The Review

Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Mosaic

Media Credit: Matt Stan

The realm of politics is one in which opposing views are in constant competition with each other. Members at opposite ends of the political spectrum often try to influence the general public and persuade people of their views in order to gain support.

There are many reputable sources that provide news, such as CNN and MSNBC; however, many students turn to other resources for news. Shows such as "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" strive to find middle ground between shows that are aimed strictly at either entertainment or information.

Political science professor Kenneth Campbell says it's important to recognize that there are shows at each end of the political spectrum, both liberal and conservative.

"I don't see anything wrong with them so long as we understand that A, there is bias and B, that a certain amount of this is simply entertainment," Campbell says.

He says shows like these aim to educate people about their point of view. However, they also exist for ratings and product sales.

These shows have to be entertaining in order to maintain a fan following. Campbell says the hosts of these shows tend to be "bombastic" and "savvy and slick in the way they present things" in order to portray a certain view and do it in an effectively entertaining way to keep people interested.

"Regardless of how I feel about the content, I think they do serve a purpose," he says. "They, to me, are a bridge between those who watch no news and those who watch a lot of news and in a way you can begin to at least get some idea of what is controversial out there."

At the very least, the shows are able to highlight important political issues, despite the amount of parody that may be involved in the show itself, Campbell says. These shows may not be the best source for people to understand the issues or be able to form opinions about them, but at the very least they act as a hook to get an idea of what is going on.

Joe Skomorucha, host of "The Biweekly Show," a mock news program at the university, says he and his colleagues recently completed a study and found that many students on campus get a significant amount of news and awareness of world affairs through these programs.

"I remember a professor that we worked with said, 'People who say you can't combine education and entertainment know very little about either,' " Skomorucha says, "and I've got to say that's true because it's a very good way of enlightening populus."

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools