Political mockery battles traditional news

Not too long ago Stephen Colbert asked to be put in the ballot for South Carolina’s presidential primary ballots. The nation was shocked, but to everyone it was just one big joke. Stephen Colbert knows how to rile up a group of people, or in this case a nation, but he does most of the riling up on his shows: The Colbert Report, which airs every night at 11:30 p.m.
 
This show is deemed as a promoter according to the New York Times for the 11 p.m. show The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. The Colbert Report grew out of Stewart’s show where Colbert used to work before he got his new show. Both are built around poking fun at current events, which means at this current time the race for the Republican and Democratic nomination for presidents.

“I love The Colbert Report,” said Junior Dinko Badic, “it’s just so informative, but in a whole new way of telling the news. The show is just so funny, and filled with a few serious scenes, but with a lot of funny acts and sayings.”

“The Daily Show is okay,” said Badic, “it is not as good as The Colbert Report, but only because of the host, he seems boring. Jon Stewart seems kind of up tight and lost at times, but he can be funny when he wants to be.”

While everyone has their own personal opinion Jon Stewart, who once starred in Adam Sandler’s Big Daddy, has grown to fame through his show on Comedy Central. Sunday, Stewart hosted his second straight Academy Awards, a huge job and honor for a comedian today, which says tons about a comedian whose only audience is on a cable network at 11 p.m.

What is so innovative and fascinating about the shows is that despite being aired on Comedy Central, they have become a large source of news, especially about the presidential race for kids who do not really watch news programs. Fighting for young viewers has became so much harder for major news programs on CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX, when they have to fight against the much more funny and flashy Comedy Central programming.

“I think that both shows are very biased,” said senior Dylan Volk, “but they give great information whether it is about the weather or news. The style and way the shows present information is great and fun for people to watch, the shows makes you want to know more about politics. The shows, although, have not influenced me enough to change the decisions I make, I do that myself.”

“Both shows are a complete joke,” said junior Hacque Figueroa, “because they both air on Comedy Central. How could I or anyone else take the shows seriously, they crack jokes none stop, they mock politicians, and try to inform America of the current news. I watch CNN. That is a real news channel.”

Some students are now learning about current events and strive to find out more about politics all because of these shows. A combination of peaking their interest with the Comedy Central programming and the non-diluted facts and stories that genuine news shows present is probably the best format to get informed and stay entertained.

“Politics before this shows was kind of boring to me,” said Badic, “but after I watched the show, and how they made fun of politics and news, I started liking it.”