ANCHORING THE NEWS WITH COMEDY: CONSIDERING THE ROLE OF CRITIQUE IN NEWS THROUGH AN ANALYSIS OF THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART By Tabitha Louise Simenc A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication Boise State University December 2013 © 2013 Tabitha Louise Simenc ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE COLLEGE DEFENSE COMMITTEE AND FINAL READING APPROVALS of the thesis submitted by Tabitha Louise Simenc Thesis Title: Anchoring the News With Comedy: Considering the Role of Critique in News Through an Analysis of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Date of Final Oral Examination: 01 November 2013 The following individuals read and discussed the thesis submitted by student Tabitha Louise Simenc, and they evaluated her presentation and response to questions during the final oral examination. They found that the student passed the final oral examination. Seth Ashley, Ph.D. Chair, Supervisory Committee Julie Lane, Ph.D. Member, Supervisory Committee John McClellan, Ph.D. Member, Supervisory Committee The final reading approval of the thesis was granted by Seth Ashley, Ph.D., Chair of the Supervisory Committee. The thesis was approved for the Graduate College by John R. Pelton, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate College. DEDICATION Dedicated to my husband, Dan, for his support and encouragement during my time working on this thesis and throughout my graduate studies, for which I am extremely grateful. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not be the work it is without the guidance, help, and direction of Dr. Seth Ashley. I also acknowledge the help and advisement of my thesis committee members, Dr. John McClellan and Dr. Julie Lane, along with professors Dr. Natalie Nelson-Marsh, Dr. Heidi Reeder, and Dr. Ed McLuskie, all of whom made a great impact on me throughout my graduate studies. I also appreciate the help and support I received from my graduate colleagues throughout my five semesters in this program: Amanda Soza, Kristine Bingham Ellis, Jared Kopczynski, Saša Kampic, Jim Wolfe, Teresa Kunz, Josh Schlaich, Megan Boatman (Godwin), Roberta Ireland, and Jim Poston. v ABSTRACT This study examines the role of critique in news and its necessity in a media landscape focused on journalistic ideals of objectivity. Using The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as a case study, this research, first, examines the way in which the program fulfills the normative tasks of the media and can be considered news. Second, it considers how the program and others like it operate outside the realm of traditional news media and are, consequently, not subject to expectations of objectivity, potentially allowing for greater critique of powerful political, economic, and media entities. Finally, the role of news in U.S. democracy is examined, looking at the topics covered on The Daily Show and the potential for the show to inform citizens to be educated participants in their political system. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ......................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... v ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. vi INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................. 7 The Purpose of News .................................................................................................... 7 News and Normative Theory .......................................................................... 10 Changes in News............................................................................................. 14 The Daily Show : News or Comedy? ........................................................................... 18 Content of The Daily Show ............................................................................. 18 Defining The Daily Show ................................................................................ 21 Partisanship of The Daily Show ...................................................................... 24 Influence of The Daily Show ........................................................................... 27 The Daily Show Debate ............................................................................................... 29 CHAPTER 2: METHOD ........................................................................................................ 33 Content ........................................................................................................................ 36 Materials ..................................................................................................................... 37 Procedure .................................................................................................................... 38 Data ............................................................................................................................. 39 vii News-Comedy Categories .............................................................................. 40 Topic Categories ............................................................................................. 41 Analysis....................................................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS ...................................................................................................... 44 RQ1: To what extent can The Daily Show with Jon Stewart be considered news based on the normative tasks of the news media? ...................................................... 44 Basic Show Structure ...................................................................................... 45 Task 1: Observe and inform. ........................................................................... 46 Task 2: Critical Comment ............................................................................... 49 Task 3: Extramedia Voices and Sources ......................................................... 60 Comedy ........................................................................................................... 62 Normative Tasks of the Media and Comedy in Practice ................................ 68 RQ2: In what ways do topics covered predominantly on The Daily Show allow for viewers to be informed citizens in the U.S. democracy? ............................................ 72 Political Coverage ........................................................................................... 72 World Affairs Coverage .................................................................................. 75 Metacoverage of the Press .............................................................................. 76 Domestic, Non-Political Affairs Coverage ..................................................... 79 Beyond the Research Questions.................................................................................. 80 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION .................................................................................................. 84 Objectivity vs. Critique in News Media ..................................................................... 85 Limitations of The Daily Show as a News Source ...................................................... 88 Selective Exposure .......................................................................................... 88 Gatekeeping .................................................................................................... 90 viii Reliance on Traditional News Media ............................................................. 92 Alleviating the Limitations ............................................................................. 93 Implications................................................................................................................. 94 Limitations and Further Research ............................................................................... 96 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 97 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 99 APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................... 108 Sample Field Notes ................................................................................................... 108 ix 1 INTRODUCTION On January 7, 2013 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart addressed Republican congressional representatives and their actions with regard to Hurricane Sandy relief. In a six-minute segment titled “C#@k block you on the hurricane” (The Daily Show, 2013, January 7) host Jon Stewart covers a Hurricane Sandy aid bill involving $60 billion to be used in the northeast to repair damage from the devastating hurricane and the fact that the bill failed to pass the House because 67 GOP legislators voted against it. Coverage includes clips of Republican politicians from the affected area calling out the House Republicans, clips exposing the hypocrisy of legislators who voted against the bill asking for relief money for their