News satire may be the best or
worst thing that has happened to news media recent. Whether the effects of this
media are good or bad is entire dependent on the perspective through which it
is viewed but the reliability of this media is another issue. While some people
may believe the satire to be real and factual, this seems like it would be a
very small proportion; this possible misdirection could be reason to question
the accuracy of the content but perhaps there is something bigger going on...
The main idea of culture jamming
is to “bring light to an idea, a thought or a certain element that had been
kept in the dark.1” Satirical news does this by making suggestions
that the ‘real’ news may not be accurate. Comedian Jon Stewart, star of The
Daily Show, has declared numerous threats and impending disasters but the
claims are not meant to be informative. He is making reference to the numerous
moral panics that have been incited by the ‘real’ news by making even more
ridiculous claims that, accurate or not, encourages the receiver of the media
to be a little more critical of what they hear.
Focusing on the accuracy of the
details seems to be missing the point of the satirical news, as it detracts
from the overall message; if the goal of The Daily Show was to report the most
accurate news, it would not be a satirical news show. A ridiculous claim can
help illustrate this point; if Jon Stewart declared that World War 3 just broke
out, people would like not believe him. Some people may look into the claim and
why it was made, but no one would be building their bomb shelter and preparing
for combat. The public seems unaware of the fact that culture jamming is “simply,
the viral introduction of radical ideas.2”
Although usually inaccurate, this
media serves a different function that does not require content accuracy. This
media is meant to criticize the ‘real’ news in a way that leads viewers to
think more critically about what they come in contact with, or in other words “these
programs make them question the information they are provided and the integrity
of the individuals about which information is being released.3” If
the content that is presented is blatantly inaccurate, viewers will realize
that it is meant to be satirical and critical of something else, which should
lead them to an understanding of the true function of that media.
Questions attacking the
reliability of the content of satirical news need not bother; it is not meant
to be accurate. If the information presented on news satire programs was
accurate, they would become what they are satirizing and questioning. News
satire does not succeed in its blinding accuracy, yet it’s, at times,
ridiculous propositions demonstrate how crazy some news appears to be and begs
viewers to critically analyze other media forms they come into contact with. Questioning
the reliability of a media form that was never meant to be reliable is missing
the point completely.
Special thanks to:
No comments:
Post a Comment