audiences cannot be undervalued in an era where the way people, especially young
people, get their news is shifting.
Description
60 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Journalism and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2016.
Keywords
News Satire, Comics, Cartoons, Journalism, Media, Television