Last month rounded off the end of not only the year, but an era. “The Colbert Report” aired its final episode on Dec. 18, as host Stephen Colbert prepares to replace David Letterman on the “Late Show.”
Like “The Daily Show,” which aired in the time slot before it, “The Colbert Report” operated as a satirical mock news show, hosted by Stephen Colbert’s conservative alter-ego of the same name. During its tenure, the show earned numerous entertainment awards.
Programs such as “The Colbert Report,” “The Daily Show” and now “Last Week Tonight” with former “Daily Show” correspondent John Oliver are the primary sources from which our generation gets its news, with about 80 percent of viewers falling between the ages of 18 and 49, according to a study from the Pew Research Center. For the most part, satirical news programs tend to keep us more informed about national and global topics than the networks they mock.
In fact, those who watch “The Daily Show” beat out those who watch Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and listen to talk radio as most informed on domestic and international issues, falling just behind those who regularly listen to National Public Radio, according to a 2012 study reported by “Business Insider.” The same study demonstrated that those who watch Fox News are less informed than those who watch no news.
Colbert’s coverage of Super PACs have spurred a larger conversation about money in politics, demonstrating far better reporting than most other news sources.
The academic journal “Mass Communication and Society” published a study May 16, including findings that prove that Colbert Report viewers are far more informed about the workings of money in the political system due to Colbert’s Super PAC coverage.
Beyond keeping the public informed about political news, these shows do a phenomenal job keeping viewers up to date with the current happenings in academia. For instance, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson — who visited NC State last Spring — has appeared on both “The Daily Show” (11 times) and “The Colbert Report” (10 times).
Other “Colbert Report” and “Daily Show” guests include Terence Tao, widely considered the world’s greatest mathematician, Reza Aslan, a renowned religious studies professor, Jane Goodall, the world famous anthropologist noted for her work with chimpanzees, and many, many more.
It’s important to know how the media influences our thoughts. By comparing various news outlets with their Comedy Central, and now HBO counterparts, we see a shocking disregard for intellectualism in primary media outlets. By hosting various academics and reporting better than popular news outlets, satirical news shows promote, opposingly, an appreciation and a love of thinking.
