1F25- Is the fake news the real news?

In this weeks post we were asked to look at satirical news shows such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and whether or not these shows could be considered forms of culture jamming.  The concept of culture jamming was completely foreign to me until reading chapter 14 where I learned what it was, with the knowledge that I have gained in order to prep for this post I feel like I can agree with saying that satirical news shows are a legitimate form of culture jamming.

These types of shows use satire as main method of delivering a message to their viewers.  This is generally done in regards to political issues that are presently relevant ranging anywhere from same-sex marriage laws, healthcare discussion, elections etc.  They approach each situation in a professional matter while still using sarcasm to get their point and message across. O’Shaughnessy and Sadler state “It is the form of communication, as well as the content of individual messages, that makes culture jamming subversive.” (O’Shaughnessy, M., & Stadler, J.,

p.216). 

I personally feel that satirical news shows such as The Daily Show are legitimate forms of culture jamming.  They take the news provide by major media sources such as FOX or CNN and then twist it around to make their point using satire. Doing this keeps the viewing audience entertained and interested, and as stated in the text using sarcasm and satire can “be used simply to be clever or funny, without a political or critical motive.” (O’Shaughnessy, M., & Stadler, J., p.214) . These shows mainly aim to keep people entertained while also providing them news coverage that they otherwise may not get from any other source, especially with younger viewers who may not be interested in following mainstream news as they find it boring.

Overall I feel like satirical news shows hold their own in terms of culture jamming as well as providing news coverage.  They use their satire in order to get a point across to their viewers isn’t just for entertainment, they do have a motive behind what it is that they are putting out.