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Comedy in News
Introduction
Everyone loves to laugh. It relives stress and adds entertainment into every day life.
Humor is found everywhere, from twitter accounts dedicated to it to people who make it their
profession. Millennials, people who were born between 1980 and the early 2000s, minds are
constantly becoming distracted by a new modern convenience and are starting to become part of
the conversation in the professional world. With that comes the need to be an informed citizen.
Many Millenials are leaning towards hybrid comedy news stations to fulfill their need for
entertainment and information. Academics have found that Millennials trust comedy news
anchors and find that traditional news is boring and out of date. Humor used within these shows
give Millenials an easier ability to absorb news with the reward of being informed without
having to do a lot of heavy lifting that is required with traditional news media. Parallel with these
academic findings, there are several theories that predicted and confirmed this new phenomenon.
Within my study of the comedy news phenomenon I am evaluating what are the effects and
reason why Millennials are flocking to comedy news over traditional news sources.
Description and Justification
When viewing a news story about similar topics on a traditional news station and a
comedy news station, one can see obvious differences in the way the story is represented. In
todays world, humor and comedy is in the forefront of the millennial generations desire from
their media outlets. For example when trying to obtain information about the 4th GOP 2015
debate, The OReilly Factor on Fox News and The Late Show with Steven Colbert on CBS had
very different approaches to telling the same story. When viewing the segment titled Charles
Krauthammer breaks down GOP debate, on the OReilly Factor it told the viewer important

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information, but it was exceptionally flavorless. The segment opens with OReilly stating, Two
hours of verbiage from Milwaukee, did anything important happen? Did any of the candidates
help of hurt themselves? Any new things put on the table? (OReilly, 2015). After introducing
his guest, Charles Krauthammer, they exchange one joke that was about placing money in
Krauthammer Cayman Islands account (OReilly, 2015). They then continued to professionally
evaluate how each of the Republican candidates ideas, presence, and overall performance.
Visually the show is either a single shot of Bill OReilly or Charles Krauthammer, a split screen
of both of them, or a flash back to the GOP debate depicting the candidate they are debating.
Contrastingly, the The Late Show with Steven Colbert reflected on the 4th GOP debate in a
humor based way. The segment titled, The 4th GOP Debate was a Thing that Happened, opened
with Colbert expressing, Just like many of you I stayed up late last night to watch the 4th GOP
debate from Wisconsin, which was followed by laughter. He continued to say, The talkie in
Milwaukee, the very bland from Dairyland, and Like the candidates last night I have a random
collection of half informed thoughts I would like to share with you (Colbert, 2015). After
Colberts introduction to the topic he dove right into making jokes about the mistakes or
comments the candidates made. One including Donald Trumps praise to Eisenhowers procedure
in the 1950s on deporting illegal immigrants, which was followed by Colberts joke, it must
have worked because Mexicans were never seen here again (Colbert, 2015).
In a personal case study I asked a group of 19-23 year old college students to sit down
and watch both videos. Without letting the group know beforehand I asked what they absorbed
from each episode and what they preferred. The largest response received from the group is that
they, kinda zoned out during OReilly and they remembered them mentioning that Donald
Trump didnt intervene at the same rate as the other candidates. When asked about The Late

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Show with Steven Colbert they remembered all the main points and could repeat back a lot of the
video word for word. When given the option between the two videos all of them agreed that The
Late Show was a better way to obtain news because they would rather have fun while learning,
than feel like they are listening to a boring lecture. Through this study I was able to obtain
evidence that shows that the younger generation finds traditional news dull and are able to
absorb information through comedy with more ease.
Millennial preference toward comedy news outlets has become more prevalent through
out time. According to a CBS News, A poll released earlier this year by the Pew Research
Center for the People and the Press found that 21 percent of people aged 18 to 29 cited "The
Daily Show" and "Saturday Night Live" as a place where they regularly learned presidential
campaign news (Cosgrove-Mather, 2004). This was a significant discovery because, when the
same question was asked in 2000, Pew found only 9 percent of young people pointing to the
comedy shows (Cosgrove-Mather, 2004).
Another popular comedy news source, Last Week Tonight on HBO, also depicts the
phenomenon of the millennial generation leaning on comedy for their information. John Oliver,
the host of the Last Week Tonight, did a 13-minute segment on Net Neutrality that was so
effective on his viewers that Oliver helped crash the federal agencys [FCC] comment system
(Williams & Shelton, 2014). According to Pew Research, the week before the episode aired the
FCC received 3,076 comments and the week after it aired, the FCC received 79,838
(Williams & Shelton, 2014).
Not only are Millennials receiving news from comedy sources, they are also idolizing
the hosts of the show. According to the New York Times, research shows that, More than music,
more than sports, more than personal style, comedy has become essential to how young men

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view themselves and others and that if they were asked if they were, Stuck in an elevator?
Sixty-three percent of young men surveyed said they would choose to be there with Jon Stewart
[popular comedy news host]and only 15 percent said they would prefer that time with Eli
Manning (Carter, 2012).
Researching this phenomenon is important because the way the younger generation is
getting their news can significantly alter the way they perceive the world and process
information. The need for comedy to enjoy information is now also going into different forms of
education, now portrayed by Comedy Centrals newest hit Drunk History, which tells historically
accurate stories in a comedic way. It is important to understand why this is happening and the
effects it could cause in the future, when the majority of the Millennial generation are running
companies.
Application and Analysis
With the growing quantity of Millennials turning towards comedy news outlets, it has
raised a great deal of academic attention. Not only in the specific role of comedy news, but also
the function of humor in television itself. Through these academic discoveries comes
reinforcement of several mass media theories. Specifically, uses-and-gratification theory, fraction
of selection, information-processing theory, media system dependency theory, narrative
persuasion theory, and cultivation analysis theory.
In the article, Toward the Integration of Entertainment and Educational Functions of
Television: The Role of Humor, Paul E. McGhee makes several intellectual discoveries on human
interaction with humor. In his findings he noted arousal increases when an attempt is made to
understand a cartoon or joke, but then decreases when the insight required to get the joke is
suddenly achieved (McGhee, 2014, para. 4). He also found that programs whose main function

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is to impart information are dry and uninteresting in format and presentation, though the subject
matter covered is interesting (McGhee, 2014, para. 3). McGhee continues to explain that humor
can act as a, kind of emotional slap in the face, drawing attention and interest back to the
program (2014, para 5). He also dives into how, humor provides a very effective means of
reducing stress and tension (McGhee, 2014, para 6). He uses an example of the adult working
population coming home from work stressed and tired. McGhee points out that this population,
are not likely to be in a frame of mind conducive to desire for enrichment and learning (2014,
para. 6). Therefore humor and non-serious based shows would be the preferred outlet.
McGhees findings reinforce the Uses-and-Gratification Theory, which is focusing on
the uses to which people put media and the gratifications they seek from those uses (Baran,
2015, p. 200). With many Millennials being early in their professional career or still in school
stress and exhaustion is part of everyday life. In my case study of college students that is
indefinitely true. People are watching television to provide themselves with a level of
entertainment to provide easy at the end of the day. Comedy news stations are filling a want of
staying informed, while providing the additive bonus of mental arousal. Another theory
reinforced by McGhees findings is fraction of selection. Fraction of selection is an equation that
involves expectation of reward over effort required. It explains how individuals make media
and content choice based on expectation of reward and effort required (Baran, 2015, 201). This
is very evident with this phenomenon because Millennials want to feel informed, and comedy
news hybrids offer less effort to stay involved than a traditional news station.
Another academic approach to this phenomenon was studied by Eamon Tewell who used
examples from The Colbert Report, Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock, to support his
hypothesis; that viewing television comedy excerpts had an effect on student familiarity with IL

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[Information Literacy] concepts when compared to the control group (Tewell, 2014). He found
that unique properties of television comediesthe creation of emotional connections that help
promote engagement, make them well suited for use in lesson plans (Tewell, 2014). He
concluded that students enjoyed things that are relevant and comedy can increase learning.
Tewells discoveries reinforce information-processing theory, which is the theory for
understanding how people deal with sensory information (Baran, 2015, p. 229). Baran
comments that, we have developed sophisticated mechanisms for screening out irrelevant or
useless information (2015, p. 230). Though what is being said in traditional new sources is
useful information, comedy shows are formatted to create content that seems relevant to
Millenials. This helps engage young viewers in the content that is being shown to them, making
it easier to remember content.
Another academic article, The news about comedy: Young audience, The Daily Show, and
evolving notions of journalism, Lauren Feldman critically looks into the effects The Daily Show
has on changing views on journalism and young adult preferences. Feldman discovered that the
younger generation is interested in obtaining information about the news, but not how it was
consumed traditionally. With that discovery she included that, young people appear to be
abandoning traditional news media, they are becoming more likely to identify late-night comedy
as a source of political information (2007, p. 406). In a study mentioned in her article, Among
middle and high school students in the USA and London, Buckingham (2000) found a shared
lack of enthusiasm for television news in general, which was most frequently rejected for being
boring, repetitive, and lacking in entertainment value (2007, p. 408). Additionally, she found
that, comedy-news hybrids[are] among their pop culture favorites and spoke of being
simultaneously amused and informed by them (Feldman, 2007, pg. 408).

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Feldmans findings reinforce the media system dependency theory, which explains, that
the more a person depends on having his or her needs met by media use, the more important will
be the role that media play in the persons life (Bara, 2015, p. 282). The younger generation
wants to obtain knowledge about news, but have a need to be entertained. They depend on
comedy-news sources to obtain the political and world news they desire, while still feeling like
they are being entertained and not as my experiment put it being lectured at.
In another look at news entertainment, Priscilla Marie Meddaugh discusses how the
Colbert Report operates as a critic of the press, as well as a unique site of media literacy
education, in her article Colbert, and the Center of Discourse: Is There No Truthiness in
Humor? (2010, p. 379). Meddaugh mentions that Colbert plays a large satirical role in being a
watchdog by, targeting stories that either miss the mark or belabor the obvious (2010, p. 384).
The Colbert Report is aired on Comedy Central where it has received a significant amount of
younger audiences attention, about half the age of those who prefer traditional news shows
(Meddaugh, 2010, p. 377). With this success Meddaugh mentions, scholars continue to debate
the impact of such programming as the primary channel of political information to Americas
youth (Meddaugh, 2010, p.377). The current, younger generation, mentioned by Meddaugh, is
causing a decline in traditional news such as the newspaper, and nightly news (2010, p. 377).
Meddaughs discoveries reinforce narrative persuasion theory that argues, that
absorption into a media narrative is a key mechanism in the storys power to influence real-world
beliefs and behavior (Baran, 2015, p. 246). The Millennial generation preference of comedy
news stations, while also receiving watchdog stories helps produce a sense of connectedness
and loyalty to the narrative of the show. With being absorbed into the narrative it can alter the
beliefs of the viewer, which is very powerful when it is altering the minds of the future.

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In the book From Cronkite to Colbert: The Evolution of Broadcast News by Geoffrey
Baym, he mentions Steven Colberts word Truthiness (Baym, 2010, pg. 137). Colbert defines
his new word as an explanation that, the country is divided between those who think with their
heads and those who know with their heart (Baym, 2010, pg. 137). Colbert nightly critique of
truthiness lies a consistent concern for the politically motivated manufacturing of facts, or at
least the perception thereof (Baym, 2010, pg. 139). Baym continues to quote Colbert when he
mentions that, what Americans want to believe is more important than whats actually
happening (2010, pg. 139).
Bayms findings reinforce cultivation analysis. Cultivation analysis is a theory that
television cultivates or creates a world view that, although possibly inaccurate becomes the
reality because people believe it to be so (Baran, 2015, 287). With the Millennial perspective
being on comedy shows like Colbert, the younger generation will trust Colberts truthiness
more than that of traditional based shows because he says that his information is not
manufactured. This can cause Millennials to take his word as true fact even though it could be
just as skewed in a certain political direction as many traditional news stations.
Interpretation and Implication
The dramatic pull towards the younger generation preference of their news source is
something that deserves a great deal of attention. Within my own case study there was a
significant difference on how my Millennial subjects felt about watching the two different
videos. With most Millennials wanting humor in their chosen form of news it shows a significant
connection to many mass media theories.
With technology getting more advanced at a rapid pace there are many different locations
to obtain news. To keep the attention of young adults in the world today, the information needs to

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be relevant and it needs to be funny. Different entertainment mediums are pulling the attention of
young minds constantly throughout the day. Therefore, watching a traditional news medium
seems less than satisfactory, when you can obtain the same information while laughing with your
friends.
Another reason why this phenomenon emerged is because of the idolization of funny
people in America. As mentioned before, a New York Times article found that Millennial male
viewers would choose to spend time with John Stewart rather than Eli Manning. This shows that
humor is a valued trait that people would like to obtain, and viewers can be part of that
experience through watching comedy hybrid television.
Additionally, this phenomenon became part of our culture because of the effort required
and the reward won. McGhee said that humor is like a slap in the face and that humor works as
a stress reliever. Most college students and Millennial employees are usually stressed and tired
from work and the everyday worries of life. With still wanting to know whats going on in the
word, humor offers a great catalyst to be informed with little effort required on the viewers part.
With this ease, it allows the viewer to retain more information because of the mental arousal
humor provides.
Hybrid comedy news shows also provide an easy narrative to fall into. Unlike many
traditional news sources, many feel that Colbert tells the truth and has no bias. Though there is a
strong bias in his show, he tells the audience he is about truthiness. This allows the younger
generation to feel as though this is a newscaster that is speaking on behalf of them against the
traditional news stations. With this also comes comedy news outlets ability to use pop culture
references throughout the show to also keep it relevant, which adds to feeling of being the
younger viewers watchdog.

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With this phenomenon on the rise this means that traditional news stations will have to
try harder than before to remain relevant in the modern world. Humor based news is slowly
becoming the standard choice for most individuals. Older generations will have to recognize
comedy news as a dependable new source and not just as a piece of entertainment. The
consequences of this is the younger generations ability to have their minds stimulated by
something that is just information and not funny. Another consequence is that Millenials can lose
trust in credible journalists because of what is being told to them through popular comedy
hybrids.
Future Research
This phenomenon is fairly new in todays modern world, so there is a lot of research that
can still be done. The obvious unanswered question is what long-term effects will this cause? I
would create a research project to test the long-term effects by following a group of Millennials
who only turn to humor for their news sources and another Millennial group that only follows
tradition news sources. I would then ask each group a series of questions over several years that
would evaluate their feelings on traditional news sources/comedy news sources, political
preference, when they watch the show, and in what medium the show was watched. After
following each group I would then evaluate all the data to see if there is a significant difference
in the groups preference of the questions.
If I were to speculate on what the possible findings would be in this study I believe it
would find that majority of the Millenials would still heavily lean toward comedy news and
those who were in the traditional news group would still find comedy news to be entertaining. I
feel that there would be a large leaning bias to the most popular comedy news hosts political

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affiliation and that most people would be watching it on tablets or their phone for an extra
convenience.
This study would help clear up if this phenomenon is affecting our nations political
following or the way the future will view traditional news and if it will cause traditional methods
to fade further into the background. Studying further into this phenomenon is important because
it involves the future minds of the country. With many theories predicting this pattern and several
academics already becoming a part of the conversation, it is only a matter of time until there is a
long-term study that can help answer the big long-term questions this phenomenon causes.

References
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(Seventh ed.). Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage Learning.
Baym, G. (2010). Nothing Im saying meanssAnything: Stephen Colbert and the new language
of public affairs. In From Cronkite to Colbert: The evolution of broadcast news. Boulder,
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Carter, B. (2012, February 19). In the tastes of young men, humor is most prized, a survey
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